Tramadol not addictive????

Someone please help me out here. My doctor told me tramadol is not addictive and prescribed it for chronic back pain. Everything i am reading here says the opposite. This chronic pain is relatively new, and the prescription for tramadol is even newer to me. They do help my pain, but does anyone know of a safer alternative that actually works?

[Dav125]

All I can tell you is my doctor mentioned somewhat the same thing to me when I asked him about an alternative to continued Oxy use. As far as addictive qualities I'm not sure of but after continued use, I imagine it would create an addictive quality fro the standpoint of habit like the opiate pain meds create in addition to their physical dependence issues that develop if taken continuously long enough.

The one thing I do see mentioned more times than not, is that wd's from tramadol are absolutely horrible compared to detoxing off of hydrocodones or oxycodones..Tramahater and a couple other members in here will eventually pick up on your question and give you some realtime exoeriences with that stuff..LeaAnn's handle "Tramahater" ought o be clue enough for you to "not" want tohave anything to do with them..When my Dr was going togive that to me? I said "no way"...Hopefully one of the others will get back with you soon...

[Astray]

I had to look up information on Tramadol last night as my mother has just been given a prescription for it and was concerned it wasn't the best choice.

There is a good deal of detail in an article (Some information on Tramadol) in the Health Pages, link in top right corner of this forum's page. The short version is yes, it IS addictive but do not suddenly stop taking it as that can be dangerous as that is known to cause seizures.

As to what might be better I'm not qualified to say but my personal view is using opiates to manage a chronic condition can cause even more problems as we build a tolerance rapidly and become chemically dependant. As I say this is just my opinion and is based on my own problems with addiction so I admit to bias.

You might do well to post your detailed symptoms on the Pain Management Forum and ask what they think there, however you could get a better informed person than me responding here as there a good deal of overlap between that forum and this one.

[gnarly_1]

HI I have done well on the 800mg ibuprofine and tylonol mixed you might want to ask your dr for a script for the ibuprofine.....dont take the otc stuff and just increase the amount of pills the prescription 800mg is buffered so there is less stomach up set.......Gnarly

[ImDONENoMore]

Tramadol was my DOC and I was hooked on that poison for over 6 years.  I quit tramadol and xanax at the same time cold turkey (not something I recommend) and it was the WORST experience of my life.  I'm over 190 days clean now, and that, however, was the BEST decision of my life.

Tramadol is a synthetic opiate and also has the same chemicals as an anti-depressant (very similar to Effexor) which is why the withdrawal from this drug was so difficult for me.  I had used other opiates during my early days after the OA diagnosis, and stopping those was very different than the tramadol.  You see, it was the anti-depressant in this drug that made the withdrawal all that more difficult.  It is a horrible horrible medication in my opinion - and SO many Dr.'s are misinformed about this drug.  But believe me, if you google tramadol, it will tell you all of the same things I'm telling you (especially the wiki description of this med).  My only hope is that soon the Dr.'s will realize this is NOT a safe alternative to your standard opiates and they will stop prescribing it like candy.  And I do believe they are slowly realizing this, but the operative word here is "slowly".

Since your Dr. is not yet up to speed on this drug, talk to another Dr. if that's an option for you.  As I said, some still do not understand the nature of this drug, and even with your current Dr., you should mention all of the posts and info you have read on this drug and share those concerns with him/her.

I wish you the best - and as the other posters said, I'm sure other members here will reply to you as well.  Tramahater is a great source for info, so hopefully you'll hear from her soon.  :)

[Dane74]

Hi there, i am so freaking confused, and was hoping you can help clarify Tramadol/ultram to me?  I am a chronic pain suffer and about to have surgery in march, currently i am takeing about 6-10 percs a day, only 6 are prescribed a day.  I have built up such a tolerance to all opiates and it just *****.  I am so worried that  i will not have any pain relief after my surgery.  But, i was on opiates on and off for 15 years, and this last go around, i went from percs, to vicoden, and then to Ultram.  I eventually got off Ultram and all opiates through a taper program that took me about a year.  I was drug free for 4 months and then another injury occurred which is why i need surgery.  So thats why i am back on percs.  My doc prescribed me the Ultram to help with my withdrawals along with clondine when i was tapering. My pain management and surgeon both told me to go on Ultram for pain relief if i didnt want an opiate.  So my question, how is this drug so bad?  Now i did not have a bad reaction to this drug and i was on 300mg a day.

