Tramadol for opiate withdrawal

[shadowmike]

I have had very positive results using Tramadol for opiate withdrawal. I have read many posts in which people state that the addiction to Tramadol is worse than oxycontin or vicodin. That has not been my experience. I have been able to taper down my Tramadol use to zero within a few weeks without difficulty. I have had a serious addiction to opiates for the better part of a decade. Granted, I have relapsed several times and started using again. When I do detox, tramadol is no problem for me to taper down to zero. For me, it subsides the symptoms without producing the euphoria that the opiates produce, Therefore, I do not crave them like I do opiates.

[Jsj1010]

I have been a heavy opiate addict since I was about 16 went from taking vicodin e every day to snorting oxycontin 80s. Withdrawls from oxys were terrible and led me to break the law as of Dec 2 2010 I was sentenced to 38 months in prison. Well I was released January 30 2014. And was doing great but somehow I got pulled back into this mess. But if I have any answer for you I have been taking at least 9 vicodin a day but when I run out I take a comfortable amount of tramadol and have zero withdrawl symptoms. yes I start with taking 2 to 3 tramadol every 6 to 8 hours yes that is a lot but trust me tramadol is alot easier to get prescrI bed or buy on the street than vicodin. Plus its way cheaper. So you actually have time to ween you can't rush these things. So if you were taking 6 vicodin a day I would say to choose a comfortable amount for yourself, which means take 2 or 3 unail your withdrawls start to dissappear.when you find a good number stay at it then After a few days start to taper at a comfortable level when you start feeling like WD are coming back take another 50mg eventually you will get down to one a day and wake up not having a need for one anymore. And if you need to you can take 1/2 of tramadol I've never had to get to that point. I travel for work but it is on and off work. So I will be home and party a little to hard then it's time to go back and I have no way to get drugs down south so this is a proven method that has worked very effectively for me. Yes there is dangers of seizures taking tramadol I have never had one happen to me I am 24 years old 170 Pounds.I hope this helps anyone suffering from this there is a way to beat it. I have been fighting this crap for a long time now. It works for me and I thought I'd share my expierience hoping it helps.

[Hankt]

It most certainly *is not* an opiate. It is a synthetic and thus is an opioid.

People, being an opiate or not has nothing to do with it being a narcotic.

I've been on it for 5 years due to chronic pain from having my tibia and fibula break way from the top of my ankle joint as the result of a fall.

I take one less than once a week. When I do need to take one, the pain relief is generally good and within 15 minutes. I never have a want for another.

Do not mix with other pain relief unless directed by a doctor.

[Ruthy55]

Is Naloxone addicting by its self when used for detoxing?

[jw189903]

Subs ARE bupe. Suboxone is buprenorphine and Naloxone.

[Sheenagirl30]

I also felt the need to comment that for those who are getting off Subs and all that who had their doctors give them Tramadol for WDs you are on the WRONGGGG path! Yes, you feel better from taking Tramadol. Because its supposed to but I am telling you now, after about two weeks you will WISH you could trade the Suboxone and even Percocet/Roxy's etc. WDs rather than the Tramadol WDs. If I were to go to the Army hospital and ask for something for WD Suboxone would NEVER be something they would prescribe! They would probably laugh at me! I never understood why a Methadone addict would switch to fricking Suboxone to "get off" Methadone. You're STILL getting the high you want and prolonging sobriety! I never ever want to take Tramadol again, being 7 days clean as of today, but I would never in a million years take Suboxone for WDs lol that's just me and to me, that is just dumb. Trading one addiction for a stronger addiction? Really? We all know how hard it is to taper on stuff when you have an addictive personality as is, then you add a strong med to the equation to taper from. I'm sorry if I offend anyone, I'm just so on edge about pills now and since I'm going through hell of detoxing from taking 20-25 50mg Tramadol a day, my mind is starting to come back and I'm realizing how stupid I was to abuse the crap! Exercise supposedly helps but I notice as soon as I start walking and sweating, my WDs start to COME. I walk a little at night. Finally sleeping at night but I have also been taking small amounts of percocet tens lol i am addicted to both but have gotten off Percs before and was a breeze compared to Tramadol. I used to take a butt load of Percs too when I had quit CT from them. The Tramadol turned me back on to the other opiates. Still feel as if I'm in a daze but clarity is better and I'm seeing way more improvement from this day seven CT Tramadol withdraw. Can I even say I quit Tramadol CT if I am having to take say percocet twice a day and or going to the doctor and he prescribes Xanax? (Btw the Xanax didn't help my WDs). Cold Turkey means taking absolutely NOTHING right? lol We are all gonna beat this crap! How? Bc we are the **** and are strong and resilient! Stay positive even though it will be VERY HARD TO.

