ultram addiction

[mapsemog]

Please help me my husband has been on ultram for 4 years. Yes 4 YEARS.  He takes about 10-20 a day. It is ruining our life. I need to know the first step to take to help him get off this devil drug. PLEASE tell me where and how to begin. I am in great need and love him very much. I had him read this site with what others said and all he said was that ultram is bad stuff. Please help us!

[mapsemog]

Please help me, my husband has been on Ultramfor 5 years. Yes 5 years!! He takes at least 10-20 a day. It's ruining our life. I love him very much. We have 2 teenage sons and they need their Dad to be here for them. I need to know the first steps to take, where and how to help him go through this with as little suffering as possible to get off this "devil drug"! If that is possible.He will never admit himself into a detox. center or go if I tried to have him admitted. I love him very  much and have waited way too long for him to help himself. We have been together for 30 years and he is a different person because of these drugs. He truely doesn't see this but others do. He feels he can wein himself off slowly but has not tried and after reading what others have gone through being on ultram for a much shorter time I know he will need help and alot of it. Please tell me where I need to start. I did have him read what others have gone through and today I am going to have him read it. I don't know if we can face this alone and with him refusing detox. I want to turn to his brother for support. Should I? PLEASE tell us where to begin. And hurry time is running out! I'm am scared to death for him.  Thank you! ekimmap HURRY!!!

[Elleah]

Not a pro here, and had only been on Ultram for shorter periods of time in between other things. However, from what I've read here...if they are truly wanting to give it up (even if on their own) I've heard that weaning is possible under a circumstance. If they are committed but cannot do it on their own, they could consider giving the medicine to someone they trust...set up a weaning-off schedule, and have that trusted person dole them out to them according to that schedule. The person doling has to be strong, but I've read it can be a possible solution. My best to you both. BY THE WAY, the slower the weaning, the better the outcome (i.e. one less a day for 2 weeks, and so on. If tolerated, every week - it also would depend on the amount of medicine the person has on hand or is able to obtain. If they are running out completely, obviously a more aggresive (aggressive) weaning off is required.) Heartfelt regards, E

[Bodymechanic]

There are basically three ways that I know of to get off a drug.  Weaning, cold turkey or switching to another drug that is not cross addicting and getting off of it quickly. What I think is important in your situation is the amount of motivation.  I'm sure anyone here will tell that you cannot help someone who does not want to help themselves.  Motivation comes when the pain of using a drug exceeds the pleasure derived from using the drug.  Most people call this the bottom.  There is no way to know what it will take for your husband to hit a bottom. For some hard cases even living on the streets homeless is not enough to motivate them to quit alcohol or drugs.  For others a small incident such as the concern of a loved one is enough to motivate them to quit.  In my opinion, your husband using that drug at that dose is going to crash sooner or later. The soon this happens the better it will be for everyone involved.

I really do feel for you.  And I am not trying to be cruel.  This is just cold hard drug reality. It would be wise of you to  make sure you take care of yourself and your children.  If your husband is like most addicts on this board including myself,  he will continue to do what he is doing regardless of what you say or do.


God bless,


Bodymechanic

[moonchild]

I was on ultram for a long time and let me warn you for your husband is ultram is very known to cause grand mal siezures. I had 2 seizures from taking more than the recommended dose. I had been on ultram for years then all of a sudden I had a seizure that lasted 10 minutes!! Luckily I was not driving and at home. Ask any doctor or pharmacist or look up ultram on the web and you will see it can cause seizures. Unfortunately the only way to kick our terrible disease is what the above person said. Either wean off which usually fails, stop cold turkey, or other medications. I am on methadone which for me has been a life saver. I was addicted to painkillers for years due to many surgerys. The problem with alot of addicts is we have depleated our natural brain chemicals that naturally produce endorphins etc. and because they are depleated we never feel normal. This causes us to self medicate. For me, methadone has gotten me off the pills and because it does not get you high it just blocks withdrawal symptoms so I can go to work and live my life normally. I feel normal now and it is also alot cheaper than buying ultram etc. It is safe and I dont have to worry about seizures. Methadone has a bad reputation but for the ones who honestly want to live their life and feel normal and not have to worry about getting caught for illeagal activites it is a life saver. I wish you luck and I hope your husband decides to get his life together.

