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Ultram is a synthetic replica of morphine and works on most of the same areas of your brain. When morphine or any similar pain killer is present, you own natural endorphins (not sure I spelled it right) do not get produced in their normal quantites. Endorphins are your body's natural pain killers, there are actually several pain killers that naturally occur in the body but I'll use endorphins for this explaination.
There are parts of the nerves that are called receptors and when pain killers (Ultram etc.) are taken, your body is tricked into believing that it doesn't need as many receptors as it once did. It also reduces the amount of it's own endorphins because it detects the Ultram and thinks it's overproducing it's own endorphines. If someone is on pain killers for more than 6-8 months their body actually looses it's ability to product it's own pain killers. Therefore, not only do you go thorough withdrawl, you also will be in more pain because your body is not producing it's own pain killers. In normal circumstances, pain killers should be taken only as long as a severe injury is present and then stopped.
OK, enough background, the reason your anti-depressent is not working is because the ultram is one of the best anti-depressents ever created. I can remember taking it and feeling a warm rush from the top of my head spreading downward. It acts like a major rush of endorphins and puts you own cloud 9. The problem is, I now think of that warm rush as the burning up of my own nerve receptors. When the Ultram is missing, your body will crave it because it works for a balance of endorphines but it now has less ability to create it's own.
My advice is to stop taking the Ultram because of all pain killers I've ever taken, it was one of the hardest to quit. I've taken many types of pain killers, Delaudid, Peracet, Darvon, Methadone, Oxycontin ect.. When I stopped taking Ultram, I was up to 12 50mg pills a day.
The longer you use it the longer it will take for your body to get back to normal. I switched from Ultram to Methadone to help with the withdrawl. I took the Methadone for 2 years and finally stopped all together a year ago. They say that the first week off is the worst and it is for the withdrawl symtoms but the depression part can go on for several months before your body gets back to normal. I've finally learned that there are many none narcotic solutions to the pain and depression and I'm happy to say that I now take no prescription medicine at all.
I hope this helps.
Thanks for all the info and I will be praying for all of you and if I can help, let me know. Hang in there and keep posting!
Sandy
Everyone here is great and give great advice!
i tried to kick cold turkey off a 15 to 20 a day vike habit
own my own for about 2 years but the depression was so severe
i went back to the pills in order to function.
this was before i found this fourm.
along with the depression the other major problem was lack of energy, another problem i could not get over on my own.
when i found this fourm i started to learn what was going on
with me, for i was truely in the dark about the withdrawls
symptoms of opiate withdrawl.
when i got here a year and a half ago, it was suggested to me to try to taper down wich i had no sucess with.
I was also introduced to thomas's recipe a group of vitamines
and minerals , i started taking them right away and they helped
me finally get through the depression of cold turkey.
the l-tyrosine and b-6 made me feel a lot better, at the time
i would wake up in the morning and feel like i was 100 years old, the vitamine gave me back my health, i must have been
very deficent in vitamines and minerals.
the receipe helped me with the depression and lack of energy.
and i had a rough 5 days detoxing but then it began to get easier, sleeping was a problem for a month or two.
but my feeling came back and i started to feel joy for the 1st time in a few years. i have been clean for 15 monts now ,
i still take the receipe, tho i cut down on the l-tyrosine.
i have also taken 5htp for depression.
the one thing that i have found very helpful has been
exersize and lots of it ,.
my experence with the depresion from withdrawls was a feeling of fear, the fear of impending doom. also sense of panic.
peace!!!!!HIPPY
it varies with each person.
you may want to try the 5htp sold at the vitamine shop.
some people here at this fourm sware by it.
if your depression is sever and continues you may want
to look into getting prosac,
in your post, you said your boyfreind is doing better with his
withdrawls and that you are have a tough time with the severe depression part of withdrawls.
i also had a rough time with the depression. to the point
where i could not even get off the couch or leave the house.
but the receipe helped with it, along with the 5htp.
in the receipe the l-tyrosine 4 500 mgs in the morning
along with 2 100 mg of b-6 helped a lot with the depression and lack of energy,
take it a day at a time and try to keep busy, find a a couple of good books and try not to sit around doing nothing.
move you body exersize if you can as much as possible.
p.s sorry for the bad grammer. it is the least of my problems.
peace!!!!!!!!!hippy
Ultram has been used in Germany since the late 70's with markedly little abuse.
"In 1913, Bayer decided to stop making heroin. There had been an explosion of heroin related admissions at New York and Philadelphia hospitals, and in East Coast cities a substantial population of recreational users was reported (some supported their habits by collecting and selling scrap metal, hence the name "junkie")."
a year and half ago i was trying to detox by myself my way
to no avil, when i came here they introduced me to thomas's recipe and it said to take 8 500 mgs of l-tyrosine and 2 100 b-6 mgs in the morning along with the rest of the receipe.
like you i was reluctant to take 8 of anything but i did
and it helped me get through the 1st week of withdrawls
a lot easier then i had ever experenced.
there are many people here who have done the same thing .
the receipe helped me more then i could say.
you can find it below listed on one of the threads.
peace!!!!!!!!hippy
Thomas
I am groovy babe and how are U this wonderful Saturday mornin'?