[Sheenagirl30]

Does/has anyone ever suffered from physcholgical WD symptoms (like Tramadol) when coming off of, say, Vicodin or Percocet?

[Sheenagirl30]

I'm seven days clean CT from Tramadol but only because I can get a few percocet tens a day. I don't have the funds to get large amounts of narcs on the street so this, I believe, is a good thing as far as taking the steps to quit everything altogether. I've been on Tramadol every day for four years. I started from taking one to two to as of seven days ago, 20-25 50mg tabs a day. Five at a time. I'm medically Retired from the Army and got wear and tear from being in the Army so the doctor started giving me Tramadol bc they didn't want me on Vicodin for addiction possibilities. HA HA! As all I can say! TRAMADOL IS THE HARDEST MEDICINE to get off of, in my opinion, when you compare it to Vicodin or Percocet. I've been mentally preparing for two years to get off this dumb drug and now that the DEA is taking it off the net, it's the perfect time for me to stop. So instead of me ordering my last script on July 15, 2014, and then getting my very last online script on 1 August 2014, I said screw it and quit CT. Anyone that has a delayed order or canceled order of Tramadol and having to experience TERRIBLE withdraws know what I am talking about. I knew what to expect but I never expected to be clean from them 7 days TODAY! I still feel like crap and yesterday I went crazy on my kids (not hitting, just yelling) and had to lock myself in the bathroom to pray and cry it out. They say after day 3 you start to feel better but for me it's not improving as most on all the forums I've read have said happened to them. It depends on your body, mental condition, and length/amount of meds you were taking. My Clarity is back and it's weird to me the way my mind sees things now. To be honest, it's brighter, making my eyes squint. Weird huh? I've actually caught myself laughing and smiling a few times which has been a while (even though I was "happy" on Tramadol;supposedly ).                             --- I had heard about Kratom and went and got some for the first few days (all I could afford) and IT HELPED ALOT. I was so excited that there was an herb that I could buy at a head shop to alleviate the Withdraws but this too, becomes addictive. I didn't take it long enough to grow a tolerance so that's good for me (being that I have an addictive personality). I read up in it and bought the Maeng Da Extract capsules .5 grams a capsule. Had to take about 8 to feel "balanced" but onM day three I took only 2 caps (1 gram) and was okay. Mind you I have been "masking" W/D with a little percocet 10 as stated above. I've read so many forums but have YET to find my real question which is this: if I substitute Percs or Vic's at small doses, will my W/D symptoms from Tramadol subside therefore allowing the physcholgical aspect of the Tramadol (which is the WORST part) allowing it to get out of my system so that I can be Tramadol W/D free? I don't know if what I said made any sense, but the thing is, I was also taking percocet and Vicodin 10s for the high even when on 20-25 Tramadol a day but the doses of percocet weren't nearly as high as Tramadol. Can't afford large doses of street narcotics so I was only taking at most, 4-5 tens a day (mainly around 3-4) a day. I've gotten off percocet four years ago and the W/D was nothing compared the Tramadol so I'm wondering, if I take the Percs for two weeks POST TRAMADOL, will it be just as hard as getting off Tramadol cold turkey OR is the percocet just "delaying" my W/D? My husband also does this crap so we would have to share our stuff (which sucked). So we are both trying to get through this. The thing is, he doesn't seem to want to stop taking Percs and stuff whereas I am mainly taking it just to get through the day bc of the terrible Tramadol W/Ds. It's like my body doesn't crave the crap anymore especially since I've been getting clean from the Trams. I actually "try" to picture myself "wanting" and taking my Trams and I actually quiver and feel nauseous thinking about how dumb I was to take all that. I also take Trazadone for sleep but started reading that it, too, is addictive so I just cut a 50mg pill in half now. Any anti-depressant-like pill is hard on my body and if you are taking high doses at long lengths, you will notice that even after the terrible RLS, diarrhea, headaches, panic attacks, and etc., that the "mental" part of the Tramadol is and always will be the WORST WD symptom by far. Also, I wanted to say one more thing: it didn't matter if I took 6-8 pills and didn't get my trams for three days in the mail and had to go through WDs, it was the same as taking 20 and having WDs. The severity was the same across the board for me. You can take Tramadol as prescribed for a damn week or two and STILL have the same WD severity as those who were taking it way longer. I don't care what anyone says. I could go on and on, but this post is already so long being that I can't break it down into paragraphs (which is way easier on the eyes during WD days) so I apologize if I've given anyone an agitated feeling or a headache lol. I just want someone, ANYONE, to answer my questions stated above. Even an opinion would be good. I've heard that some people that took as many Tramadol as me experience WD for as long as a MONTH OR MORE but I know if I continue to take percocet every day for a month, I too, will have to start the WD process yet again to get off of THAT drug too! I'm TAKING my life back one day at a time but am still so scared bc I'm taking Percocet to "mediate/mask Tramadol WDs). Went to my doctor on day 4 and he gave me 8 Xanax (which WORKED when I was ON Trams but did not help at all for WDs for me). He gave me 4 Imodium (really?) and some Prilosec and some stomach crap to keep your belly from contracting (which it will) yet it seemed to worsen it. That night was the worst for me TAKING what the doctor at the ER gave me as opposed to NOT taking it. He had put in a script for 5 Valium but when I went to be discharged he had switched it to 8 Xanax; ***** bc I heard Valium really helps and Xanax is a last resort). It's funny bc he told me all I had to do was take those 5 Valium once a day and then I'd be done with WDs LMAO! He didn't know that I was coming off 20-25 a day COLD TURKEY at that so I guess he thought it would only last a week since he claimed he went through the same crap from only taking it five damn months at like four or five a day lol.                                                                         ------ The sad part is most doctors still think Tramadol isn't addictive and when you go to see them and tell them you are having WDs they say its not the Tramadol or they just don't take you seriously. We all know how some people are; if they didn't go through it IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL and you are full of crap. I'd love for each doctor that prescribes Tramadol to take it everyday for just a month then TRY and get off it before they make judgement or "educated guesses" on how YOU feel. I had called my VA doctor on that day four before going to the ER to see if he could prescribe something for WDs without having to wait five hours at the ER, but this nurse calls back and asks a million questions. She kept asking if I felt depressed and worthless and I kept saying yes. Then she had the audacity to say "well you aren't going through WDs, it sounds like you're just depressed." I said "yes I am depressed and feel worthless bc I hurt too bad to do anything WORTH a damn!" Finally she said she would put in a call to my Doctor and of course, he never calls back so luckily I just took off to the ER instead of waiting for his non-existent call. Made an appt with my primary care and of course I can't get in until 20 August 14. Lmao!! I won't be having WDs by then! (Hoping). The Army and VA are terrible when it comes to making appointments.

