Detoxing from Ultram

[RespiratorytherapistD]

I took my last two ultram yesterday morning at 10am and my anxiety is off the charts...I have been on them for eight years and they have basically ruined my life.I worked at a hospital as a Respiratory Therapist for 16 years until I got fired for my uncontrollable addiction.I have two beautiful children and I feel so guilty for letting the pills take over my life...I feel like a failure and just need some advice or encouragement...I have zero support system..Thanks for any help you can offer me:(

[Lainemoss]

I am eight days off tram addiction. I can tell you for me, move as much as possible!!!! When your head feels fuzzy and you have no energy, MOVE! That was my biggest help and I got the advice from this site. Also, stock up on b-12, valerian root, a good multi vitamin, and tea bags. Stay away from caffeine. You are about to get wicked diarrhea arms probably nausea. You can stop the diarrhea with immodium, but for me I wanted the clean out after beif stopped up for so long. Day five I felt good, day six the anxiety hit me like a truck. Day seven was better and we are at day eight now. You are going to lose sleep. It's ok. Your brain has a lot of resetting to do. Don't psych yourself out. When you feel the anxiety or depression tell yourself out loud that it's natural and will pass. Develop a mantra. Mine is "I am titanium". As silly as it sounds, it helps. Distract yourself with anything you can. If possible have orgasms the first few days. Again, sounds crazy but it helps too. I woke up this morning not wanting anything. Not reaching for a pill. It was amazing. It takes 21 days to form a habit, and twice as long to break it. Do not keep your vitamins in the same place you kept your pills. Change the entire habit!!!! You can do this. If I can, you can. I have no willpower and can be compulsive (another thing I am trying to change). Find aftercare support. I l

[msdelight]

Hi RT and welcome to the forum, the place you will never be alone with this problem. We've all been there. Sounds like you were not planning this detox and I'm sorry about your job loss.  The most important thing now though is for you to get clean. You can worry about picking up the pieces later. Ultram is a synthetic opiate and as such may take a good two weeks until you feel better. Imdone gave great advice.  Just wanted to add my support and say You Can DO THIS!

[ImDONENoMore]

There is always hope!!  As long as we are trying, there is always hope.

And it's typically 5 to 7 days before you start to feel a little better. Tramadol is a little trickier than the standard opiate withdrawal because of the anti-depressant quality to this med, so the withdrawal is different.  Physically, the symptoms began to subside for the most part after about a month or so, but I promise, they got a lot easier to deal with after a couple of weeks.  I figured it was my body's way of getting rid of all the toxins, so try not to let the symptoms stress you too much.  It's normal and necessary to go through this.

Sleep was really tough for me - I couldn't even close my eyes at night - literally they would "flutter" and I just couldn't keep them shut.  So I either got up and went to the den or I stayed in bed, put on the TV and began to watch all of my favorite shows.  Every season of those shows ! lol - Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and favorite movies.  The distraction helped a lot.  Oh, and I also used Epsom salts - I'm not a bath person, so I used them in the shower as a scrub, but they will help to release more toxins through your skin, and the hot showers were a huge relief for the anxiety too.  There were some nights I took 3 showers (!) but it helped.

And my dog was another big part of my recovery.  She would force me to get up, get outside and get moving, almost as if she KNEW I needed it almost more than she did.  Even when I wasn't sleeping, just listening to her (and hubby) sleep would relax me a little.  They really are our best friends, aren't they?  :)

[toothfairie]

Hi there...just wanted to lend my support...i never took trams, but other opiates....you got some good advice from ImDone....just hang in there for the ride....there's also a group of people that have come off trams...i think it's called tram warriors on here....check that out as well....mean time, we are here for you...keep posting for support and let us know how we can help!!  

[RespiratorytherapistD]

Thank you so much !!!! I got my dog here beside me keeping me company...Do you know how long it usually takes to feel kinda normal again?The leg pains are the worst!!!!Been awake since 2am....so glad for people like you in the world ....Thanks for giving me hope.

[ImDONENoMore]

Hi RT and welcome to the forum!

I know what you're going through.  I was addicted to tramadol for over 6 six years and my life was a mess.  But it IS possible to get off the trams for good.  Oh, I was also addicted to Xanax, and quit that as well.  Suffice it to say, it was a very difficult detox for me (and dangerous as well as I had no idea that you should never stop a benzo cold turkey).

Tapering is also recommended when getting off of tramadol, however, it doesn't sound like that's an option for you?  If not, then it's time to get ready for the detox.  I found a ton of items from the Thomas Recipe to help a lot.  Hot baths, walks with my dog, time in the sun, staying busy/distracted, movies, whatever, helps a lot too.

I am happy for you that you have decided to quit!  Good luck to you and feel free to ask questions as you continue.  I'm happy to share my experiences.  (oh, and p.s., you are NOT a failure.. you've been sick and now it's time to get well).