Ultram used to treat Vicodin withdrawals? The ichy feeling particularly?

[MsTickles]

I have been abusing vicodin for a year now, my worst point I was taking 25 10/1000 mg daily, my lowest point is now, taking 5-6 10/1000 mg daily. I do feel withdrawal syptoms (symptoms), which for me makes it the hardest to stop my use of Vicodin... The WORST withdrawal symptom is the ICHY-SCRATCHY bone chilling constant feeling, I can't stay still, it is HORRIBLE. I can handle the fatigue, the chills and sweats, but the crawling out of skin feeling is TORCHURE.

So knowing that I have no more vics left, and I've EXHAUSTED my resources (the things I've done for this stuff has been dishonest and wrong; and I'm praying that it doesn't all catch up with me) And I TRUELY want to stop taking Vicodin so I've slowly gotten down to less then 1/3 of what I was taking... I know tomarrow is gonna be rough. So I went through my box of old Rx's, and found the Ultram ER... So far the comments are mixed... So people said it helped with Vicodin withdrawal symptoms, some people said it didn't work at all for pain...

1. Does Ultram ER work to relieve Vicodin withdrawal symptoms, specifically the ichy crawling-out-of-your-skin feeling?

2. Any other Rx used for Vicodin withdrawal, specifically the ichy crawling-out-of-your-skin feeling?


Wish me luck guys, I can't wait until I have extra money in my pocket instead of spending every last dollar on pills, just to feel normal.





Anyone go through the same thing and have a

[troubleinohio]

you definitely dont want to try ultram (tramadol) to try and ease your symptoms...if you read on this forum long enough you will know why. its actually a worse drug to come off of than regular opiates. YOu dont want to trade one addiction for another, particularly a worse one.. as for something that may help some of your symptoms...xanax, valium or ativan are frequently used for the "creepy crawlies" RLS and anxiety, but you have to use them sparingly and cautiously because they are addictive as well.. good luck to you..you can do this!  

[worried878]

try to do it without any other narcotics...i have heard tram wd are awful....takes longer and the seizure risk...they are sneaky as far as i am concerned as i dont get a buzz off of of them, then read how addictive they are...ride it out

[AnonDH56]

I am going to have to try the same thing except I will use a minimum of Ultram. I am only taking 25 mg/day but I recall how bad I felt when I just took ten and quit in the beginning. I still need opiates but all the docs my insurance sent me to wont take my case, despite four 4" binders of records accumulated from a lawsuit. I am told I have been blacklisted. A surgeon operated on my only good disc for four hours, L3-4, (instead of L4-5) so 100 days later I had an attempt to fix it done, failed. The first guy nicked my Dura and you dont do that. The 2nd sewed it up but I think that is what made me a candidate for a morphine pump. With no insurance now that isnt going to happen.

I have some Clonidine which is supposed to help with withdrawals but I have taken it B4 and didnt do much. I read what the others above are saying, Tramadol is mysterious, can be worse, screws with Serotonin, you name it, bad drug. How about Methadone? In FL the state quit funding Methadone clinics 6 months ago. Now a private market has sprouted up and get this, $19/day or $90/week, once they get to know your wallet very well! So it is off to the Dept of Health for me.

Let me/us know how you are doing and I will as well. Good luck.
D

[MsTickles]

Well, last night I spent over 3 hours reading the posts about Ultram/tramadol. It was a hard decision, but at about 1 a.m. I took a tablet of Ultram ER. Within about 30 minutes, my iches and aches just WENT AWAY. I got into bed and felt comfortable, my back and neck didn't hurt like they usually do. I ended up falling asleep with the T.V. on. I just woke up 6 hours later, and I feel the same! It's amazing... It's been 18 hours since I took a viodin. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a little sore and stiff... a little ichy in the spine, but I feel nothing compared to how it would feel going cold turkey.

Thank you for your warnings. Just like ANY drug out there, dependency is a risk factor. But I don't intend on abusing Ultram ER, and from all the research I've done, it seems like it's safe when used properly.

I will use opiates for the rest of my life, I'm almost sure of this. My problem is abusing them! I love the way they make me feel, and I've always been the type to like getting high; and then having a hard time stopping because of the w/d symptoms. I'm a single mom, and no one knows about my dependency, and I have no help, so it's IMPOSSIBLE to go cold turkey... I wouldn't be able to function.

My other option is methadone... But I don't have access to any without buying it black market. Methadone is also very addictive as well, unless you take it sparingly. I know that methadone can be sold anywhere from $2 a pill (when buying 200+ pills) and up to $6 a pill (from the creep that likes to rip people off).

I've weighed my options. And so far, 7 hours in, Ultram ER looks like it's a good option for me. I read more good then bad about Ultram/Tramadol... And hopefully it'll work out. I'll let you know daily how my body is reacting. I'll stop taking it in about 72-84 hrs (when vicodin withdrawals begin to subside) and I'll be totally honest about how I'm feeling!

Thanks again guys.

[Firefaery1023]

I wish you the best of luck.  No one is going to shun you for your decision.  You have to do what is best for you. I wish you the best of luck and keep posting.

