Tramadol withdrawl timeframe?

[xxBeensxx]

I am trying to quit tramadol HCL cold turkey.  I'm on my 3rd day after taking as much as 300mg a day.  Any Idea how bad it's gonna be?  I'm feeling pretty icky about now, but yesterday was worse!!

[clfrank2002]

Hi Kitty,

I was very relieved to find your post as I am in a similar situation. I have been taking Tramadol for years (about 3). I really don't even remember. I made a decision last month to start tapering down b/c I felt like they were controlling my life. The most I ever took was 5 50mg tabs a day. I started tapering two weeks ago and got down to 3 a day. But wouldn't you know when I went online to buy more, I couldn't get them from anywhere! I guess they're finally getting strict on them. So I finally ran out and started using the Thomas Recipe and immodium which helped a lot. Yesterday was Day 3 for me and I actually felt pretty good so I thought it was all down hill. Especially since after not having slept since Day1, someone gave me 4 xanax pills to help me sleep.
Well since I had so much energy yesterday on day 3, I just knew Day 4 would be even easier. WRONG! Today I was so LETHARGIC. And I was actually supposed to be moving today! Needless to say the closest I came to moving was sitting on the floor next to boxes I should have been loading into my car. I COULD NOT MOVE.I couldn't even get up and wash my hair, which I was very much looking forward to. PLEASE tell me that this lethargy doesn't last. I have got to move into my house tomorrow. But as of right now I get winded walking to the kitchen.
The good news is the xanax is helping me sleep. I have a 4 year and I have been finding myself very impatient with him which breaks my heart and I keep apologizing to him. I just hope I don't scar him for life.

Oh and check this out. Yesterday my Tramadol order came COD. That poison can stay at the post office for all I care. They didn't even notify me that it was shipped. I just threw away the orange post office slip that said I had a package. That felt pretty good.

[KittyfromPDX503]

Someone described the withdrawal symptoms as excruciating and viscous. I would absolutely agree. I've been on trams for years. Went off of them for about a year, and remembered the hell it was to stop. But then I got in a car accident and was prescribed some and after the script ran out I would just keep  buying off the Internet.  Then one day for some reason I ordered them when I had only like two left and they ended up taking 2 days to ship out, so I ran out. My first withdrawal experience was severe, especially since i had no idea what I was in for. But for some reason I kept buying them, they were soooo easy to obtain. A couple mouse clicks and Fed Ex overnight off the Internet kept me hooked on these. I don't overdose them, I take about 4-5 50 mgs a day. Last week the site I get them from was shut down unexpectedly, and I can't find any source to get them because accessibility off the web has tightened up. The only companies I have found say 10-20 days shipping. So I braced for the inevitable. I tapered off to one every 12 hours until I was out within four days. It is day four of withdrawal and the anxiety I have previously experienced with stopping is not as bad. The worst part is I am extremely lethargic and dizzy ALL the time. I am sneezing like crazy and have a throat tickle that is tortuous. Also definitely edgy. Sleep is in spurts, I will doze off them suddenly awake, exhausted, but unable to go back to sleep. Time is going by very slowly, days creep by, nights are worse. The "out of your skin" feeling is unreal. Unless someone has experienced it, it is impossible to describe. Luckily that has tapered. My saving grace is MAKING myself go to work so my mind is occupied. I am praying to god I feel better tomorrow. I am on my last week of DUI diversion so I absolutely cannot F it up by taking NyQuil or Xanax to help me sleep because I get random UAs and I refuse to chance failing one. All I can advise is try to stay busy, if you can get out of bed, but don't over do it. Drink lots of fluid ...no alcohol. The hangover will intensify the withdrawal. The sweats/hot flashes/chills are misery but just know it is your body expelling the toxins. It will pass. Try to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Each day gets better. For me, the symptoms last about 5 days but I still have quite a bit of exhaustion that lingers.. Don't get spooked by the "weeks to feel normal" comments.

[summer_2010]

good luck guys and I wish you will be over the worst soon.
I've been taking tramal recreationally, started with 100mg at a time and averagely have been on 150mg twice a day. When I noticed there were no effects anymore I started to feel worried because I did not want to take such large amounts. It started 14 months ago when I took 100mg at work (I have very easy access to it.. i work in the healthcare sector and Tramal is usually only 5 steps away), was flying through the rest of the day.. the next day I felt normal and I wanted to get this amazing energetic feeling back so I took 2 Tramal tablets.. and felt great once again. I have been on and off, because I was aware of its addictive nature and never experienced any withdrawals. At times I didn't allow myself to touch it for 3 weeks.. until things changed in December. I took 150mg twice a day and after 2 weeks of continuous taking I noticed the first withdrawals. Feeling like crap, depressed, migraine-like headaches. I decided to stop.. but felt increasingly bad. Over the past 3 weeks i took tramadol only on one day a week.. but the day after I usually feel awful and very depressed. It is effecting my mood like it never did before. It hasn't been like this over the first 9 months when I took it. I guess the chemistry in my brain is messed up... I wonder how long it takes until the body completely weaned off the tramadol / i.e. when the brain chemistry is 100% back to normal?

[sammie02]

Well, I am also on Day 3 cold-turkey from tramadol.... just wanted you to know that you are not alone! If you need someone to talk to, I am here. Know that we are in this together! Also, keep posting here... everyone has been in the same place as we are at now, and they all give great advice and encouragement. Post when you feel really terrible, that's what I have been doing.... and all of the positive words from others have really helped me.

[avisg]

shaffle,
No worries I didnt know either until we had it happen on here with some of the members .They can happen on and coming off of .The ones that have had them have been on over 15 pills a day .Doctors dont know near enough about tramadol it very scary really .....

[shaffekl]

oopps, I was told by my doctor that seizures were only reported while taking tramadol and not while detoxing.  I did not have any and went cold turket.   day 5 was when i knew i could make it, hand in there! Sorry avisg

[avisg]

you sure can have seizures coming off of tramadol unfortunately we have seen it happen more then once here...

been,
You are doing great you are on a lower dose so I would not be overly worried about the seizures the people that have had them on our site have been taking very high amounts.
Tomorrow might still be bad but by day 5 you should be on the upswing you are almost over the worst of it .....

[shaffekl]

Tramadol seizures only happen while taking them.  your only at risk if you resume taking them.

[xxBeensxx]

Thanx for the well wishes, I did kinda wean down but the urge to take them was stronger than the urge to spread out what I had left.  No self control but so far no seizures just feelin crappy.  Wish me luck  I dont have any more & and going to try really really hard not to try'n get any!  But man this sux, no body told me that this stuff was such bad news.  I assumed that since you didn't have to go to a "pain dr" or show Id that it was no big deal... Boy was I wrong!

[cathy5841]

hi, i have never taken the trams but i have heard you should not go cold turkey, due to the risk of seizures.  please be very careful with that.  others that have taken it should be along in a bit.