[61chevy]

Tramadol....
Back when I was addicted to Lortab & Percocet, I received a prescription of tramadol.  (50 milligram tablets).  They did nothing for me.  I thot it was like taking ibuprofen or Aleave.  I went on suboxone a few years ago and have just recently determined to get off suboxone completely.  I receive the film and I was down to just a sliver a day.  Probably .25-.30 miligrams per day.  I was having a bear of a time coming off completely.  I came across my old bottle of Tramadol on Sunday, July 20th, 2014.  Instead of the sliver of suboxone, I took 2 tramadol.  I was able to function and thot this to be the answer.  Monday, 2 more, Tuesday, 1&1/2 & today, (Wednesday), another 1&1/2.  First time with no suboxone in roughly 3 years.  Today is day 4.  Now...  I come across this site and find I have again just traded one addictive drug for another.  I am going to stop cold turkey tomorrow.  With such a short term usage, will I have any WD's from the tramadol?  Any comments are appreciated.
61Chevy

[keek36]

Also the DEA just moved it to the controlled substance schedule. It will be controlled scheduled as of August 18 2014

[keek36]

Rick have you he any experience with Tramadol? Tramadol is a man made synthetic narcotic that sits on your opiate receptors just like oxy. I can say for sure that tramadol withdrawal is very serious as it is also an SSRI. There really is no other drug like it.  In fact the highest number of medical persons that enter an actual detox facility with a need for help do enter for tramadol withdrawal.