Thomas - God it's good seeing you posting again. I've missed you, and Hippee, as always, your posts are always comforting, like a letter from home. Hope you all have a great weekend, and are doing well. Love, Lisabet
Hey babes I am feeling a ton better than Tuesday and I hope by Monday I'll be out of traction! LOL Mind traction that is! Hearts on the computer, hey Doll I can give ya sumpin better than that to do(notice right there I could have said something else but I didn't) You are welcome! Bill
Jerri - have you tried "freecell"? That will really keep you occupied for a long time; that or minesweeper!!! (I'm such a "doof" that it took me 5 years to actually understand that one....smile)....but if you're looking for distraction, that's the one to try! Again, I'm so happy for you; I know you've relasped lots of times (like myself), so just take it a day at a time. You're doing a hell of a lot better than myself....I'm so happy for ya! You're such a good person and you deserve it! Love to you all, Lisabet
I play spidersolitiare and snood. I take morphine, I nod!
Why are you two or three or four still up at this time of the morning? Come on babes, cat gotcha tounge? LOL JK Bill
which will be day 7.. i think..
until i found this forum i had no idea how real the depression i had was, or how much the oc's caused it.
i came on here looking for the "painless kick", but am now better off to hear some truth from experienced people.
it's so sad how i used to ride my bike 30-100 miles and now i can't even find the energy to inflate the tires.
anyone else feel cold all the time?
i live in SF, and i know it's chilly here, but i know this is oc derived.. almost as bad as the depression..feeling cold all the time.. really keeps me locked up in the house.
Also, I never have had any problems using L-Tryosine and I've taken up to 2000mg at a time.....peace to all and have a great weekend....
Bmac
and welcome to engsal and skata and anyone else new. i have been board hopping and haven't been posting much here. bad amber!!
i went to the docs yesterday for a check up and i managed to get through a 30 minute visit with only obsessing about asking for narcotics for about 15 minutes of the visit, at which time my blood pressure started to rise, i felt warm, the anticipation of how i was going to go about getting more pills from him was intense for a moment there... so creepy! but as i watched myself go from feeling nice and mellow to feeling all dope-finey i thought to myself, "self, is it really worth it?" and i was able to just surf that urge to drug seek at the doctors. and he is a relatively new doc and i haven't asked for anything in a long time so i figured he would be easy to make. i even feel bad about posting about it on here. and i like him so much i want to keep him as a doctor and i don't want to lose his respect or lose respect for myself either.
as far as ultram goes, i have said it before and i will say it again... i am so thankful that i didn't get any kind of buzz on ultram... i did have withdrawl after taking them once for only two weeks and was shocked at how bad i felt. so i can only imagine what taking them for a few years and coming off of them would be like.
well, i have rambled long enough here! hey bill!! haven't heard from you in awhile!!! lol!!
peace,
amber
love,
amber
i started tapering down from 10 ultram per day. it takes a longtime an LOTS of willpower. you need to tape down each week by one pill per week. here is a vitamin cocktail that really helps during the proess: MORNING: take 4 500mg L-tyrisine, 1 2 mg copper cap, 1 Bcomplex, 1 400 mf Magnesium, 1 1000mg calcium, 1 15 mg Zinc. EVENING: abt 1/2 hr b4 bdtime - take 1 400 mg magnesium, 1 100 mg Niacin, and 1 5-HPT (that contains 100mg of valerian, & 10 mg of B6) the evening cocktail helps you sleep and the magnesium helps the leg pain. also you should eat 3 meals a day and if possible take a walk (abt 2 miles in the morning) i have also found that a vitamin B-12 patch (you can buy these online - search fo B-12 patch) oncce a week helps with energy levels.
I hope this helps everyone who wants to get off these "non-addivtive" pills.
LOL frosty02631
i started tapering down from 10 ultram per day. it takes a longtime an LOTS of willpower. you need to tape down each week by one pill per week. here is a vitamin cocktail that really helps during the proess: MORNING: take 4 500mg L-tyrisine, 1 2 mg copper cap, 1 Bcomplex, 1 400 mf Magnesium, 1 1000mg calcium, 1 15 mg Zinc. EVENING: abt 1/2 hr b4 bdtime - take 1 400 mg magnesium, 1 100 mg Niacin, and 1 5-HPT (that contains 100mg of valerian, & 10 mg of B6) the evening cocktail helps you sleep and the magnesium helps the leg pain. also you should eat 3 meals a day and if possible take a walk (abt 2 miles in the morning) i have also found that a vitamin B-12 patch (you can buy these online - search fo B-12 patch) oncce a week helps with energy levels.
I hope this helps everyone who wants to get off these "non-addivtive" pills.
LOL frosty02631
i started tapering down from 10 ultram per day. it takes a longtime an LOTS of willpower. you need to tape down each week by one pill per week. here is a vitamin cocktail that really helps during the proess: MORNING: take 4 500mg L-tyrisine, 1 2 mg copper cap, 1 Bcomplex, 1 400 mf Magnesium, 1 1000mg calcium, 1 15 mg Zinc. EVENING: abt 1/2 hr b4 bdtime - take 1 400 mg magnesium, 1 100 mg Niacin, and 1 5-HPT (that contains 100mg of valerian, & 10 mg of B6) the evening cocktail helps you sleep and the magnesium helps the leg pain. also you should eat 3 meals a day and if possible take a walk (abt 2 miles in the morning) i have also found that a vitamin B-12 patch (you can buy these online - search fo B-12 patch) oncce a week helps with energy levels.
I hope this helps everyone who wants to get off these "non-addivtive" pills.
LOL frosty02631