[mr.lucky66]

I dodn't understand why you say that you think you will be on opiates for the rest of your like and are now taking ultram? If this is the case, why not just take real narcotics that are much better for pain and less mental side effects than ultram. all the best

[avisg]

nobody intends to abuse any medication......... to bad it happens anyway

[mommy52713]

you can do this . dont stress your self out it will be hard but you can do this you will look back and be so thankful you did best of luck to you .hot showers or bath's work wonders and drink lots of fluids.

[josh231]

yea for sure ultram is alot worse than viccs youll and acts as a pain killer/ anti depo so its just that much more addictive and feeling good it sucks when i started doin it everyone told me its fine there not addictive and there only 50 mg pills but yeah w.d. suck so bad

[MsTickles]

My bones in my back are slowly decentagrading (I'm not the best speller but you got the jist, right?). I have legitimate pain. The problem is that when you use opiates continuously, your body becomes immune to them, so you gotta take more and more of them. Eventually, EVERYONE who uses opitates throughout their lives have to stop at some point, either switch meds or give their bodies a chance to lower their tolerance of the opiates. Otherwise, you'll just end up taking so damn much that you kill yourself, ironically probibly in pain at the time. lol Now do you understand why I am trying to take a break from vicodin? I don't want my dependency to become worse.

No hard feelings, but I don't come to these forums and share details about my life that NO ONE close to me knows about to get lectured.

It's like using vicodin as directed by a doctor for a root canal for a week. If I use Ultram as directed for about 4 days, I'm pretty confident I won't become addicted. And if I do, I'm sueing those SOBs.

Thank you josh231, avisg and mommy52713 for the support. I come here to hear things like you said!

And as for the status of how I'm feeling... Pretty o.k. actually. My eyes are dialated (which is something that happens to me when i don't have vicodin in the system, not sure why), I am very very fatigued, my back is very sore. But I am happy, and productive and I'm not iching from my insides so I guess I couldn't be better.

Hopefully my body will have done what it needs to do by Tues. That's when I'm going cold turkey.

Thanks again guys.

[worried878]

And life goes on!     good luck to ya...sounds like you have a plan...

[worried878]

and I do think that sometimes people do intend to abuse medication...unfortunately...sux.....I was prescribed narcotics for legitimate pain and will admit freely, now,  that I intentionally abused them...there was a time when i would not have admitted this tho....i do feel for those who unknowlingly become addicted and took them as prescribed...doesnt happen to everyone..just to the lucky few/sarcastic and not funny...i think you sound as tho u r on a mission and u will succeed..do keep posting

[MsTickles]

Yeah, I guess I'm a little manic too... But can ya blame me? lol

I will admit that I ABUSED vicodin. It is my own fault I got this bad into it. I never thought of myself as weak enough to depend on something so insignificant.

Oh well, only I can make it better. :)

[mr.lucky66]

I think I understand. You are giving your system a break and then go back to opiates correct? The main concern is that the ultram had a brain chemical or antidepressant feature that makes it tougher to stop. I hope you don't get stuck on it. Maybe darvon would be better for a break. just a thought.

[Marce4]

As addicts we never know when to stop...the addict in us seems to win out over common sense.  Ultram is VERY addictive. I have seen many many people at this forum who are having a hell of a time getting off them.  I'm not trying to be harsh, only realistic and honest, there will be discomfort with w/d's no matter what and I really feel you are trading one addiction for another....once the physical symptoms wear off you then need to deal with the mental.  Many have said the ultram makes them feel calmer so I hope you can see how easy it would be to fall into the cycle of addiction with another drug.  I really do pray that you are successful and I don't wish failure on you.....I just hope you keep your eyes wide open and stay away from the ultram....it is very dangerous!
The best of luck to you!

[MsTickles]

Well, I'm not abusing the Ultram, I only have 5 days worth, I'm half way done with them, and besides my back pain and being anxious (this developed last night and it's still going strong...err) I feel pretty normal. My eyes aren't so dialated, I have more energy... Overall I feel physically better, like the w/d symptoms are close to being gone. I did spend the last few weeks tapering, so that's helped a lot I think. So I decided to not take the Ultram, let it get out of my system and see how I feel. It might be the cause of my anxiety, I don't know. If it's not too bad, I won't take any more Ultram. And that's what I'm hoping for.

So wish me luck kids!

[MsTickles]

And yes, I will probibly being taking vicodin within the next couple of weeks. My back is very very sore. I'm taking 4 Advil every 3-4 hrs and it's just not enough. I'm worried that even taking a 10/1000 mg pill will effect my mood... Last time I stopped taking vicodin and then used it again, it made me a little depressed. And that was the final straw for me to take a break recently, start from scratch... the irritable mood swings when you're dependent... It's just NOT MY STYLE! I had to put a stop to it.

Last night my suga daddy kept me company, gave me a back rub, and best of all, told me he is going to hold my Rx and portion it out to me when I need it for legit pain. I think that it's going to be really helpful for me to have that support.

Thanks again guys... I'll let you know how I feel later tonight when the Ultram is out of me!