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MedHelp Member's Question

Weaning from Ultram, am I doing this right?

by fairlight123, Dec 15, 2001 12:00AM
Tags: Addiction
I was presribed Ultram for pelvic pain (fibroids and endomitriosis).  I have been taking it for a little over 2 months and I am honestly addicted.  I have decided to wean myself off.  I have been taking 300-400 mils, and yesterday I cut it down to 100 mils.. I took that amount today, and will tommorow, and then go down to 50 for 4 days, and then stop (I only have 11 pills left).  Am I doing this right?  I have heard horror stories from people who have gone cold turkey from Ultram, and am wondering if I will have the same kind of withdrawl symptoms.  So far it hasn't been too bad for me, a bit of anxiety and irritibility, lack of energy, and I have to admit I feel normal after I take my dose.  Will that change?



Having read all of these stories, I have to say that I am in awe. Congrats to all of you who have been so brave and determined.



Any advice will be appreciated :)
Member Comments (57)

by fairlight123, Dec 16, 2001 12:00AM
Well, I guess this will now become my venting place, and I'll answer my own post :)



Last night was kinda bad. I woke up several times, and once I was sweating and had chills and nausea.  I managed to sleep off and on, and I feel ok this morning.  I am afraid though, because I am not even cold turkey yet and am already having withdrawl sypmtoms just from cutting back.  I cannot wait to get this over with.  I have never had an addiction before, although I did experience withdrawl symptoms when I stopped taking Paxil after 3 months.  Dr. had prescribed it for sleep problems, even though I wasn't depressed.  Hows that for just throwing a bandaid at a person?

by Witchywoman, Dec 16, 2001 12:00AM
Paxil for sleep problems? sheesh!!



Definately taper the ultram slowly, I hear it can be dangerous to go off it cold turkey, but I've not got personal experience with it.



Please...vent, post, and let us know how you are doing.



love,

WW

by fairlight123, Dec 16, 2001 12:00AM
Today has been the absolute worst.  



I guess that about sums it up :)  I hate these pills, I don't want to take any more, but I guess I'll just have to be patient and wean off of them.



Thanks for the answers.  I really don't want to contact a physician, I don't want to be told it's all in my head, I don't want to be put on some other drug, and I really don't want my family to know.  I can sort of maintain normalacy for them, excusing my state by saying I think I'm coming down with something.  Today I forced myself to walk a mile in the snow with my dogs, and cruise the mall finishing up my xmas shopping. I felt like an alien the whole time, but it sure passes time.



Anyway, this is day 3... when will it start to get better?

by fairlight123, Dec 17, 2001 12:00AM
Day 4.... guess today is the day I get to spend in tears.  Tears because they simply fall out of my eyes :)  I am also so jittery and nervous.  Last night was rather restless, and I so do not want to take my pill today. I want this to be done and over with. I guess I'm just impatient.  



I told my husband.  He has no idea what to do to help me but at least he's being nice about it.  I really want to just stay at home for the next week, but I have to go to work tonight.  I'll be ok, because I'll have my measley little 50 mg wean off pill.  But I have decided that today is the last day of any pill.  Tommorow I'm going off totally. I have to get to feeling better before next week, we are traveling to see relatives for xmas and I have a ton of stuff to do.



I read more and more about rehab places and detox, and while it sounds rather nice, I don't know how to to call...What can they do there that I can't do at home?  Is it really better?  How long do they keep you there?  



Please help.  I feel so scattered and down...



by Witchywoman, Dec 17, 2001 12:00AM
To: fairlight
Fairlight,

I wish I knew more about ultram withdrawal...but what I do know is that you sound really ready to be done with slavery to a pill, and that is the first step toward freedom.



I know when I was detoxing from opiates, there were a few days there where all I could do was cry...over nothing, over everything.  There was just a  jumble of feelings, and I saw that as a positive thing, as I was at least no longer numb.



I'll be thinking of you and sending you healing energy. Please stay in touch.



love,

WW

by littleguy, Dec 17, 2001 12:00AM
To: fairlight
fairlight,



Congrats on how far you have come!!  My thoughts are with you.



littleguy

by MandM, Dec 18, 2001 12:00AM
fairlight?? wondering how you are doing?? are you feeling ok?

hope you resond to this



see ya



M

by fairlight123, Dec 18, 2001 12:00AM
Thanks for all the responses, it means alot to me...



Today was better, physically.  I was able to go out and do some stuff.  But now I've got a nasty cold thats been going through the family, and my mood swings are off the wall.  One minute I feel ok, the next minute I feel very despondent and hopeless,scared that I will never feel normal again.  And to top everything off, my husband, who was going to be here to help me in the next couple of days has to go out of town for 5 days.... that really sent me off the edge.  Haven't slept at all for 4 days, so I'm really beat.