[ImDONENoMore]

Hi dane74,

I can only share my experience with tramadol.  And I also had surgery after years of being on this poison, and after the surgery my Dr. gave me a very small amount of the tramadol (at that point, he finally knew how bad this drug was) and it did give a lot of relief with the post surgical pain (but as you know, with that pain relief came addiction).  But to be on it as an alternative to a standard opiate and when used for long term, I believe, is a very bad idea.

I think you should tell your Dr. what you've been hearing about this drug and see if they can agree about stopping it for good (although I think if I read your post correctly, you're no longer taking the tramadol - is that right?).  And I SO understand you're in pain and need the perc's now until surgery.  But please take advantage of the opportunity to quit after the surgery.  You will need the meds for a while to control the post surgical pain, but that will subside and the need for the narcotics for pain alone should disappear.  And that will be the time to take advantage of this opportunity I'm talking about to quit altogether.

The reason I think the tramadol is so bad is that it's not just an opiate (a synthetic one at that) but there's also an anti-depressant in this drug.  And I don't know if you've ever withdrawn from an AD, but it is horrible.  So add that to the mix of withdrawing from an opiate, and well, let's just say the experience was beyond awful, almost surreal, because of the mental anguish created by the withdrawal.  It just made the whole process all that more difficult.  I honestly think you're better off staying on the standard opiate (percs) before and immediately after surgery and stopping the tramadol altogether.  But again, I'm no Dr. so discuss this option with him/her first before making this decision.  And if they still deny this drug is addictive, direct them here.  Then they can see firsthand how many victims there are to this drug.  If you google tramadol, check out the description of this med on the wiki link.  And have the Dr. do the same.  And although many say that seizure is a risk when quitting tramadol, there are no reported cases of those seizing from this drug after they've quit.  It's only a risk (and a high one at that) when taking very high doses and also if you're interacting this drug with another AD (that's called serotonin syndrome and can be fatal.)

Hope this helps - and good luck to you!  :) p.s. and I can lead you to other threads about tramadol withdrawal if you're interested.

[Dane74]

THANK U!!!!!!!  Yes, i am not taking Tramodol now because of the percs.  I must admit tho, i did not have euphoric feeling from Tramadol so i guess thats why i didnt think it was all that.  But, thanks to you and this forum, i WILL NOT TAKE TRAMADOL again.  I did go and read wiki and was quite surprised.  I really thought that doc were prescribing this drug because it didnt give you that "high" well at least for me.  So after my surgery, yes, i will be back on here going through the process of withdrawing, but i will be doing a taper and will not  let any doc give me Tramadol.  For now, my problem is because i  am feeling blue, i just take more percs and just LOVE the feeling and i hate that i love it so much. I know it is all going to come to an end and i am just to be honest enjoying it now until i quit these nasty evil pills. I have done this in the past and after the surgery ( i had many) i get off these demons and get my life back.....thank you

[ImDONENoMore]

You are very welcome.  Keep that determination somewhere inside you so you can draw from that when the time comes to quit.  And that is the major problem with pain meds - it's no longer just pain relief as it quickly becomes "life" relief.  To our problems, our stresses, whatever.  And that's where the problem begins right?

Good luck to you - and stay strong!  You need that strength for the upcoming surgery, and please, try not to overdo it with the meds before then.  If you can do that, it might make it slightly more doable when the time comes.  I have faith in you!!!  :)

[jodijodijodi]

Hey there. I was reading about the side effects and the addiction possibility online and this really ***** because tramadol actually works for the pain. My doctor changed my prescription from the Tramacet to the long acting version and I feel like I am perma-fried, since it's a time release thing there is always the same level of drug in my system. She also gave me Lyrica for the shooting pain in my legs. I feel like I just smoked a big fat joint, it's also giving me mad munchies....kind of wierd. The possibility of addiction scares me but I suppose as long as I don't take more than recommended, I should be all right. My doctor told me that since my pain is not likely to get any better I am going to need the meds, quite possibly for the rest of my life. And that *****, big time.

[IBKleen]

Have you tried anything else other than the pain meds? Such as---acupuncture, aqua therapy, heat therapy...anything? I ask because I suffer with chronic back pain. I had my back reconstructed in 1985 and after an accident in 1995 I now suffer with several herniated disks, DDD and arthritis. There is not a day that goes by that I am not in pain, most days it is bearable and I will take it in lieu of being on the pills. There are several things I can do to ease the pain--just thought you might try yourself.

