I need help with Tramadol addiction

[wrack]

I have been taking tramadol willy-nilly for about 6 months now and am going to commit the next 30 days to getting off of them for good. I've got enough for a taper and would like some advice and encouragement as I know this will be one of the hardest things I have ever done. I have recently fallen in love, quite unexpectedly, and to be fair to this gal I am confessing to her today that I have started a little habit and if she sticks by me I'll make it my life's goal to get off these things. So wonderful being on them but I want this love to be true and without compromise.
I am ready for hell. Help!

[ClaudiaKishi]

Yeah tramadol is EXTREMELY physically addictive! and good for you for being honest with your girl! I bet you'll be fine...I love the term 'willy-nilly' reminds me of the british version of The Office.


You can get off this, no problem!

[vicki595]

Wonderful to hear from you!    This is great news!

Congratulations!

[wrack]

thanks of r all the thoughtful comments. Tramadol IS ADDICTIVE and as you probably know it is hard as hell to get off of. The woman who came into my life was incredibly supportive of me when I confessed to her my problem and she talked some sense into me and drove me to a rehab for a medical detox. There, I was put on Librium and tapered off over a week until I was able to mitigate the withdrawal symptoms on my own. I am now one month off this nasty drug and am finally feeling back to my old self. This is wonderful. I highly recommend an inpatient treatment if your resources allow. It's not instant but my original plan of a month-long taper would have been insanity since i was not sleeping or eating. I wish you all the best. This addiction trap is no fun and I hope to keep to my meetings and stay clean so I can get on with starting a family and get this career high into the sky.

I'll write more later. peace, my people.

[vicki595]

You know,I need to ask you this: Have you abused drugs before or have you been addicted in the past?  Not being nosey...the insight helps everyone to better help you.

Did you start Tramadol for a pain issue? Has that resolved?

[vicki595]

Thanks Lee Ann...there's something about this post that makes me weep!! I'm just a hopeless romantic I guess...

[LeaAnn807]

Oh, BTW....HIGHLY addictive!!!  Worst one of all the ones I have been on.  (ex. oxy, fentanyl, morphine, benzos, ambien, hydrocodone etc)

[LeaAnn807]

Hi!  I got off of tram in March of this year.  299 days ago to be exact!!!!!! : )  There are things you can do to help yourself, but it's pretty miserable to be perfectly honest.  The worst is over in about 5 days.  You can suffer with some annoying stuff for a couple more weeks, but nothing like the first few days.  

I can help you once you start and tell me what your symptoms are.  There are otc things you can get to help out some!!!  How many a day were you taking?  I stopped at 15 a day....yeah...I know, it's a lot!!!  

Big huge congrats on your new love and decision to be honest and quit!!!  

[vicki595]

Hi-- Your post brought me to tears and that doesn't happen often...it's very touching.

SLady gave you some good advice but I need to disagree with her,unfortunately. Tramadol contains an opiate (synthetic) along with a anti depressant similar to Effexor.
This makes it a bit more challenging but it can be done and done well!! I'll send a note to Tramahater who can give you some first hand advice.But,it's totally addicting.

I honestly believe you will do this and we'll be here to support you al the way! Check out some aftercare programs as well. Taking any pills is only a symptom of another,sometimes greater,problem.  For you,there's an extra boost because you're in love...you going to feel good no matter what! You'll see..

How many were you taking per day? Does your doctor know you're starting a taper?
Are you planning a nice,slow taper? I hope so...

Keep posting and let us know how things went tonight.

Good luck--

[ImDONENoMore]

Welcome to you wrack,

Tramadol is a synthetic opiate and an anti-depressant (similar to effexor).  It has both physical and mental withdrawal symptoms when stopped.  There has never been a case reported of anyone having a seizure while doing a cold turkey, only when taken in high doses.  However, if you have the option to taper, and the discipline and structure in place to do so, then that might be a better way to go.  I could not taper as I left myself with no choice - I put myself in a terrible situation with my Dr. and I was cut off.  Period.  So then began my journey away from this horrible, horrible drug.

Some of the things I can recommend are firstly practical - check out the Thomas recipe on the bottom right of this page.  It will give you list of things to pick up for yourself while detoxing.  I found the supplements and the vitamins to be very very helpful in the beginning.  And eating was a struggle at first too - I basically lived on yogurt and toast for the first couple of weeks before I could move to other comfort, but bland, foods.  Things like chicken soup, apple juice, ginger ale, bananas and toast with peanut butter were things I could tolerate.  You will find with more time under your belt that your appetite will eventually return.  You may start experiencing restless legs (a common withdrawal symptom).  If you do, try bananas.  They helped a lot for me because of the potassium.  And there is also something called Hylands Restful Legs that can be bought at any Walmart, CVS or Walgreens.  I understand from what a lot of members here say is that it is quite helpful.

I recommend that those getting off this drug check out a thread that was started a couple of years ago by Emily.  If you google "tramadol withdrawal" one of the links will read something like "day 45 again cold turkey tramadol withdrawal emilys posts".  If you get a moment, check it out.  It will explain to you exactly what the drug is comprised of and what to expect during withdrawal.  I found the knowledge I gained there and the comfort I received from knowing there was someone else out there experiencing what I was going through to be so very very helpful.  I think you might too.  Other members here have already heard me refer many other tramadol sufferers to this link.  I mention it all the time because it was that helpful!!

Keep coming here and posting.  And lastly, if you have someone you can turn to, someone you love and trust, to help you get through this it will make a huge difference (like the new woman in your life maybe?).  It helps to have that support and also to keep you accountable.  I found it way too easy to convince myself to go back on this poison if I only had MYSELF to answer to.  It wasn't until I had others who knew what I was doing and wanted to see me get well that I finally came through the other side.  You can do this.  You really can!!

My very best wishes to you as you continue forward.  Stay strong!  p.s. i'm going to bet that this new woman in your life now is going to do whatever she can to support you if she thinks you're trying to do what's best for you and your health.  i'm glad to hear you're going to give her that chance.  :)

[SLadylani]

Good news is Tramadol is not physically addicting like benzodiazepines are. Not so good news is it can be mentally addicting. As a recovering addict myself, 4 years, 1 month, 26 days, my question for you is why do you take the Tramadol? The next step would then be to look for things to replace that feeling with in your life. For instance, if you take it to feel comforted, then do activities that give you a similar sense of comfort during the day. If you take it for anxiety, do activities that are soothing for you. Have you thought about a 12 step group? That really helped me. One thing I do know, and I don't know many things, is one pill is too many, and a thousand is never enough, meaning that first pill will open up the doors of addiction all over again. What also helped me, and has helped others, is remembering that all you have to do is stay clean just for today, you don't have to think about tomorrow yet. Good luck to you and this website is always here.