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ULTRAM/ULTRACET/TRAMADOL TO HELP WITH WITHDRAWL?
I've been all over this board and others. I'm intelligent. Well, people have been asking if Ultram (Tramadol) helps to minimize opiate withdrawl symptoms. I have that question to ask, but unfortunately, the answers I've read don't satisfy my question entirely.
I'll start out with my problem. I've been taking about 10 Norco/day (10mg Hydro/325 Acetaminophen) for about 6 months. And, this isn't my first bout...I had quit for about 6 months and then went through some very difficult/traumatizing experience with a loved one. I started taking one again at night to PUT me to sleep. Anyway, that one a night turned into one in the morning then one at night...You guys all know the drill. Well, again, I was afraid to stop in fear of how I'd feel physically.
So, my dilemma now is...
I ran out of Norco...Which is a good thing...Kind of...
Well, I can't afford to just quit cold turkey, and I didn't have enough pills to taper. So, I had a couple old 80mg oxy's. Today, I'll have taken about 40mg oxy...And remember, I came for about 100-120mg hydro/day.
Well, I was using the oxy to help taper and "hold me over" until my next prescription refill.
And, I am writing here because I know you all know about the mental tug of war games that you and your mind play with eachother. I've AGAIN decided I'M DONE!
About 10 months ago I tapered VERY successfully. And, that is the plan again.
-BUT-
I only have about a 10mg sliver of oxy left to help.
-ANOTHER BUT-
I do have some old 100mg Ultram extended release tablets. I have to wait until Friday for the next prescription of Norco to help me taper.
All I really wanna do is go until I feel awful and then take something to help me "make it"...
I hope this is making sense. LOL!
Anyway, I know that 100mg of Ultram is a lot. I used to have 27.5mg Ultracet. 2 of those and I was out of it. But, this is time release.
NOW TO THE REAL QUESTION.
My hope would be to take 1 Ultram tomorrow and maybe 1 Friday.
Is this just prolonging my withdrawl or is it treating/hiding the symptoms.
My common sense and logic tells me that it's delaying the inevitable.
But, from what I've read here and other places, it would and could, if used properly, treat the withdrawl symptoms.
(I ONLY HAVE ABOUT 20 ULTRAM...SO I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT BECOMING ADDICTED TO THEM. PLUS I HATED THE WAY THEY MADE ME FEEL! ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO THE NORCO)
For example...
If I'm taking 100mg hydro/day, could I completely stop those...Throw 'em away...And take a Ultram when the withdrawls hit. And, then, after about 5 or 6 days, stop the Ultram?
At that point, will the physical withdrawls be less than when I started 5 or 6 days prior?
I guess, more simply, can I have taken 40mg oxy (about 4 10mg chips - 1 10mg chip every 4 or 5 hours), and then take a 100mg Ultram about 10-12 hours after my last "oxy chip"?
At that point, I'm sure I'll have a hot flash or two and feel a little flustered. Can that Ultram eliminate the onsetting WDs?
Ha!
Is it safe to mix those medications even if taken about 12 hours apart?
Honestly, I'm really fearing the Ultram. Like I said earlier, I had taken it in the past, and it made me feel sick to my stomach. But, I'm really also fearing the WDs until I get my last prescription to begin the taper.
I CANNOT afford to skip work! That is where all this stems from. And, I understand what lies ahead of me in the near future during and after the taper. What was difficult tapering last time was the unknown. I didn't know how I'd react at certain times to certain things. Well, now I know. And, I'm soooooo looking forward to stopping this again.
But, if you can't tell by reading this, I'm scared. And, what's scaring me most is my first obstacle...HOW TO MAKE IT UNTIL FRIDAY. Once I get that prescription, I'll feel much more comfortable...AND MOTIVATED!
Because, I feel things slipping again! And, 10 months ago, when I first quit, I got A LOT of things back on track. Well, I'm still on that track but I'm sliding off! And, I and everyone around me can't afford that again!
I will beat this!
I just need help! But who doesn't, right?
Thanks for taking the time to read this and attempting to understand what I'm saying/asking...The vision of my question is crystal clear in my head, but I fear it's a little blurry coming through my fingers...Haha!
Please ask me questions in return. And, if you can offer any sound advice, bring it on!
;-)
I'll start out with my problem. I've been taking about 10 Norco/day (10mg Hydro/325 Acetaminophen) for about 6 months. And, this isn't my first bout...I had quit for about 6 months and then went through some very difficult/traumatizing experience with a loved one. I started taking one again at night to PUT me to sleep. Anyway, that one a night turned into one in the morning then one at night...You guys all know the drill. Well, again, I was afraid to stop in fear of how I'd feel physically.
So, my dilemma now is...
