Ultram: Fact or Fiction?

[memikey]

I know this is going to be a controversial post, but I felt it worth saying:

Being a chronic Vicodin abuser over the years, I have used many different methods of quitting each time I felt the urge/pressure to stop.  However, since tapering has never worked for me, and withdrawl pains are the biggest deterrent for stopping, this last run has proven to be the most difficult to quit.

So even against all the negative postings about Ultram's various evils, I decided to give it a try as a Vicodin replacement while quitting "cold turkey".

I am now at hour 36 of my "detox" from a (somewhat) mild 50mg/day habit, and having taken only 5 Ultram over that time span (which would have been about 15 Vicodin otherwise!), I have not only NOT suffered even the most mild of painful withdrawl symptoms, but I feel amazingly upbeat and motivated about finally not having to take any Vicodin.

I know a lot of you will be thinking that all I will manage to do is "cross-addict" to another substance, but remember: I have much experience with drugs, and while always managing to never exceed a 50mg/day addiction on Vicodin (even after a five-year stretch one time), I feel quite confident that as long as I gradually decrease the amount of Ultram I am taking over the next few days, there will be no problem when it comes time to finally take nothing.  I guess part of that is because I am just way too sick and tired of being addicted to Vicodin that I will succeed as in past times, but with much less pain.

Time will tell, though, so I will post again if no success.

--memikey

[fairlight123]

From my experience with Ultram, I have to say that you are pretty much trading one addiction for another.  My Ultram withdrawal was the most horrible thing I have ever been through. I took it for 2 months, as perscribed, and suffered horrible withdrawal when I stopped.  That was 8 months ago.  Since then, I was prescribed Ultram again, and decided since I hadn't taken it for 8 months, and this was very short term (10 days) I'd be fine. Guess what?  I stopped after 10 days and went through what I called a mini withdrawal. Same symptoms, less intense and for a shorter time, but still there.

Personally, I wouldn't use it to wean from another opiate.  You will probably end up going through withdrawal anyway when you stop taking the Ultram, and it may even be worse than Vicodin withdrawal; I've heard some people say it's much worse.

When I was going through my Ultram withdrawal, my dr. gave me Valium and Ambien to help me through.  It helped quite a bit, but I still had to just buck through it.  I wish you good luck and much strength :)

[Sis1]

I take Ultrams all the time. I love them. I don't know whether it's working to your benifit by switching from Vicodin to Ultram, But I know that I can take 5 Ultram one day and take two the next day, sometimes taking two has the same effect as taking 5 for me. It's a weird drug. But seems to work miracles for my anxiety and sleeping disorders. I do know they sell them over the internet in the US, so i'm not sure if it's a "schedualed" drug. I know the status of prescriptions like that have alot to do with the knowledge medical researches have on them. I'm sure were going to see alot about this drug in the future and eventually it won't be sold on the internet. But I wouldn't fool yourself by thinking you're working your way down the line of harsh prescription drugs to less hard ones. I've heard Ultrams (Tramadol) is actually synthetic morphine. And often I get off more on a couple Ultrams then I would 5 Vicodin.

[GOD]

* Please read disclaimer!

Well here goes:

You said: "I have not only NOT suffered even the most mild of painful withdrawl symptoms, but I feel amazingly upbeat and motivated about finally not having to take any Vicodin."

That feeling of Motivation and being amazingly upbeat IS NOT you feeling good about kicking your vicodin habit. That's the "Great" side effect of Ultram. That's why some of us took 30-50 pills per day, for God's sake! You don't get a narcotic "High" on Ultram, you feel FANTASTICALLY UPBEAT, you can do ANYTHING. try not to take it for too long, because the WORST part of coming off Ultram is the terrible depression you will get when that fake sense of happiness goes away. (Not to mention all the other withdrawel symptoms like the shits, RLS, and just feeling like **** for a few days.)

Good luck, anyway!
Jess

*As I've said before: "This is just MY experience, and the experience of others that I've talked to. It MAY be different in YOUR case. As always, when changing any medications, please consult your physician..."

