Tramadol

[feel_alone]

I have been on hydrocodone for the past ten years for major back problems.  My doctor finally got me on nothing but tramadol telling me it was non-narcotic. I have read a bunch on it and understand it is but acts as a narcotic and I believe it. I tried to quit it and went thru the same withdrawals as hydrocodone. Is there anyone that's knows anything about it and recommendations as to getting off it?

[Lynds_31]

Today is day 4 coming off tramadol, today is the worst day by far.  My legs hurt so bad, I only can sleep for a few hours a night. I have a surgery coming up soon on my knee so I hope I can use ibu for the pain....i just hope theses really sad and alone feelings go away soon. I have been sober from illegal drugs for 12 years and I have never experienced such sadness and feeling so on edge...

[xtremerwing78]

I have taken tramadol for back/nerve pain. I took one extended release a day for 30 days. I believe they were 100 mg. When I stopped taking them I did not have physical withdrawals, buttttt-I thought I was going to go insane. It is hard to explain, but I felt exxxxxxtreme anxiety to the point where I felt as if I was going crazy. Without a doubt it is the worst feeling I have ever had. It lasted for 3 days. The Dr. told me it wasn't addictive-was he ever wrong. It is an atypical opioid and I had extreme mental wd. Be careful.

[LeaAnn807]

Good.  Having an understanding doc will make a big difference!  Use that to your advantage, and do this right!  Be completely honest, and get all the help you can.  Ask for some clonidine.  It will help you when you get down to low mg on your taper.

[feel_alone]

Thank y'all for all the comments. It really helps. Luckily my doctor is very understanding and after I explain what I've learned he will help and not cut me off. He doesn't want any of his patients in pain and will do whatever it takes to help us. When I tell him I want to taper down he'll tell me to let him know when to decrease it and this is where I HAVE to be totally honest with him. Its feels really good to be able to talk and be honest, this forum is really a life saver.  Again, thank everyone.

[ladylisa109]

Be sure to check out the link bmdad posted about Emilys journal it really is a wealth of information and support specifically about Tramadol.  I am on day 39 clean from it and Emilys journal was truly a life saver for me.  Hang in there and keep posting for support.  Everyone here is extremely helpful and encouraging.  Blessings, Lisa

[LeaAnn807]

Listen, I know it's not easy.  This was not a goal of mine 20 years ago either, but it happened, it's over, now let's move on, ok?  I spent too many years hating myself and feeling guilty to do it anymore now that I am doing the right thing.  You should adopt that thought!  Those feelings only keep you using.

Please keep posting, ok?  This is going to be ok!

[amity_76]

I can totally relate to you and I am going through so much that you are, all I have to say is keep coming bk and posting, I am not off my meds so I wont lie about that but I am going to doctore on monday and I am going to be 100% honest with him about all the meds i have been abusing, even if he cutts me off, I really am tired of this.... you are in my thoughts and keep me updated hun xoxo

[feel_alone]

Its really hard to admit you have a problem with something like this....especially when your eight year old daughter is looking at your 20 year old year book and wants to know why it said most likely to succeed under your picture and what it means. That upsets me and embarrasses me to no end. Its not like I hunted the pills out. My wife thinks I chose the medecine over our marriage. I wish she could understand.

[LeaAnn807]

Hi!  I was on 15 a day and quit cold turkey.  I recommend a taper!  It was very unpleasant!  I have been clean over 6 months now, so it is certainly doable.  

The best thing to do is talk to your doctor on Monday about a taper plan.  Tell him the side effects are just too unpleasant to stop cold turkey that you would like a written plan.  He will do that for you I bet!

If you need anything, give me a shout!  I'll help you anyway I can!

[Lisaclark2]

Take to your Doctor and its' great you have help.  I feel bad posting my question minutes ago without reading yours first.  My GP said to quit cold turkey and then booked an appointment 1 week later to see how I'm doing.  Not a good idea.  Please don't let my post keep you from quiting, with the help of a good GP and family I know you can do it.  I'm truly alone, my GP is terrible, my husband who was great helping with my injury tunes me out about the med issue and goes to bed.  I have 2 great kids from a previous marriage and surprise my wonderful husband hasn't stepped up with them while I'm dealing with this.

