Tramadol withdrawal

[keetzy]

I have been taking aprox 500mg Tramadol for aprox 2 months now.  I was told that Tramadol could be habit forming but you would not have the withdrawal affects like with Oxy Contin.  I guess my question is, what can I expect from using this drug for a short period of time.
Thank you,

[CWKavinRAS]

Tramadol is not classified as an opiate , but it works in the same receptors. Usually the withdrawals are shorter and milder then a drug like Oxycontin.
But still can cause dependency and in high levels even seizures.

[keetzy]

This helps a ton!  I was on Oxy Contin for almost 5 years and did a chemical withdrawal in hospital for 3 weeks.  It took me (after that) about 4 months to feel human again.  I still had not reached a level to which I felt "good" or had more than 2 good days.  A friend of mine gave me her Tramadol to try and I was assured that she had been taking it on and off for years with O withdrawal.  I took it for almost 2 months while grieving the loss of my dog.  I decided on Monday to stop all together and could not believe how awful I feel.  NOTHING like coming off of Oxy, but still extremeley uncomfortable and "couch bound", flu symptoms and horrible headache.  I could not believe it.  Then, I was wondering if this is somehow combined with the Oxy Contin withdrawal as well. I have only been off of it for 6 months now.  I now am using 600 mg of Tylenol  3 times a day as the Dr. will not give me anything that contains an Narcotic and to him that also includes Tramadol.   Thank you Sue for this post as it really helpled.  It seems we were and are in very similar situations.  
Keetzy

[sueduva]

Hi keetzy, I came off morphine 1 1/2 years ago and the withdrawal made me very sick for about 6 weeks. And I have also been on and off tramadol quite a few times. At the moment I'm taking aprox 200 mg of tramadol a day, along with Tylenol 3's.
I didn't find tramadol addicting at all. I don't  go into withdrawal if I miss a dose. In the past I've taken  up to 400 mg a day, and when I came off it completely, I tapered down the dose slowly and when I stopped completely I did feel sick for about 2 weeks (but nothing like the severity of morphine).  So I think it is worth giving it a try to see if it helps your pain. I found it boosted my energy level a bit, because of the antidepressant affect. The only thing I didn't like was on the higher dose, I was getting horrible migraines !!
Also if I had one beer or just one glass of wine, I would also get horrible headaches.
Hope this helps,
Take care, sue