[I'm Done]

Does anyone know about the potential problem of mixing an anti-depressant such as Paxil with Norco? I am trying to wean off of a nasty hydro habit (400-550mg a day). I have had a dcotor label me as depressed and said that Prozac or Paxil would be the way to go. Is this a dangerous mixture? Could I safely start taking Paxil while still taking 100mg of hydrocodone a day?

Help.

I'm Done

[kell737]

Ultram is a horrible drug!!!!!!!!  The withdrawls from that drug are worse than Ive heard of!  Cold sweats, vomiting, aching, nightmares and they last for weeks!   This drug is NOT controlled and it should be!!  Please be careful using this.

~Kell

[vikequeen]

An outpatient detox center in my area uses Ultram to detox people from opiates, The doc was using Buprenex but almost had his lisence lifted cause its not approved for a detox drug only for pain, I was interested in detoxing there but after I found that out I decided no thanks- Baddgirl

[mrmichael67]

As long as you do what you say, you should be fine.  Ultram is an excellent way to come off of Vicodin, as long as you do it right.  Make sure you taper and do it quickly.

[TMP]

My two cents. My Doctor told me that Ultram was originally developed as an anti-depressant. Then they discovered how good it was at killing pain. That might be why the withdrawal is so bad. I too have suffered ultram wd after switching too it after narcotic use. By the way, I have been lurking on this forum for a long time. I just want to thank all of you for what you say and give to each other. It has helped me and when I get a little more time, I will post my story.

[memikey]

First off, I want to thank everyone for their time and feedback.  The posts, I must say, were much more mixed than I had anticipated.

Again, though, from reading the many posts about Ultram's evils, I am very aware of a possible "cross-addiction", but at the same time, this is extremely experimental and should I succeed, this could be a miracle cure for many Vicodin addicts who really want to quit.

I am coming up on the 48-hour mark, and after taking a total of only 7 and 1/2 Ultrams (and 0 hydros), still not the slightest of withdrawl pains.  And believe you me, from past experiences, at this point in a "cold turkey" withdrawl process, I would be in too much pain and misery to even type this post!  And besides, 8 Ultram in 48 hours is less than even the normally prescribed dosage.

I have decided to make it a very brief "detox", starting at 4 Ultram/day, and gradually decreasing it by one pill every two days, so the whole thing should be done in about 7 days or less.

If it works, great; if not, I will post the honest restults.  I do appreciate the post from baddgirl about the detox center in her area now using Ultram ... this gives me the hope and courage to continue, so long as I religiously continue to taper off the Ultram and not allow it to replace the Vicodin.  Cheers, all!

--memikey

[memikey]

One final note:

Very recently I have noticed that this "forum" has taken a quite tragic turn for the worse (ie: now just another money-grubbing e-vulture site) ... lots of obnoxious pop-up windows now, and now just recently when I got the following message:

********************
Dear Forum Participant,

We are sorry this Forum has reached its limit of new questions. We have to limit the number of questions we allow on a daily basis in each  forum due to  limitations of staffing and funding.

In the meantime please feel free to:
Submit your question via our partner site. There is a small fee for this service and you will be emailed three medical opinions from board certified physicians or medical professionals, in just hours.
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What kind of **** is that?  This is a 100% automated site that utilizes text-based database file/post storage, and even if a thousand posts a day were made, it would take nearly a year just to gobble up even 1mb of hard disk space.  And besides, when I got the above message, there had been no new posts on this date yet, and I even had my friend try under her forum name, and she got the same message.

It's just another internet ploy to force/induce "desperate" people into spending what little money they have on bogus "certified physicians ...".  Anyway, this really pisses me off, and the fact that they take it upon themselves to not only change your password unannounced, but now make it so you have to use one of their 3-digit passwords ... which is a horrible security hazard, because it wouldn't take a novice hacker very long to figure out someone's password and start making malicious posts under someone else's name.

In closing (perhaps for good), here is a final thought for the losers at www.headdocs.com:

"Bite my big one, you money-grubbing fools!  Banners and annoying ads are one thing (you have to pay the bills), but to actually resort to the now felonious "bait & switch" tactic of trying to get folks to pay for what they were once getting totally free ... well, that's just downright LOW!"