[jodijodijodi]

Yes, I have been going to physiotherapy and a massage therapist as well. I have heat packs and also use the local swimming pool (that seems to help the most but only for a couple of days). I also have herniated disc and DDD as well as rheumatoid arthritis. The pain is quite severe because one of the herniated  discs is compressing one of the nerves and apparently my body doesn't like that....(lol). The doc switched my meds because she was concerned about the acetaminophen in the tramacet (?). They do help me and I am told I will get used to them after a while. I guess as long as I don't take more than recommended I should be OK, at least I am not in so much pain anymore.

[rt35630]

Don't take tramadol if you can help it. It is very addictive and far more difficult to stop than hydrocodone. Even if you plan on taking it for the rest of your life, you are liable to find yourself taking more and more. It is just a bad drug.

[LeaAnn807]

Looks like you've been told everything I'd tell you about tramadol. It's just the devil. I dont know a stronger word to use!  It produces the most horrible long lasting Wds of anything I've ever seen. FYI don't just believe a doc who tells you that you will need meds for the rest of your life. Many people on here have learned alternate ways of dealing with pain.  It basically boils down to being a decision between being dependent on pills or dealing with some pain so you dont have to be!!!

Best of luck! ;-)

[apaulo30]

I think there has been enough research on tramadol HCL (without APAP) to suggest that everyone reacts differently to the drug.  Personally, tramadol 50mg tabs (not Ultracet which is a tramadol APAP) was my solution, or should I say, salvation to liver compromising APAP alternatives that were total agonists.  Some people taking tramadol HCL claim to have horrible withdrawl (withdrawal) symptoms worse than total agonists.  I find that hard to believe, since partial agonists have less potential for addiction.  In addition, total agonists tend to cause depression, so after my total hip replacment, not only did I require opioids, but also anti-depressants.  The FDA has ruled that tramadol HCL now may be used "off label" for pain and drug related depression, since it has definitive seratonin activity. It is the only anti-depressant that has ever worked for me, without horrible side-effects, and I've tried them all, and never made it past the two-day mark for any of them.  Tramadol HCL is also being investigated for use "off label" for withdrawl (withdrawal) symptoms from total agonist opiods that are much stronger.  I now have to take only ONE drug (tramadol HCL) without acetominofen, and it works for THREE different conditions.  I've been using it since 1997, and have never had to increase my dose, except in cases of surgery, and even then, not by much.  In a week, I wean back to my normal dose of 100mg, and only every 12 hrs. as opposed to every 4-6 hrs.on hard-core narcotics like oxycodone and hyrocodone.   I no longer harbor feelings of guilt, since starting med school, I've truly learned the difference between addiction and dependence.   I honestly believe a great number of people just don't have the willpower it takes to wean down correctly, honestly, and slowly.  And as stated at the beginning, I do realize there are people who experience horrific withdrawls, just as there are people who experience none. All people react differently, and many have vast polypharmacies.  I've even seen MD's prescribe tramadol with SSRIs and MAOIs...scary!  I am so fortunate to be one of the lucky ones that uses tramadol HCL ( which BTW, is not a controlled substance or NSAID) and only tramadol HCL for everything that ails me.  Good luck to all in finding your own miracle drug!

[hydro___fool]

Tramadol (Ultram) has BRUTAL side effects when used multiple times per day for 30 days and beyond.  I agree with others... It IS the devil.  Though it might not "seem" as powerful and is not YET classified as a narcotic I have a strong feeling it wont me much longer until it is.   There are a couple of detox doctors on this site and if they chime in you will be much more educated.  Please....PLEASE don't mess with these types of drugs.  Unfortunately....there is NO non addictive pain medication at this time other than Tylenol, Bayer body and aches, Ibuprofen etc.   I don't want to see you get into trouble as so many of us have.  The evidence on this site (and others) will clearly show thousands and thousands of individuals who are dependent upon Tramadol (Ultram) and went through hell to get off.   Please..... PLEASE be safe.

[Xopiater]

I can tell you that tramadol is the first pill i got on.  I used to order it illegally online and get it fedxd to me in the mail.  I can't remember the mgs but I had a bad habit for about 9 months.  I just stopped all of the sudden and just had a bad headache for 3 days and it was over.  My experience from stopping oxy after a few years was 2000 times worse so I think ultram is safer than real opiates.  I remember I loved the feeling of tramadol at first but it only laster a few weeks then I was just dependent on them. Good luck.

[phil1961]

Tramadol and Ibuprofen mixed are good together?