[Ricktheaddict1]

tramadol is not an opiate

[wildm]

Thanks for the notice - appreciate it...!

[IBKleen]

wildm..this is an old post and the members you are chatting with are not active. You can start your own post and you will get great support.

[wildm]

Re: RLS - taking potassium supplements (6x50mg-day) can greatly assist with RLS because it helps STOP the severity...(MW)

[wildm]

No...subs are far more difficult to come off than Bupe in my experience.  Plus Tramadol provides a better program deal than more regulated Bupe.  Bupe is fine in the beginning then all sorts of weird stuff begins over time due to the relative toxicity of Bupe V Tramadol.  Bupe never really held me but I find Tramadole does in a similar way but with less toxicity (MW)...

[wildm]

DEFINITELY AGREE SUBS ARE DANGEROUS AND ARE 40-60 TIMES MORE POTENT THAN MORPH COMPARED TO TRAMADOL WHICH IS TEN PERCENT LESS POTENT THAN MORPH IF YOU FELL HELD BY IT.  

[wildm]

I have been long term Done to Bupe.  Found Bupe seriously in-effective coming off Done.  Now taking 100mg Tramadol and feel better than on the other two.  I have been on maintenance for a very long time and found the Bupe withdrawal too severe.  Tramadol is helping me to get Bupe out of my system.  Think that after spending half my life on maintenance that abstinence is unrealistic, hence the use of Tramadol which is by contrast to Methadone and Bupe a far less potent and addictive drug.  I have decided Tramadol is lesser of three evils but in the context of being on for over twenty years that I simply need a biochemical fix to function versus what appears to be a never ending struggle getting off the Bupe applying the equal-opposite rule means a very protracted abstinence placing me at higher risk of psychosocial dysfunction the Tramadol appears to mitigate against.  Also having a neurological condition, Bupe withdrawal was just plain pain.  So in short one is surely better to be on Tramadol as it is at the very least less potent than the other two where withdrawal is ridiculously painful, persistent and dangerous psychosocially.  Like one has to function and I don't have months to waste in protracted withdrawal at this point because I certainly couldn't work without chemical support to assist - particularly with neurologically aggregated tremor for instance.  What ever works and keeps one held is surely better than suffering to death in poverty.  This is my take on this issue...!  You can't expect to come off a potent mind altering drug if you've been on it for much of your life so for me Tramadol helps with the little things while maintaining less abuse potential.  Everyone is different and abstinence is not always the goal ahead of self care assisted by a drug similar to codeine v full agonist.  Plus Tramadol assists to deal with the withdrawal and rehab elements using a far less load than the others for me.  I haven't given up on abstinence but instead realise that I need to wind back far more slowly that I thought would be the case and if it wasn't for Tramadol I would most likely still be experiencing withdrawal this time next year.  It gets harder to break free the older you get so a little help like responsibly using Tramadol is helping me to more likely achieve abstinence in the long run.  Just saying is all - based on my own unique situation and mitigating factors such as pre-existing neurological complexities (nystagmus) really makes abstinence at this stage too risky in the physical sense more than psychophysiological addictive sense.  I guess just don't rush things that need time is my final comment.  And no I am not in denial just need to take things very slow...!  Thanks...! (MW)
#BeKindToYourselfAndDontRushItIfPossible...

[roober]

Just for your information Tramadol is not available without a prescription in the U.K. I had to go to the doctors to get more as I was prescribed it in France and am just finding out how terrible it can make you feel after trying to decrease my dose

[Wes032]

I should also add that I have my liver checked every 3 months to make sure that it is working as it should.  No problems as of yet as far as taking the higher doses of Norco and the acetomenophen doses that I take.  Now I should also add that I do not take the norco EVERY day.  there are some days that the pain isnt so bad and could probably get away with just Advil but on those days I MUST take the tramadol to keep from going into withdrawl from the norco.  
Just FYI.. ;)

[Wes032]