[Lucky47]

I was on Ultram for only 1 year, taking up to 12 fifty mg pills per day. It was overtaking my life, I was totally losing touch with everything. I thought I could never quit taking it. I did quit cold turkey however, and it was hell for several days. I believe it is worse than any narcotic pain medication withdrawl I have been through, as I have been on pain medications off and on for years due to a back injury. Ultram is extremely addicting in my opinion, and needs to be reevaluated by the FDA. I hope the best for your husband, and I hope he soon realizes he has to stop the medication, for everyones sake. Just do it!
                                            Lucky47

[zedhed]

I'm confused by this thread.  I have been taking pain medications for a herniated disc (lower back) off and on for 8-10 years or so. After struggling with hydrocodone for years I have been impressed with Ultram for reasons that don't make any sense in the context of this thread. My impression has been that it (Ultram) provides about the same pain relief as the codone, but (I thought) with far less side effect and therefore less habit forming effect. I'm amazed that you describe Ultram as so terribly addictive. Right now I take between 5 and 10 (50 mg) a day; and if I don't take any until later in the evening (sometimes I forget) I do start getting some of that "edgy" feeling we all know and hate.  But if I had skipped taking my Vicodin the same way, I'd have been climbin' the walls much earlier in the day. I experience these two (similar) drugs very differently from one another.

Don't get me wrong - I'd never say Ultram isn't addictive - it is! But it seems to me that the ratio of its pain effectiveness to its addictiveness is better than that of any of the other "narcotic" type medications - at least that I've used over the years. Does anyone else feel this way?  (never know, maybe I'm in for a REAL surprise the day I finally have to smith out the Ultram for good...) :}

[hunny_b74]

I have been severly addicted to all hydrocodone medications for 4 years. I have rode the elevator so many times it's sickening. I use Ultram to "get off" the hydro. when I run out. It masks the w/d's & helps me to be able to work & really just live life everyday. Although I myself have never experienced any w/d's from the Ultram, cause I went from that to the hydro., back & forth, I am worried because w/d's are horrible & brutal from the hydro.
     I have been taking the Ultram for over a year now. Has anyone had the same experience? Any info. would be appreciated!

[Imzadi258]

I love how the doctors like to prescribe ultram because it is "non-narcotic". O.....K.....in the true definition of a narcotic it is such. The way I see it is if I'm going to get hooked on something I want it to be A. Cheap (hydrocodone, oxycodone, methadone) B. Improve my life in some way. As far as my experience with Ultram it is/nor does either. It's affect on the pain is "not great" and it's cost is high compared to the other "narcotics" (I say narcotics because it is, despite what Dr.s would have you believe). As far as it being a Devil Drug well I would reserve that for something more appropriate like cocaine or crack.

How is the use of Ultram destroying your lives? After all it is the lack of narcotics that really causes problems in our lives, aside from all the Apap. they put in combo drugs, and ultram is to say the least easily obtainable although expensive.

[howcouldiknow]

Hydrocodone withdrawal sets in much quicker than tramadol withdrawal because the effects of hydrocodone are much shorter than tramadol. Tramadol withdrawal is considered worse than typical opioid withdrawal, because tramadol is so complex. It also works on serotonin and norepiniphren, not just the opioid receptors. Personally, I don't see how anyone could cold turkey from tramadol. If you choose the cold-turkey route, I'd recommend doing so in a liberal in-patient facility. Severe depression follows coming off of tramadol because of it's action on serotinin. Some suggest treatment with Cymbalta or Effexor can alleviate the depression after coming off of tramadol. Again...cold-turkey will be extremely difficult. Tramadol withdrawal is extremely uncomfortable. You will feel like you're losing your mind. Seizures and hallucinations are also possible.

[minorityvoice]

I was taking 15 mgs of morphine 3 times daily for maintenance and 30 mgs 2 times daily as a break through. I got hooked on it and my Dr. gave me Catapres-TTS. They are withdrawal patches. I never went through any withdrawals while taking these patches. I only had to wear them for 2 weeks. Now I'm free. Hope this helps.

[123456m]

The one poster howcouldknow hit it on the head. But its not as bad as you may think.Heers my story I was taking 20 100mg pills a day which is around twice what your husband is taking.Its very dangerous at these amounts this drug can stop your breathing. What the other posters said is true he needs to want to quit without that I am afraid there is not much hope. However if he can get his butting in a hospital for a week he can be clean with not so bad wds. I am in South America not sure in the US how this is done but when I was addicted nd lived in Panama I told the doctor he admited me taper me down fairly quickly and gave me a SSRI to boost up your sertonin levels. It is a hellish drug because it does play with your sertonin levels but it certainly can be done. Its far more dangerous at high levels than the stronger opiates because of the danger of seizures and most of all stopping your breathing that is howmost people die on this drug .
Also taking that many its really dangerous to sleep with him because he will likely have uncontol movenmets and you can end up with a serious injury if you get hit. One time I hit a solid wood backboad of my bed and cracked it and never knew it happen until I woke up.
Now I was on for a long time like a year with this **** if he has been on for only a short time he can quit at home if he wants to you need to be careful with your taper, take Chondline helps a lot plus all the ususal stuff . But the bottom line is he needs to know he is risiky his life as much as if he put a needle in his arm on those high amounts.
Peace.