Tramadol Withdrawl

[inspiredmomof5]

Hi,
I am on day 12 of Tramadol withdrawl. I was on 450mg/day for 2 years for chronic pain. I am still suffering withdrawl symptoms, (ie. insomnia, RLS, muscle aches and pain, no energy, low mood, etc.). The first week was pure hell. My dr. has put me on clonidine and zanaflex, to help get me through. I am also taking Cymbalta for my fibromyalgia, as well as supplements, L-Tysosine, magnesium, multi vitamin and advil. I am taking hot baths to help with the RLS, which the relief doesn't last long.
I have been on so many different meds over the years, oxy, percocet, hydros, soma, etc...And have been able to get off all of them. It was extremely hard, but doable.
My question is this, it's been 12 days since my last tram (and my dr. tapered me down over the course of 5 weeks),
why am I still suffering to this degree? I slept one hour at a time last night (total of 3 hours). My legs are driving me up the wall. Do you think that taking the clonidine and zanaflex are prolonging my withdrawls?
I desperately want my life back. I have 5 children to raise and I desperately need to get back to work. These drugs certainly suck the life out of us. Tramadol being one of the worst, in my opinion. Does anyone have experience getting off of the clonidine or the zanaflex? Research as shown me that I cannot suddenly stop taking either one of those too.
I ran out of the scripts last weekend and had to totally suffer, massive w/d symptoms and I was on day 6 of tram w/d.
Dr. said on monday to refill the clonidine and zanaflex, so I did. Have I just prolonged this massive problem of addiction, by continuing to take those, or will it be easy to get off the clonidine and zanaflex? I am confused and would love to hear from others that have gone through stuff like this. Please Help!! Why in God's name are these meds that are suppose to help us, but in reality they are life stealers.

[Mommyof2boys89]

I see this post was from 09 but i was wondering are you still clean are you "normal" again? How long did it take you to feel back to yourself again?

[inspiredmomof5]

Thank you all for your kind words and helpful advice. What a powerful forum this is. There is no comparison, to having advice come from others who have literally lived through what I am living through, at this very moment. It makes a huge difference.
so relatable. Sleep is still non-existant and the leg (calf) pains is the number one culprit.
Can this go on and on for much longer? I am taking potassium 99, magnesium, vitamin D, Advil, and plenty of hot baths with salts. Has anyone ever heard of withdrawing from clonidine or zanaflex? How should I go about tapering off of it? I am sooo fearful of those incredibly horrible w/d symptoms. It literally makes me go into an anxiety attack. I need hope and faith that I will make it through, as each of you seems to have gained through your experience. Again thank you for your comments. You have sincerely touched me.

[madtram]

As the others have said, tramadol can be one of the toughest to wdraw from & day 12 is still somewhat early days.  Tramadol is unfortunately more than capable of causing all of your symptoms & I doubt that the clonidine and zanaflex are responsible.  I would vote with your doctor to keep them going for the time being.

Epsom salts baths & tonic water with quinine are also excellent for RLS & general aches & pains.

If you want to share more with others going through tramadol withdrawal there is a dedicated thread on:-

http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/128660?personal_page_id=528316

It's a slow process & many of us had periods when we lost faith that we would ever recover but without exception, we all have, so I hope this brings you some comfort.

[worried878]

Trams also have a long half life compared to most traditional narcotics..that AD componenet makes them tough...there r lots of informative articles in the health pages to ur left under DISCUSSION..be safe and keep moving forward

[nascarfan2488]

I am also recovering from Tramadol. im on day 32 and around day 16 was the turning point for me. I went through the same exact symptoms you are going through. I still have a prob with restless legs. I wake up after 2 hours to use the bathroom every night. I found an over the counter med for the restless leg. Its called Restful legs. You can get it at Walgreens.
Hang in there it took a good 3 weeks for the energy to come back enough for me to take little walks. If you need to talk im here.          ~kim~

[ZJILLIAN]

First: I am so so sorry that you are suffering. It sounds like you are overwhelmed.

Second: Take a deep breath. I know tramadol and it is extremely difficult but doable.

Third: get more help in your life. Now is the time to call in favors. Now is the time to take very good care of yourself and be tender to yourself. You are sick and healing.

Fourth: It sounds like your focus is on the chemicals involved. Try to put that on the back burner. Everyone has different experiences. Research will always be both for and against something. Choose a course and stick to it. Don't second guess yourself.

Five: Focus: you are withdrawing from a drug that you have been on for 2 years. But you, like me, have used lots of other stuff on and off over the years. This will make you feel real bad for a while no matter what you do. But it is time limited. You are also under lots of stress. Keep things very simple and go one day at a time. Really. You are already doing great.

Big Breath, treat yourself to something  And ask for help.

[worried878]

agree with prospero..the risk of addiction trams cause is not worth the minial pain relief they provide..weak pain releiver,,but a huge anti-depressant quality that narcotics do not have..yet they affect the muu receptors which r the one narcotics affect..reason trams r tougher for some than narcotics is the depression from tram wd is much worse than narc wd for many..so u r wd-ing from a narc-like drug and an AD at the same time..tough...
trams do not appeal to everyone..they will do for a hydro user in a pinch but not really much..the deficient neurotransmitter for a tram addict is often seratonin..so 5htp can help alot

talk to ur dr..congrats!

[Prospero73]

I can't advise you about tramadol withdrawal, but I have a comment on the question at the end of your post: "Why in God's name are these meds that are suppose to help us, but in reality they are life stealers. "

I think there is a disconnect between the protocols of pain medication observed by doctors and the patients the meds are prescribed for.  I have had tramadol, for arthritic pain in my hands, and I just now looked at the bottle.  It says "one 50mg tablet every 6 hours for pain."  The fact is that one of those little buggers stays at work for 8 to 10 hours and probably lives on in your system for considerably longer, so God help anyone who takes them according to directions, because they will have a piggy-back effect that will eventually be self-sustaining and addictive.  It would make more sense to tell people to take one now and then as needed, and preferably no more than one in 24 hours.  You wouldn't get much relief from chronic pain, but they're not that good as pain relievers anyway.

My point is, that dosage of that kind is perpetuated by the pharma/insurance complex, working through doctors, who are discouraged from prescribing non-standard doses.  At one time, I had a prescription for Celebrex, another useful pain medication, and my doctor finally took me off it because he was taking too much flak from the insurance company for a dosage that was too low!  I was taking one a day, and the standard dosage was 2X/day.  You would think that for painkillers, the minimum dosage would be preferable, to avoid developing tolerance, but often that is not the case.  The tendency is always to take as much as the prescription allows, sort of like highway speed limits: if the speed limit is 65, almost everybody drives at least 65-70, because they can get away with it.