Hi everyone.. am new on here.  Wished this was around 12Years ago!  
Okay I have been a LONG term chronic pain patient.  I have SEVERE intractable migraines as well as a lot of nerve damage from 5 major surgeries to both lungs.  
I was first put on Oxycontin and Tramadol about 12 years ago.  I could no longer afford the Oxycontin so they switched me over to methadone.  Had I been told about the withdrawl coming off the methadone I would have NEVER allowed myself to be put on it.  .  At the time I was 22yrs old.  I am now 34.  I was on Methadone, tramadol and Lortab for 7 years.  I then decided I had had enough of monthly visits to pain management out of town and was tired of always tied to needing to have medications with me so not to go without and start withdrawl.  I went to a local pain management doctor who gave me a prescription for klonopin for help with the jitters of withdrawl.  Well I lined up the pills on my dresser so they would be ready and I would not have to fumble with prescription bottles when in withdrawl.  I took the first 2 and thats all I remember.  Apparently I took an overdose and blackedout for a week.  I was living with parents at the time and a couple days into my blackout I took my blanket and went outside completely nude and layed in the yard.  I remember NOTHING.  A week later I came out of this "blackout" spell and had NO further withdrawls from all the opiates.  Well after being off for 2 years I had another MAJOR lung surgery and was on long term pain meds again.  This time was on short acting opiates.  Was placed on Norco and Tramadol.  I take the tramadol and if it doesnt or is not working I take the norco.  I have found myself dependent on opiates again.  I get enough norco to last me about 3 weeks out of the month then have to use tramadol the remainder of the month to keep from going into full withdrawl.  If I take the Tramadol I have NO withdrawls from the Norco at all but I HAVE to take one or the other or go into full withdrawl.  Now my doctor has warned me of the dangers of taking too much tramadol and the risk of seisures but seeing that I have used it for so many years with no problems even at higher doeses than prescribed I have never had any issues.  ONLY problem I have with being and using the Tramadol is that it keeps me awake.  I already have really bad insomnia, but the tramadol makes it SOOO much worse.  However I'd rather not sleep then deal with ALL of the withdrawl symptoms.  I dont really have any questions just thought I'd share my story.  I AM again really hating being dependant on medications and would love to get off of them again but due to chronic pain due to my lung issues I not only HAVE to be on them, they are going to give me a stronger opiate to take when the Norco isnt sufficient.  I have issues where my lungs will just collapse and since I have already had surgeries to fix the lungs there is no danger from the lungs leaking now but Im being admitted into the hospital usually once a month for about 3-5 days due to a leak and just for pain control.  So in my case I really dont see much use in trying to get off the narcotics again when due to the severe pain i'LL JUST HAVE TO TAKE THEM AND BECOME DEPENDANT AGAIN IF i MADE IT THROUGH A period of becoming clean.  
Thats where I'm at and as someone that has and does use tramadol to prevent severe withdrawl from norco I dont have any issues with it.  That being said everyone is different and what MIGHT be safe for me might not be safe for anyone else.  
Now What I am taking and the doses is as follows (Though I am not taking the amount prescribed which is why I run out of meds before I should...
-Tramadol 150MG's 2X a day..  Supposed to be 50MG's ever 4hrs PRN (As Needed)
-Norco 25/812.5Mg's 3X a day..  Supposed to be 10/325MG's ever 6Hrs PRN.  
They are trying to decide what to give me to keep me from having to be admitted every month for pain control, and are thinking fentanyl patches or morphine.  Usually when I am admitted they put me on Dilaudid IV ever 4hrs PRN.  Or course while taking it I take NOTHING else.  They have mentioned Dilaudid prescription.. so not sure yet what they are going to put me on.  
I DO want to make it known I do NOT take the narcotics for the "high" or to make me "feel good" other than for relief in pain.  It just takes more of it to do the job than what is prescribed.  
So if anyone would like to comment or has questions feel free to ask away, but I will NOT suggest that anyone take meds the way I am, or for the reasons that I do..  
Hope everyone has a great weekend!  ;)
~Wes~

[smellzy]

hey i came clean too my gp about my codeine addiction she has given me s/r tramadol which i get no high from but takes away the w/d have relasped myself but going to try again ...when i went c/t couldnt get out of bed but diffrent taking s/r tramadols can still function and i could not see myself getting addicted to them as i say they are slow release so i getting nothng from the trams...