So... I hope I wake up tommorow with a clearer head.  This is the hardest 5 days I have ever spent...





by fairlight123, Dec 18, 2001 12:00AM
Oh, I also wanted to let all of you know that Ultram withdrawl is very similar to the other opiates withdawl symptoms.  I have read that it's the equivelent of coming off of morphine...  I have most of the symptoms that everyone else here is having, the twitchy leg, the shakes, the sweats and chills, stomach problems, and major anxiety and restlessness.



by raptor182, Dec 19, 2001 12:00AM
I, as a 6 year perscription pill abuser would like to report an unexpected success in the area of self-treatment.  I have found success in recovery with the use of clonidine.  I have found that after a relapse one can actually forgoe 95% of the pain of withdrawl by careful use of clonidine.  I usually will take two 0.1mg tablets before bed, leaving two additional tablets by the bedside.  When withdrawl is in full effect a patient/abuser can rarely expect more than 4-5 hours of uninterupted sleep.  When I wake, I quickly take the two other  clonidine tablets and wait to fall back to sleep.  In addition my doctor has me using the Anti-depressent/Sleep medication Trazadone.  Using this method one can expect to get 6-8 hours of sleep or more.  Also, by maintaining clonidine in the blood supply one tablet every 6 hours while awake will have the effects of keeping muscle spasms to almost nothing.  I have found that by keeping the physical symptoms to a minimum, the focus becomes the inherent depression one feels during withdrawl.  I keep my mood up by watching fun entertaining movies and eating "comfort foods".  NOTE TO EVERYONE: If an patient/abuser is taking powerful doses of dangerous narcotics in large quantities this method does not help.  This method is useful to pain-management patients and pill abusers that use between 1 darvocet (very weak) per day to 2 percocet (very strong) four times a day for long periods of time.  This method has the best effect for patients/abusers using hydrocodone 5/500mg three times per day.  



Many doctors I have spoken with feel that an abuser should feel the pain of withdrawl so they are relunctent to make the same mistake twice.  I understand the logic in this, but I can't help but feel this information would benefit doctors that have patients that become addicted through no fault of there own.  



***@****

by fairlight123, Dec 19, 2001 12:00AM
I thought this was supposed to get better!  I felt better yesterday but last night was the worst night I have ever spent. I have not slept for 5 nights straight, and last night was the kicker... I spent all night pacing my house, or lying in bed with "restless body syndrome". Not just my leg but everything was moving.  How long can a person go without sleep?  I am so sad, I cannot stop crying, my husband left this morning and I have to take care of the kids... someone, please say it's going to get better, right now I am utterly and completley hopeless and lost... nothing could be worse than this...how am I going to make it?

by littleguy, Dec 19, 2001 12:00AM
To: fairlight
fairlight,



Are you on any nutritional supplements?  There are a lot of things out there that can help with w/d's and with sleep.  When the brain reaches the deeper stages of sleep, the immune system is properly cued to do its business.  So.... going without sleep for a long time can wreak havoc by itself, on top off w/d's I can imagine that you are very uncomfortable.  Staying busy can help too....  



littleguy

by jule1, Dec 19, 2001 12:00AM
To: Fairlight
I have been where you are right now I used to post here quite often but haven't been doing so lately.  I came here after calling quite a few places and noone knew about Ultram.  I promise it will bet better and do exactly what you are doing "The Thomas Recipie" might help with the withdrawl symptoms you can find it on the EZ board forum.  The withdrawl symptoms are just as bad if not worse than opiate withdrawl.  Good luck and be proud of yourself for how far you have come - Jules

by fairlight123, Dec 19, 2001 12:00AM
Well, I caved in and went to my dr.... my b/p was pretty high, I was shaking like a leaf.  He prescribed Valium to take the edge off, and Wellbutrin for depression????? I yelled at him, I said I don't like taking pills, what if I have to withdraw from these two, I yelled at him about the Paxil that was prescribed years ago (by a different doc)and how that also had withdrawl effects. He admitted that Paxil does have horrible withdrawl (I'd never heard a doctor admit that before). He promised me that Wellbutrin does not, that he will also wean me off of that and I won't have any problems...



I am so mistrustful of doctors, but then I think well they can't be all that bad?  Does anyone have any experience with either Valium or Wellbutrin?  I am sittin here, staring at the bottles not knowing what to do.....

by Witchywoman, Dec 19, 2001 12:00AM
The valium is addictive if you take it for more than a week or so, you'll need to wean off it. But, if you take it for only a few days, it can be a godsend in getting through withdrawals, if nothing else, it will let you get some very needed sleep.



The Wellbutrin is a wierd med. Helps a lot of people, don't get me wrong, but when I tried it, my system didn't react well to it. I know lots of people who have done very well with it.



If you'd rather try a non prescription med anti depressant, go to a health food store and get some 5 HTP.  It an amino acid and is the direct precursor to seratonin. Taking it really helped me a lot, it is gentle and I noticed no side effects. I took 50 mgs three times a day at first, now I take 100mg once a day.



So, my suggestion, if you trust yourself to not abuse the valium is to go for it. The Wellbutrin may help as well, I don't know how your system will react to it. It made me feel extremely agitated. Most people don't react that way to it though.



please let us know how you are doing!

love,

WW