I too am a victim of tramadol. I ran out of my prescib. and had to wait several days to get it filled. It was the the worst time in my life! I have since started tapering off for a little over 2 monthes and today I will not be taking any. I haven't slept more than 3 hours in an entire night for 3 weeks and last night about did me in but I'm NOT giving up! I was taking 6 pills a day for about 2 years. If you ever have to go into the hospital for any reason it is very likely you will not get the tramadol. Can you imagine being hurt or very ill and suffering withdrawal from this horrible drug? I took percocet many years ago for knee surgery and suffered withdrawal from that too but it only lasted a few days. There seems to be no end to the withdrawal from tramadol! Every doctor that has lied to their patient about this drug should be shot and then given this drug for some time and taken off of it cold turkey and then shot again!!! Please tell me if anyone has gotten off this drug successfully and how long it took.
               Thanks,
                    Dana C.

Good for you for taking action.  Search on Tramadol and you will get good info about how to help yourself through the W/D.  I am also trying to get off of it by tapering and it's hard.  I wanted to quit cold turkey but learned here that this is not a drug you can go CT on without significant risks, like seizures.  There's a ton of info on here so please check it out.  Good luck to you.  It's an evil drug and worse than some others that are perceived to be worse.  

I also suggest thinking about telling someone you can trust.  Having support is critical to the process.  I also didn't tell anyone but reading all over this site encouraged me to do it and it was a huge part of my recovery process.

God Bless.

I love Ultracet for my pain. I brokemy neck in 1990 in a rugby game. I also broe my humurol head in the sme sport and my collar bone when I was 2. My entire neck and shoulder are is in chronic level 10 pain. ultracet with lyrica does the trick. I am very happy even tough I still hae pain I can survive. I own a gym and am very very active. you gotta do what ya gotta do .

Peace

To anyone that will listen. I have never posted anything before and I never thought I would be addicted to pills..ultracet to be exact...sometimes hydrocodone. I have been taking them for over three years and have taken up to 16 pills a day. I have tried before to stop but cannot tolerate the WD symptoms. I can't continue this anymore. I'm tired of always trying to figure out how to get them and that I need more and more. I want to stop! I have taken my last pill today and am already feeling my body get heavy and I know how much it will hurt tomorrow. I have tried to taper it off but it hasn't worked. NO ONE in my life knows about this. I cannot tell anyone. I feel so ashamed and disgusted with myself. I should know better. I need to go cold turkey. I have read from some of you that you have done it this way and that it has worked. Any comments, suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. I want to be around for my children...the youngest is four years old.

You know it is scary that doctors prescribe this so readily for pain, when there might be a underlying cause that is going unaddressed. I am going to get some more tests done--I am so sick of doctors, tests, etc to try to figure the chronic pain source. I fractured my back in my late teens and have never been the same.
I have been taking a little bit of motrin for pain, but now I am 8 days off the ultracet and you're right, it was more of a psychological dependency. Still, it was really hard goign off it, I felt my whole personality was improved on it, and since I suffer from depression, I thought it made me more likable. That is an illusion I am tryign to recover from.
God bless and hang in there, you courageous brave people.

I've been taking ultram/tramadol for 12 years for chronic pain, and was up to 400 mg daily. I myself tapered down to 150mg daily, as I hate taking pills to begin with, but hate the fact that I'm addicted, and my own doctor did it to me, and now wont refill them, after me being on them 12 years. I just found out by the specialist I'm going to that I have diverculitis, which is the reason for my pain, and I also just had a transvaginal ultrasound and have cysts on my left ovary, which has been the pain on only my left side. Why do doctors put you on this addictive med, and like me, for 12 years, and then one day say "oh, no more", huh,  you can't do that, I am so addicted and like I told my husband, even though I tapered down on my own, I still need them, atleast until they take my cysts out and fix my bowel problems.

Until recently I was on 600 mg a day, 200 mg over the limit. I have tapered down to 300 mg this week and hope to taper down to 200 mg next week, I did not know either that they were addictive, but naturally I relaized over time that you build up a tolerance which is why I ended up taking 12 tramadol a day. I have no idea how difficult it will be next week og next week but the first week of tapering down to half has not been too difficult. But like you and many others I wish I had never started to begin with, it is terrible to be that dependent on this medication. But if you only have taken 1/2 a pill every day it may be more of a psychological dependency that you experience, do you have any physical withdrawals? If you do, try to be strong and know that the W/D cannot take so long when you are on such a small dosis. Good luck.
Minnie

My post didn't post so I am trying again. Thank you for your support. I was only taking half a tramadol(ultracet) every day but I still relied on it to give me the lift that got me through the day. My doctor insisted that it cleared my liver every day but I could feel that it was toxic to my liver and building up. Minnie, how much were you taking? I hope you are OK.
TInk, that must have broken your heart what your daughter said. I guess perhaps we're not as amazing to the outside as we feel on the inside when we're "buzzed." ALl the best to you
Hellion

Tink-thank you for sharing what your daughter said about wanting her old mommy back. That broke your heart I am sure. Interesting that we may not be pereceived by others to be better when on the drugs.
Minnie, this is almost embarrassing but I was only taking half an ultracet (same as tramadol) every day. I feel like I have right to complain when so many of you are detoxing from larger doses, which must be excruciating. My prescription was for two pills a day. My doctor insisted it was safe for me and clearing my liver each day, but I felt very toxic and could feel it building up in my liver. I felt it was ultimately adding to the toxic load that my body cannot process properly, which is perhaps why I have fibromyalgia. WHen I took more ultracet, it made me so high it scared me and I got into a car accident a few years ago that I am sure was related to the ultracet.
Even getting off such a low dose is hard because I always had my little friend to help me cope. I have upped my zoloft dose, and I use lidocaine pain patches to help me sleep. I also try to watch my diet and go to the gym. I am very depressed and listless. I guess I have to accept this for now and be patient. Thank you very much for the support.

I'm started tapering from tramadol four days ago which is the same as Ultracet, I believe. I can totally relate to the feeling of missing the effect of the medication, both as an effecient painkiller, but just as important the great feeling of relaxation it provides. Do you mind telling me how many you took?
I hope everyhting works out for you, good luck.
Minnie

something else... My 10yr old daughter told me not to long ago "she wanted her old mommy back" so even though i think i'm a better person on the pills, obviuosly to others i'm not the person i see myself as.

i have detoxed twice from lorcets. and yes you will feel good again. i too love who i am an pain pills, i feel fun and outgoing, like i can do it all. but i know that isnt truly me... once the FOG lifts from the pills life starts to look like it did before. but it takes time. I am starting my 3rd detox today, even though i'm scared to death because i know the pain i'm in for, i keep telling myself in the end i will see life TRULY CLEARER like the rest of the world. I don't know if anyone else ever does this..... look at people on the street or on T.V. and wish i could live life like that again...NORMAL...