Tramadol withdrawals!

[aneyla1124]

sorry, i feel like my mind if going crazy --that's probably why i'm not making any sense.
i have been taking tramadol 300 mg per day for 4 years straight. Sometimes i took less and sometimes i took more. It was causing problems in my family due to the mood swings i had everyday. I tried many times to slowly taper and would just end up going back up even higher at times. My withdrawals were so bad (major anxiety,depression/moos swings/cold sweats/blurry vision ect..). Well, enough was enough. I went to see my doctor and told him my situation and told me to take suboxone. I hadn't read up on it just what was on the sub website. He told me to stop taking the tram's and go to sub for awhile and then he would slowly taper my sub. But, reading this forum got me scared,and read up more on it,abd am really scared to take it regularly. The last time on took tramadol's was thurday morning at 10:30am b4 my doc visit. He told me to take the sub the next morning(frid. morn) So I took it at 7:30am (having really bad withdrawals) and felt no more withdrawals just super drwsy (like if i was drunk or something). I slep all day and had a headache. So sat. morning I didn't take anything at all. I was ok prob because of the sub life. Sunday came and felt very little anxiety and drowzyness. And, now today Monday, i got hit with MAJOR fatigue!! I fely like it was hard just to move one leg in front of the other. I took some vitamins (oneaday with caffine) and drank coffee. Later during the day i also took Mortin Migraine (which had caffine too) but did nothing for me but give me anxiety. I was desperate!! I felt really depressed and that's when i wrote the message earlier! I took sub about 2 hours ago (2mg) and now feel alot better (still fatigue though,but not as bad as earlier). SSoo, i havn't taken tramadol since Thursday mornig last week.. and sub on friday 1 time (16mg, i didnt know it was strong till some1 on this board told me) and then sub again today (2mg)...... I pray that tmr i won't feel as tierd as today. That was I won't take suboxone tmr. I don't want to. I just can't deal with these symtoms. and then on top of that. My poor kids need me (and hubby).. thankyou for helping me- I just wish someone could just tell me "on this such and such date, you will feel normal and have normal energy" so that way I have something to look forward to. I guess i'm asking for a miracal.

[dbgc]

hi, i also was on ultram for four years taking 300 mg a day also sometimes more.then i hurt my finger and lost the tip of it and started taking oxys on top of my ultram.just to let you know i quit cold turkey off of both and if you want to know the time frame to getting better my first two weeks were horrible.the first two to three days my body ached everywhere. had to take 8 baths on day twop to help with the muscle pain. the third day i was sore but it wasnt nearly as bad.then comes the lack of energy for awhile,your body and legs feel like they are 500 pounds.in two weeks i got maybe 7 hrs of sleep and had restless leg syndrome everynight.i also worked full time doing vinyl fencing all by myself but was still able to function but little energy.the third week is when i started to feel alot better not so depressed and was sleeping a whole lot better well at least 4 to 5 hrs on and off through the night.my hope is that you just quit cold turkey and stay off the sub it is bad news.you just have to be strong and tell yourself you can do it. life does get better off the tramadol.so to ley you know if you quit now give it your third week and you well feel alot better, not so moody and depressed.just know the first two days you are off of anything will be the worst my third day was alot better as far as the body aches.ultram i think is worse to come off of than alot of other opiates. god be with you and just get on your knees and pray alot for support.i know you can do this.dont let me scare you with what i said i just wanted to give you a time frame seeing we both had the same addiction.I guess its the sleep that is the worst,i was fine during the day but as soon as i tried to sleep thats when the rls and hard times kicked in.im telling you the third week is when you start to pull through.good luck.