I ran out of Norco...Which is a good thing...Kind of...
Well, I can't afford to just quit cold turkey, and I didn't have enough pills to taper. So, I had a couple old 80mg oxy's. Today, I'll have taken about 40mg oxy...And remember, I came for about 100-120mg hydro/day.
Well, I was using the oxy to help taper and "hold me over" until my next prescription refill.
And, I am writing here because I know you all know about the mental tug of war games that you and your mind play with eachother. I've AGAIN decided I'M DONE!
About 10 months ago I tapered VERY successfully. And, that is the plan again.
-BUT-
I only have about a 10mg sliver of oxy left to help.
-ANOTHER BUT-
I do have some old 100mg Ultram extended release tablets. I have to wait until Friday for the next prescription of Norco to help me taper.
All I really wanna do is go until I feel awful and then take something to help me "make it"...
I hope this is making sense. LOL!
Anyway, I know that 100mg of Ultram is a lot. I used to have 27.5mg Ultracet. 2 of those and I was out of it. But, this is time release.
NOW TO THE REAL QUESTION.
My hope would be to take 1 Ultram tomorrow and maybe 1 Friday.
Is this just prolonging my withdrawl or is it treating/hiding the symptoms.
My common sense and logic tells me that it's delaying the inevitable.
But, from what I've read here and other places, it would and could, if used properly, treat the withdrawl symptoms.
(I ONLY HAVE ABOUT 20 ULTRAM...SO I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT BECOMING ADDICTED TO THEM. PLUS I HATED THE WAY THEY MADE ME FEEL! ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO THE NORCO)
For example...
If I'm taking 100mg hydro/day, could I completely stop those...Throw 'em away...And take a Ultram when the withdrawls hit. And, then, after about 5 or 6 days, stop the Ultram?
At that point, will the physical withdrawls be less than when I started 5 or 6 days prior?
I guess, more simply, can I have taken 40mg oxy (about 4 10mg chips - 1 10mg chip every 4 or 5 hours), and then take a 100mg Ultram about 10-12 hours after my last "oxy chip"?
At that point, I'm sure I'll have a hot flash or two and feel a little flustered. Can that Ultram eliminate the onsetting WDs?
Ha!
Is it safe to mix those medications even if taken about 12 hours apart?
Honestly, I'm really fearing the Ultram. Like I said earlier, I had taken it in the past, and it made me feel sick to my stomach. But, I'm really also fearing the WDs until I get my last prescription to begin the taper.
I CANNOT afford to skip work! That is where all this stems from. And, I understand what lies ahead of me in the near future during and after the taper. What was difficult tapering last time was the unknown. I didn't know how I'd react at certain times to certain things. Well, now I know. And, I'm soooooo looking forward to stopping this again.
But, if you can't tell by reading this, I'm scared. And, what's scaring me most is my first obstacle...HOW TO MAKE IT UNTIL FRIDAY. Once I get that prescription, I'll feel much more comfortable...AND MOTIVATED!
Because, I feel things slipping again! And, 10 months ago, when I first quit, I got A LOT of things back on track. Well, I'm still on that track but I'm sliding off! And, I and everyone around me can't afford that again!
I will beat this!
I just need help! But who doesn't, right?
Thanks for taking the time to read this and attempting to understand what I'm saying/asking...The vision of my question is crystal clear in my head, but I fear it's a little blurry coming through my fingers...Haha!
Please ask me questions in return. And, if you can offer any sound advice, bring it on!
;-)
the only time you can cut any pill is if they have a line on them where you can break in two successfully if no line no cut ever!!
I used Tramadol the last month of my addiction. Currently 4 days with no pills at all. Norco's were also mu drug of choice. I tapered those and for the last month I took the Tram & then tapered those as well. It really seemed to help for me! WD's this time around are far less painful both mentally & physically. Lack of sleep is still an issue but I can deal with that. Everyone is different tho. What works for some mite npt work for others. Good luck!! Yesterday was Friday... Hope you've already started tapering those Hydro's!! No time like NOW!! Best to you!! :)
DO NOT cut the extended release tablets - They are meant to slowly work over a 12 hour period and you could have serious problems if you break them up. Also, the biggest piece of info I can give you is please do not take tramadol if you are on any sort of antidepressant. I'm young and healthy and was taking an antideppresant for mild depression - I felt good. I got a really bad muscle spasm in my neck and the doctor prescribed tramadol. These 2 drugs should not be mixed - I found this out the hard way. My fiance woke up to me having a grand mal seizure in bed. Thank God I was ok and wasn't driving at the time! Please be careful with this medication and avoid all together if you are on any kind of antidepressant!!
Do not cut the Ultrams they are meant for slow release. I did that and it sent me to the ER with a secere all most killed me. Or crash them.Bad thing to do.
