Tramadol Help...?!

[Changing4better]

Hello, I am 30 days off of tramadol ( 2pills 3x daily sometimes more) they were prescribed to me for fibromyalgia and I was on them for 2 years. I was on hydrocodone for about a year before the tramadol and I wanted to get off the narcotics so I was put on tramadol since its "non narcotic"...!!! Yeah right! I quit taking the hydrocodone cold turkey and the withdrawal from those was way easier than the withdrawal from tramadol! Anyways... It's been about a month since I have been off of them and I'm doing better physically but mentally is another story! I am on 100mg of Zoloft and that seems to be helping but I have no motivation to do anything at all, I literally feel exhausted all day long. I know some of it is from the fibro but it can't all be coming from that. Does this get better soon? I am also taking b vitamins to try to help with the horrible fatigue, are there any other things I can take ( vitamins) that may help speed up recovery? Thank you for reading! Any help is appreciated.

[Changing4better]

Thank you for the support and kind words! I really need to hear these uplifting posts right now so thank you 100x over. ;)

[Bkitty2]

Tramadol is a deceptive drug. One thing it is known to do is create an anti-depressant feeling as well as treating pain. So in a sense it screws with the chemicals in the brain and takes over producing them so when you quit the drug your brain is like 'wtf?" Your brain has to learn to produce those chemicals once again on its own. Unfortunately that takes time. Don't get discouraged but it can take about 3 months for the brain to heal. Congrats on 30 days that is a huge milestone. Maybe you can discuss with your doctor tweaking the antidepressant. Sometimes changing to a different class can help. Zoloft is an SSRI. Sometimes and SNRI can help. You will get there. I promise! ((hugs))

[Changing4better]

Thank you for your quick response! It's so nice to hear from people who know what your going through and your post really helped me to feel like I can do this. I also was wondering if taking Tylenol 3 will set me back ( mentally) I haven't been taking them daily and I have been trying to take them only when I am in extreme pain from the fibro. I normally only take one pill if I really need it but today was very bad so I took a pill and a half in one dose. I really want to find a natural pain killer for my fibro pain and need to do it quickly as I only have a few Tylenol 3 left. ( they are from an old script I had so I won't be getting or asking for more). I have never had the "desire" to just get high so that part really isn't something I crave and Tylenol 3 really doesn't produce that effect anyway, at least not on me. I have been mostly struggling with the lack of motivation, fatigue, and the pain from the fibro. I do have gabapenton but I have also quit taking that as well because it doesn't take much of my pain away and makes me even more tired. I never seen myself as an addict, as I wasn't doing "drugs" that weren't prescribed but once I started to run out early and then use my husbands tramadol( prescribed for his arthritis, that he would rarely take) I knew something needed to change. I didn't want to live my life not only in pain but always afraid I would run out. Tramadol never made me feel "high" it did give me a slight energy boost but never a high. But like I said I WANT to make this change. Being that I do have chronic pain it has been a very hard change/choice to make but it needed to be done. I have 2 small children and I want to be the best mother I can be to them and even after being off of it for a month I still feel useless as a mother and feel like I'm failing them. Before I was a very active person and did a lot of fun things with my kids and now I can hardly get up to fold laundry. I'm praying this gets better! I am very lucky to have an amazingly supportive husband and he has been helping me through this every step of the way as much as he can. I just hope this dark cloud of fatigue lifts soon!

[toothfairie]

Hi and welcome!  I don't have experience with trams but was a long time user of hydros...i know the motivation thing will have it's ups and downs and the energy as well...taking the B vits is a great start...also exercising as much as you can will help alot too...

Alot of people on this great site have experience coming off trams and they should be along soon to help with this....just hang tight and keep checking your post for responses...congrats on stopping both of those drugs...you are on the road to recovery and should be proud of yourself!!  it will get better and better!!