--memikey

[Waking up]

I am very depressed and moody i"mthinking about trying kava-kava but i'm on other med's (methadone and pamelor) would this med interact or contradict my other meds. Please help i feel i"m going to have a nervous breakdown.

[mrmichael67]

What the hell are you talking about?  You have paid money?  I have been posting here for quite some time and haven't paid one red cent.  It isn't mandatory.  Sounds like you're having a bad day.

[poptart]

Hi everyone! I have been lurking here for a while and acually have tried to post but always found the board full(?)..Anyway, I have been struggling with pain pills for 10 years now and have recently (well, the past 2 years) switched from vikes to Ultrams because I love the energy I get from them. I've also found that I HAVE to take an extra-strength tylenol with each one to get anything out of em..(this helps really well with tapering because it makes the trammies last longer). I used to belong to this other message board and it is totally overrun with trolls and jerks so I hope you guys will accept me here. Since I have no life my only support system is my 'puter...sigh. Well, I hope everyone has a good night. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

[hippy]

yo me, lighten up,
one of the thing i have learned over the years is
THE WAY YOU JUDGE OTHERs IS THE WAY YOU JUDGE YOURSELF.

another one i like is  ( arrogance is a mask for lowself essteem)

these are just things i like and help me know myself better,
they help me deal with life better and make life better and a
lot  easier to deal with on a daily basis,

we are all the same he in so many ways, setting aside our differences gives us a chance to realize were not so different after all, and that there are other people who are getting
better here , and we have that opertunity also

peace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lucy and Ricky]

I hate to get away from ultram talk, but has anyone heard of Bextra? Will it help with withdrawls?

[AlexisInTx]

I believe Bextra is a medicine chemically related to Celebrex, but longer acting.  Bextra's brand name for Valdecoxib and is manufactured by Pfizer -- I believe it's an anti-inflammatory medication.

I wouldn't think that it would help ease withdrawal symptoms.  If anyone has any different information, I would be interested to hear about it.

[mrmichael67]

Right on about the bextra.

[SmokethisVette]

Hey hey there....
I have the insight on Bextra...'cause that is what I am taking everyday now, after my surgery!! So this is the TRUE scoop on it...
Bextra is a "new".....Vioxx/Celebrex...it is an NSAID...non-steriod anti-inflammatory!! There is absolutely no benefit whatsoever with the WD's. Take my word for it...I take 20mg's twice a day....
Laters
Christine

[mrmichael67]

Thanks for repeating what was already said.

[GOD]

Shame, Shame!

....And I didn't think you had a facetious bone in your body.....

[mrmichael67]

Sorry, had a bad day.  It just seemed like someone was breaking in with new news and it was like a broken record.  I am allowed a slip once in a blue moon.

[GOD]

No harm... We all have our "Days"....

Have a good one tonight!

Jess

[sgranese]

test

[Mrs. G]

Does this sound familiar to anyone out there?
Unable to sleep at night, restless leg syndrome. Sweats, day and night.Fatigued for the first couple days.Tension in my jaw, like TJM. The legs and the inability to sleep because of them is the worst. I have been trying to go off the Ultram now and has anyone ever experienced similiar effects. I just went to the neourologist and told him I thought I was addicted ( which took alot for me ) and he seemed to dismiss that and put me on Meripax.
Any thoughts would be appreciated. I love the Ultram but I don't think it loves me back!

[Mrs. G]

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Fatigued, restless legs at night,legs very "heavy" feeling during the day, sweats- day and night.Basically, feeling like SH%*. I have been taking about 2 to 3 Ultrams every day. I tttold my neurologist that I thought I was addicted (which took alot for me to do) and he basically blew me off and put me on Mirapex for the RLS. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[percsnomas]

post up higher(at the top;cut into a thread), and you'll probably get some responses

[pattygirl1250]

Sounds like you also have Fibromyalgia.Do you have any tremors or problems with your neck and back? I am on .30 mgs of Meripax a day.If i don't take it on time(6 times a day), I move like Michael J Fox( I have Parkinson's).
Meripax is a substitute for dopamine that your brain is not making.
Good like to you Mrs G.
pattygirl

[Anaxis]

IIRC, there was a general recall of Bextra some time ago.  It had cause heart-failure(?) and death in a few people after long-term use.