After my shoulder surgery I was put on Percs then Vicoden then Tramadol. When I started using the Tramadol I felt VERY weird, like I never had before when taking Tramadol. I did some research and found out that you SHOULD NOT take Tramadol after taking opiates- it'll force your w/d and you'll feel soooo much worse. Taking Tramadol actually made my w/d worse than doing it cold turkey.
Josh- I totally get your question! I would be interested in hearing an answer to that as well. I've heard the SAME thing - taht Ultram can be used to treat w/d's successfully. IF and only IF you take them just during the withdrawl process. (A few days) But again, as you said, I've also heard it doesn't work at all for withdrawls. It's very confusing and it would be nice to just get a direct answer from someone who has actually DONE it. I don't think that it would be dangerous to take them after taking the hydro (especially if you wait the 12 hours)- but I'm no doctor! Good the luck to you. I just started my taper today. So far I feel fine- but then I still have enough of my DOC in my system to not really feel any w/d's. I'm cuttin out 10% every 3 days. Hope it works. It HAS to work!
avisg, I plan on quitting with a taper starting Friday. But, I need to get to Friday. All I was asking is if Ultram would keep my WDs at bay for a day or so.
I keep reading people's opinions on Ultram....And, I keep reading of people not answering my question. ;-)
It's addictive. I know that. And, it's often more addictive than hydro. I get that too. But, I'm not going to take it for more than a day or two.
Any and every drug has risks, but is it severely risky to take one or two 100mg extended release pills over the course of 48 hours?
I was hoping that asking for this advice in an environment and community such as this would be the right thing to do. I am asking people about their experiences. I haven't experienced Ultram for a day to "hide" hydro withdrawls. I've read that it works and I've read that it doesn't. But, it seems that the people who say it doesn't, say so because they become addicted to it. Do they become addicted after 2 days? By that I mean, do they only take 2 doses EVER?
I'm just wondering if it's safe to use for a day or two at the most. I've quit cold turkey and I've tapered before. TAPERING is the best way for me.
All the "no more counting/worrying about refills/mental part is hard"...All that stuff I've gone through. I get that. I'm not looking to replace norco with ultram full time. I cannot begin tapering with my drug of choice until Friday. So, again, I'm back to where I started.
;-)
Can I take an Ultram tomorrow and not go into withdrawl? Will that work? I'm not asking if I can take it for months and then not be addicted. There is no Ultram past Friday. I am very much done with hydro. I have hit that point where I will not take it any longer. But, it doesn't just work that easily. It's DEFINITELY a process. I've already set into motion "tiny goals". I am in the process of looking for a "mental health professional." But, that doesn't help me with WDs until Friday. I'm asking a short-term question...And I'm looking for a short term answer...
I keep reading people's opinions on Ultram....And, I keep reading of people not answering my question. ;-)
It's addictive. I know that. And, it's often more addictive than hydro. I get that too. But, I'm not going to take it for more than a day or two.
Any and every drug has risks, but is it severely risky to take one or two 100mg extended release pills over the course of 48 hours?
I was hoping that asking for this advice in an environment and community such as this would be the right thing to do. I am asking people about their experiences. I haven't experienced Ultram for a day to "hide" hydro withdrawls. I've read that it works and I've read that it doesn't. But, it seems that the people who say it doesn't, say so because they become addicted to it. Do they become addicted after 2 days? By that I mean, do they only take 2 doses EVER?
I'm just wondering if it's safe to use for a day or two at the most. I've quit cold turkey and I've tapered before. TAPERING is the best way for me.
All the "no more counting/worrying about refills/mental part is hard"...All that stuff I've gone through. I get that. I'm not looking to replace norco with ultram full time. I cannot begin tapering with my drug of choice until Friday. So, again, I'm back to where I started.
;-)
Can I take an Ultram tomorrow and not go into withdrawl? Will that work? I'm not asking if I can take it for months and then not be addicted. There is no Ultram past Friday. I am very much done with hydro. I have hit that point where I will not take it any longer. But, it doesn't just work that easily. It's DEFINITELY a process. I've already set into motion "tiny goals". I am in the process of looking for a "mental health professional." But, that doesn't help me with WDs until Friday. I'm asking a short-term question...And I'm looking for a short term answer...
If you want to get clean get clean you are flip flopping from drug to drug all of which are addictive .WD ***** but its a week in your life then you get your life back no more counting pills ,worrying about when you can pick up your next refill if you are going to run out get it over with .Find yourself recovery care to help you threw the mental part because that is the hard part .I am not sure what you mean saying you cant afford to quit CT it does not cost anything.If you are going to do it I would cancel that refill because if you dont you will be right back in the cycle again .
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