[carlotta768]

Isn't it possible that the trick to dodging Tramadol's hideous tentacles is to be addicted to something stronger? I've found that withdrawal (from tramadol) for me kicks in at strange times. I can go 20 hours without it if I go to bed in a decent mood and sleep zonked through the night. If something BAD is going on in my world, withdrawal will kick in after 4 hours, even 3 if I have only taken 50 mg (2 pills). I've found to my shock that during long horrible migraines, 2-4 days, where vomitting is so severe I can't take anything by mouth, withdrawal never kicks in at all. When something GOOD is happening in my world, my tramadol dose will last through the happy experience until it winds up, whereupon I'm suddenly dizzy (that's the first withdrawal sign for me), tired and anxious, verging on feeling "sick" all over. If I spend several hours on Facebook  (I'm not addicted to Facebook) swapping brilliances with my political friends and looking at breathtaking photos of my stunningly cute, newest grandbaby, the tramadol in my system lasts as long as the Facebook session, even if I play on Fb all day. The minute I close the laptop and stand up, WHOOSH, I'm in second stage withdrawal. So maybe if I were addicted to Codien cough syrup, Darvon Compound capsules (10-20 a day), and barbiturates (for migraine nausea), as I was twice (18 months each time) in my long-ago youth, tramadol would behave differently in my system. Shadowmike claims he has tapered down to zero Tramadols easily each time he's had to do it. That fits right in with the outright strangeness I myself observe in tramadol. I've also learned, as I struggle with this octopus, if I go through a tapering down period and then start back up, my next tapering off period goes quicker and easier, as long as I try again before too many weeks go by. The only trick that's going to work for me is to get major stresses behind me so that my taper-off to ZERO mg of tramadol can progress unhindered by too many exteral events. Thanks to my now-advanced age (62, widowed from my ex, Social Securitied, not in debt, ideally situated), I can actually HOPE to put behind me the stresses that younger people cannot escape. My youngest son who was in Iraq twice (infantry), which started up the migraines of my younger days that I thought I'd seen the last of. He's out of that now, married and prospering. My sister robbing my brother and me of half the wealth in our late mother's estate is finally going to wind up sometime between today and January 23, 2013, after going on for over 4 years and crippling my bro' and I in the "helpless rage" department. I'm finally going to have money to fly across the country to SEE and HOLD that new grandbaby I've been pining for on Facebook (she is past a year old!). All my kids (5) are grown and doing well as are all the grandkids. The upcoming smooth stretch is my ticket to freedom from the god-awful tramadol. And I have to hurry, before this filthy drug is pulled off the market suddenly, leaving its million addicts up a dreadful creek. Tramadol is over-the-counter in UK and elsewhere overseas, isn't that astounding? How do people over there cope with its addictiveness? One thing, to Mike: he needs to stay off opioids or opiates or whatever the heavier painkillers are "known as" so he doesn't have to keep falling back on tramadol, because tramadol is going to get up all of a sudden and bite him right in half. That's what tramadol does. He'll be so surprised and disbelieving when it happens. I became addicted to it utterly by accident after taking it for 5-6 days, through a long headache, then finishing making a dent in the 60 pills in the bottle, and waking up at dawn in indescribable, all-over physical and mental misery, not knowing what on earth was going on. Took two tramadols, and the misery vanished. And there I was, addicted to it. It hasn't been finacially destructive as my 2 previous painkiller addictions were, because it takes so little tramadol to keep a step ahead of withdrawal, and so little of it (and so little time) to get hooked.

[fulmz]

I've used trams to w/ for years. it works weak on the mu, then converts to a drug called tapentadol(sp?) that is much stronger on the mu.  the pain of ultram w/d is that it is an ssr(n)i. thats like taking most any antideppresant & going cold turkey. yes it has a seizure risk, but iuse benzos.

[protramadol]

I am with you on that i did as well with 250 mg a day and tapered myself down as well and suffered no withdrawl at all. I am all for tramadol and they key is lowering the dose. I was at 50 mg for 3 wks and then cut that in half for a few days. Now I have been clean for 1 yr and 5 months. I am in support of tramadol