ultram addiction?????'s

[kriswhite7]

I have been taking ultram for 3.5 years now and I have tried to stop taking them several times now with no success and I don't know what to do now without having to be addmitted into a hospital? I am tired of being dependent on a drug to make me "feel" normal! everytime my script runs out by the second day I am feeling BAD (ie. cold sweats, lathargy, SEVERE headachs, SEVERE back pain, nausea, SEVERE deppression, moodiness, and much much more) and I just don't know where to go from here, can anyone help???

[singha]

How much and how often do you take them....believe me it can be done. I have been addicted for 11 years and quit cold turkey on June 28th and although it starts off difficult it gets better. it all depends on how much you take now though.

[justlikeyou]

quitting is possible, but its the hardest thing ive ever done.

[mya-mom]

I've been taking ultram for 7 years now and I've tryed time and time again to get off, but I get so sick I have 7 kids to take care and 3 of those kids are just babys is there anything I can do to help me get off of this drug? I need help getting back to my self again!

[kriswhite7]

I take between 6 and 10 a day. I did quite for 2 weeks but it was the longest, hardest week of my life. I had no energy and just felt like **** and was sinking into a deep state of depression and so I, of course, relapsed. But I am tired of being dependent on it,  I want to stop but the pain is so severe!! How did you get through it without relapsing???? Did you do it at home?? Any advice you can give, I will take!!!!!

[FLaddict]

amino acids can be of great help when getting off of meds like opiates.. They have helped me alot deal with depression and anxiety of quitting... check out the books END YOUR ADDICTION NOW or THE MOOD CURE...  Ultram and tramodol also stimulate your serotonin part of your brain so if you can get a head start on rebuilding that you will have more success quitting.. so the severe depletion that happens when you quit will not affect you as much and help eliminate the depression and anxiety..

Good luck to you..

[wantmyhealthback]

Can you take the amino acids while still tapering? How about milk thistle?

[FLaddict]

Yes you can take them while still tapering..the sooner the better..

I know that milk thistle is supposed to detox the liver but I myself have never used it..

[here4all]

I quit cold turkey June 29th and went through hell.  I didn't tell anyone (wife/friends) what I was doing or going through.  I don't recommend it, I was so depressed and moody my poor wife didn't know why and thought it was her.  Find someone you can trust and tell them what is going on, then lean on them for help.  Just talking about it helps (as you can see).  Like "singha" I can tell you it does get better with time, but that's the hard part (time).  Each day feels like it takes forever and night time was the worst for me (especially when it was time to go to bed).  I don't know if I could go through it all again, which is the thing that also keeps me from touching that sh** again.

Do what you can do to get off it.  Taper seems to be one of the best things.  Slowly allow your body to get use to less and less.  Another (and probably the best, if you have the resources) is see a specialist (addiction medicine specialist, Psych. Dr.).  

Life does feel better on the other side (without ultram).  Your happiness and good feelings can be real, true and yours again.  Try and remember what life was before all this, it's still there and can be yours again. I'm not the best writer in the world, but hope this helps in some small way.  I am here for all, lean on me.

[kriswhite7]

WOW, I really do feel alot better about quitting and I feel alot more confident about it. Thank you to everyone!!!! I have not had anyone to talk to or turn to when I was having problems, noone around me knows what it is like to go through this. I opened up and confessed everything to my husband and I was shocked that he was so understanding, but then he proceeded to tell me that all the withdrawl symptoms were in my head and all I had to do was "will it away" and boy did that make things worse. So I agree completely with "here4all" about needing someone to lean on and that is why I am so thankful for this forum I can honestly say it is the best thing I have come across so far to help me get through this with a positive outlook!!! It is just difficult when the person you trust and love can't be there for you when you need them the most, I just wish there was a way I could help him to understand what I am going through, suggestions anyone???