If you have support and it sounds like you do, follow your GP's advise and don't be afraid to lean on everyone for a bit.  I'm in day 3 of cold turkey and I'm doing it.  I know you can too.

When things get to feeling like to much take a deep breath and remind your self what is real.... "You can do this, and your family is there with you.  You are not alone"

Good luck and don't wait to get started.

[bmdad]

That is probably too high of an amount to cold turkey from without the risk of seizures. We aren't allowed to give out specific tapers on the open forum but one cold send one in a message.
The point of a taper is to minimize withdrawals and to make it safe getting off of certain medications such as tramadol or benzos. When tapering you want to drop you dose by a small percentage. Once your body gets stabilized or use to the new lower dose you will want to drop again. If you want some a more specific way to taper, just shoot me a message.It would still be helpful to have your doctor look over any taper plan though. Also, like I said above, I would have someone dole them out to you so you are not tempted to take more. You want to make sure it's someone that will stand their ground if you try and talk them into an extra.
Here's the link to Emily's profile page. If you look through her journal you will see quite a few entries and comments about tramadol. The information you will read will be very helpful.
It may also help to have your wife come on here and read through it also. It will somewhat help her to understand what you are going through. It can be hard to be supportive when you have no idea about addiction and withdrawals.

http://www.medhelp.org/personal_pages/user/544292

[feel_alone]

I am taking 12-16/day 3-4 at a time and sometimes more. Actually my whole family is willing to help and they are less than a quarter mile away so help really isn't a problem. I have tried a couple of times cold turkey and felt really weird. My wife swore I was taking something else. Thanks to this site I see now why and I don't need to do that again.

[bmdad]

Your may want to talk to your doctor about maybe an antidepressant to take for a few months and maybe also some clonodine to take the first week or two. Mention it to him/her it see what he has to say.

[bmdad]

With everyone here you are not alone. As you can see you can usually talk anytime be it at night or during the day.
Since it is tramadol you will be withdrawing from I would stick to a taper. It will make the withdrawals a little less intense but also keep the risk of seizures down. There have been a few people here on medhelp that had never had a seizure in the life until the tried going cold turkey off of the trams. Even if you don't think you are at risk it could happen.
How many are you taking a day? That can be a factor in whether or not it is safe to cold turkey. It does take some major willpower to taper. It can be all too easy to take an extra pill or more for the day. If you have someone close to you that can hold on to the pills to dole out can be very helpful. It will help to keep you from taking more when the whole point of the taper is to take less.

[feel_alone]

Thank you so much for your answer. I've been up all night with this on my mind. I haven't quit yet but I am scared to death of withdrawals. I appreciate everyones help.

[chronicmistake]

Tramadol can be very hard to come off of because the WD are harsh,  WD can be dangerous so I suggest you go to your doctoct so you can develop a safe plan to wean off the drug and he can monitor your progress,  Good luck and keep us posted.

[feel_alone]

I posted my question earlier but wanted to say some more after reading quite a few other posts.  I, probably like everyone here, have 3 beautiful children. The pills have affected my marriage and I am in danger of losing the love of my life. I lost my job but it had nothing to do with the meds. I actually had a random and tramadol does not show up. I am torn on cold turkey or tapering. Even though my doctor gave me the meds he is a great person and you could tell him anything and he will understand. I have an appt with him on Monday and I am going to talk to him then. I am really glad I found this site because it has helped me realize I am not alone even though it feels like it.  

[bmdad]

I don't know much about tramadol. I was on it for about 6 months in the past but luckily didn't suffer with any major withdrawals. I do know it must be tapered as it can higher the risk of seizures. I tapered pretty slow when I was on it so I'm guessing that's why I didn't feel bad. I do know there are withdrawals from all of the horror stories I have read.
Some end up getting on an antidepressant once they are done tapering the trams. Since tramadol also acts as an antidepressant it can make it twice as hard to detox. So it might not hurt to talk to your doctor about an antidepressant for awhile.
It's late now so the forum is very slow. Tomorrow some people will come along to better answer your questions. I can think of a few off hand that will give some excellent and accurate advice. If for some reason they do not see your post I will message them and point them here. There's also some sort of support group here on medhelp dedicated to tramadol. I will try and find you the link.

Brian