[sherri90025]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm new to the site and have had a heckuva time w/quiting Tramadol. Been on it for almost 12 years now, I think. I was given it back when it first came out as Ultram and I was told that it was not habit forming. I never would have taken it otherwise. I have managed to cut down from 400 mg/day to 200 mg/day. Even getting down that far was torture. I desperately want to get off it completely. I don't have the time to go through withdrawals for that long, as I am self-employed and I live paycheck to paycheck. (Don't get paid for sick days or vacation or anything.) :-(

I appreciate hearing your story, even though it's scary, I want to be prepared for what is ahead for me. I WILL get off this stuff some day. I know I can do it. Just have to pick the right time to try. I do have alot of pain from osteoarthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids, but I'd still rather try to get by on Aleve and/or Tylenol than keep on being addicted to this stuff. I feel so deceived for being told it wasn't habit-forming. It's not fair the drug companies can get away with lying like they do just so they can profit from our misery and suffering. Thanks again! :)

[PanSinoeis]

Wow, you are doing real good.  Keep it up!  I was taking 800mg a day.  I am at 350 per day now.  I really could not go Cold Turkey.  Too many years of abuse on high doses.  But you should keep going.  Just quit all of it,  It seems within your grasp to do that.  Just bite the bullet, and you will be glad you did.

[cyrilrichard]

HI,
I have been on Tramadol for 5 years. I had severe pain before I got a hip operation and kept on tramadol after it. I tried to quit a few times and the pain came back and I started up again. Three days ago I decided to quit for good. I was getting bloated, could not loose weight. I was getting depressed, anxiety, tired etc. I kept working out and excercising. No results on the weight loss. This time I started getting severe pain in my hip, drop leg, tingling in the leg. I have been hobbling around. Yesterday, the second day was so severe, I thought I would start again but did not. I went and worked out today, the third day for 3 hours. I stretched and did cardio. It really helped. I have been taking multiple hot tubs to get the hip pain to subside. I am starting to feel better. I have been eating fruit all day and drinking a lot of fluids. My muscles tightened up and they are finally loosening. Last night I had crazy dreams, felt like I was coming out of my skin. I have had shortness of breath, all kinds of stuff going on, but I am hanging in there. I have been iceing my hip then taking hot tubs and so on. C

[SmartYetStupid]

Honey - I feel your pain.  When becoming addicted drugs, regardless of what they are, a lot of the symptoms are the same - anxiety, depression, constant crying, aches, pains, you name it.

I'm going through the same with my withdrawals from oxycodone. It's pure HELL!  

I'm having great luck with vitamin B-12 (or B-13 as I mistakenly posted in another thread!) I get a boost of energy that last about 3-4 hours.  I would suggest you take that.

Best of lucky, sweetheart. We're all in this together.  Together we can beat this devil that has taken over our lives.  

[14all]

You have to be careful with the cessation of Tramadol - I was on 200mg / day for 18 months. moved to Australia and the warm sunshine helped my pain tremendously. I stopped altogether, which was difficult, but silly me thought it was ok to stop. I Developed anxiety and was prescribed Prozac. Had panic attacks also. I realise now that this may have been my own daft fault due to the sudden stopping of meds. I did not consult with my Doctor before emigrating, so he was not in a position to advise me of the potential consequences !. Its got something to do with the re-uptake of Serotonin in the brain.
Beware of the withdrawals - talk to your Doctor !!!.

[loislol]

I feel the only way to get off tramadol is to stop taking it and cold turkey and remember that you will get through it.  What no one tells you is that taking tramadol for pain can actually increase your pain as the body begins to crave the drug, after a period of time.  Once your body begins to crave the drug the symptoms are being full of pain!  However you as the patient think it is your diagnosis which is giving you the pain.  Hence the vicious circle begins.  In my opinion this drug should be banned.
Before stopping you should tell your GP what you intend to do and where possible steer clear of taking anything else which is addictive to releive the withdrawals.  Once stopping you can expect to feel depression, anxiety, intense muscle pain and stiffness all over your body, feeling intensly hot then freezing, dripping with cold sweat, headaches, sickness vomiting and the trots and difficulty sleeping to say the least.  But in my experience after four days things begin to improve and you begin to take ownership of your mind and body again.  To help with the withdrawals drink grapefruit juice as this helps to get toxins out of the body, vitamin and mineral supplements or a vitamin tonic, an antehistamine (drowsy) taken at night will also keep your sinuses clear, drink plenty of fluids and have warm baths and eat healthy. Ibuprofen also help with the muscle aches and fever and remember throughout IT WILL END.  Dont become a slave to the drug.