[justlikeyou]

give him 6-10 a day for 3 years ;)

[kriswhite7]

yeah, huh then maybe he would understand, or maybe HE could just " will it away" !! ;)

[Dad of 8]

Ultram(Tramadol) is one of those drugs on the market that can really fool you.  It can be very affective for pain relief, but many doctors use it because it is supposed to be "non addictive".  It may not be a narcotic,  I think some call it a "synthetic narcotic" or "narcotic like", it still can create the same dependency issues and full blown opiates.  I truly think that many doctors believe all the **** that they are told that you cannot become addicted to Ultram.  Well, two years ago, I spent 5 days in a recovery center to get off of Ultram and I know that I probably couldn't have done it without professional help.   They can put a man on the moon, but they cannot create a pain med that is non-addictive.  Makes you wonder if they truly want to???  If they did, you wouldn't want more and more and more.  And that would mean less $$$$$ for them.  Who knows.  Good luck to you.  Tom

[here4all]

Ask your husband if he has ever heard of people going through withdrawals from quiting coffee.  Those w/d's are pretty bad and that's from COFFEE!  Maybe you can find some things on the Internet that talk about w/d's and what happens to the human body.  He is your husband and I'm sure he loves you, but he is a guy and we are not always the smartest people when it comes to caring and understanding.

Stay strong and fights this.  It will all make you stronger.  Here for you.  

[kriswhite7]

THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!!!! I really think this forum is going to help me get through this, I have not been able to talk to anyone about my problems and here I am shareing it with you guys and you know exactly what I am going through, thank you, it makes me even stronger to know I have people to talk to that understand!!!!

[Afraid!]

I too have been taking ultram/tramadol for aprox. 3 years! Unfortunately I am purchasing them online and realize the danger in not knowing if what I am receiving is indeed tramadol! More concerning is the fact that I take 6-7 pills 3 times daily. I am scared beyond words! If I go for aprox.1-2 hours w/out the medicine besides all of the “hellish” symptoms already mentioned I can't stay awake. Literally I fall into a bizarre drugged-like state. I just feel so helpless scared and alone!

[lady1981]

I feel your pain. Especially when you said the part about having SEVERE headaches and SEVERE depression. I have been addicted to Hydro off and on for 5 years and this past year my addiction elevated and got out of control. About 2 weeks ago, my Dr. refused to refill my Hydro and gave me a rx for Ultram to help taper me off of narcotics. I will say, the detox off of the Ultram was 50 times worse than ANY detox off of hydro, ever.
Like "Dad of 8" mentioned, the Ultram will mess with your serotonin levels and coming off of it can be hard. So, this past weekend I took my last Ultram and I kid you not, I was debating on whether or not to call the suicide hotline come Sunday night - it was that bad. I did a LOT of research these past few days and I found that 5HTP (herbal anti-depressant) will help and is over the counter. Luckily, I have been totally up front with my Dr. about my detox and I called him yesterday and he suggested upping my Effexor from 75mg's to 150mgs just to help get my serotonin back to a decent level and in about a week, I can go back to 75's or stay at 150, its my choice. I will tell ya, after upping my Effexor dose last night, this morning was the first day in almost a week that I was able to get out of bed, get ready for the day and leave to go to work without having 2-3 panic attacks. Its been rough for me, for sure. If you have access to any prescribed anti-depressants or even a natural food store that would carry 5HTP - GO GET IT before you start your detox. And as far as the headaches go, I actually got a sample of Imitrex and Amerge (migraine meds) from my Dr. and both of those meds helped. Excedrin helps as well. So does feverfew.
Im sorry you have to go through all of this, but take it from me - its SO worth it. As cliché as it sounds, your first day completely sober will feel like it’s the first day of the rest of your life. Well, at least that’s how I felt my first day sober. :)

YOU CAN DO IT!

[Johnny Vegas]

I have been addicted to pain killers for the last 4 years. The main ones I have used are Ultram and Hydrocodone. I have been able to quit before but the withdrawal symptoms kick my a$$ every time. My major complaint is the depression that comes from stopping pain med usage. I have had depression my whole life and am on Wellbutrin for it, but I just can't seem to quit because every time I feel those cold sweats, insomnia, irritabillity, diahrea and anxiety come on, I give in again. I have been tapering off this week (I was taking 18 Ultram a day) to just 4 on Mon, 3 on Tue, 2 today and now I have only 2 left. I have been taking Hydrocodone the last 3 days to help with the Ultram withdrawal (I probably won't have severe W/D from the Hydro b/c I only had 3 days worth of pills). Please help!!

