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.

[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...!