Jonathan
Las Vegas, NV

[Afraid!]

Wow you are doing great! What an inspiration for me!!!!! Thank you! I am praying for you! And all for all of us!

[[e-mail]]

i think i was borne depressed,wene i was about 6 ican remember being very worried about every thing,i think my family religion was do to that ,grandpa the preacher said the world would end in 1983 ,and that had me worryd sick ,all i could think about was my family i loved so much dieing ,it worryd me sick,i also worried everytime the news flash would come on tv ,thinking the world would end,grampa toald his story  (prediction) to all of us at a very young age6,7,8 years old.He said there would be a massive earthquak and alot of people wpwould die and the ones who made it would be stilling credit cards money frome dead people and so the government was going to make you take a mark on your forhead or wrist your permanent credit card ,and if you did not take the mark you would have your head chopped off,well as i got older i did everything to have a good time and make up for those worrioed years including alchahol and all other stoff crack pills lsd etc,ofcours dropping out of school to take care of my mom who i thought had cancer(shr was addicted to pills longer story)thats why i cant spell , i worked double shifts at the truck stop doing speed all the time ,and giving my money to my mom,,iwould take anything to escape my life,got older and got married have a beutifull daugter ,had a back injury at work started vics and for two years came off with tramis and now am finding out trmis are really bad ,boy was i stupid to trust thos drs,anyway my life now is hell dealing with disibility,lawyers,and drs for the last 3 years,hell,,,,this is my schedual i wake at 3am have coffe and 5 ultram get head zaps andvommit then feal normall ,today im down to 2 ,,,i detoxed befor off vics whent to hospital said i was felling like killing myself and yes i had a plan,big mistake saying that ,but thats how i honesly felt,when you say that they stik you in with the looneys and your suprvised all times,boy did i meet some crazyz there but it really helped the best,now my plan is to wean down to nothing start taking my antydepresens get back to a normall sleep mode and be a good daddy and husband i think im going crazy somtimes but i knoe i can go back to the loony ben if it  gets really bad,wich it probabbly will..hope people post good news about successful recovery storys

[frosty02631]

i have been taking ultram since 1999 - i myself have tried unsuccessfully to get off of these "non-addictive" painkillers (according to my doc) - about six weeks ago i was taking 10 or 11 every morning and have started to taper off with the use of this vitamin cocktail and it's going VERY well - no pain, runny nose, headaches, leg aches, the Flu feeling or any of the horrifying feelings that go with withdrawal.  Here's what i've been doing - every 7 days go down one more pill (now i am down to 5 per day)

Morning:
4 - 500 mg L-tyrosine
1 - 10 mg copper cap
1 - supplement containing:  400 mgs Magnesium, 1000 mg calcium, and 10 mg zinc
1 - 50 mg B6 (helps the absorbtion of L-tyrosine)
1 - B Complex
and each week i put a B12 patch behind my ear for 24 hrs (it's like getting a B12 shot but without the pain or trip to the Doc) do a B-12 patch search on the internet

drink plenty of water
walk a few miles a day (if possible)
AND EAT 3 healthy meals a day - with like a 1/2 banana between each meal

EVENING:

1-400 mg magnesium (aids sleep and is very good for leg pain)
1-50 mg niacin (b3) (aids sleep and the "detox" of liver)
1-5-HPT containing 100 mgs of valarian and calcium

this is the FIRST successful atempt i have made and i still feel NORMAL - I hope this helps you
support (like this forum) is a godsend for all of us

[Afraid!]

You sound like a real "fighter" who has been through hell and back! I can relate! I will pray for you because it works and because you deserve to be happy! You may not be able to spell perfectly, but what a special & wonderfully unselfish person you had to have been to give up your "life" for your mom! Definitely go back on your anti-depressants if your dr. feels necessary and know that someone out there is praying for you and your family!
Now..time to follow my own advice :-)