Quitting Ultram

[over60]

I have been Taking Ultram for two an a half years now for a severe case of Restless Leg Syndrom. I am currently up to six 50mg tabs a day. I also must mention I am a recovering alcolholic and haven't had a drink or recreational drug in over 28 years. I have tried reducing the dose in hopes of weaning myself of the drug but m RLS symtoms become unbearable. I have tried all the other RLS drugs over the years (Requip, Mirapex, Sinamet etc.) and Ultram has been the most affective. I have slowly had to increase the dose and don't think I want to go an higher. I am asking for any advise I can get. Is there anyone out there with a similar experience? By the way I am a 62 year old male.

Thanks

over60

[worried878]

yep...wd's from ultram includes rls even worse than other so called "real " narcotics.....all are synthetci except codeine and morphine.....it will be hard to tell if the rls is getting worse or not...do know that 200 mgs is the max acceptable dose of ultram so any higher can be dangerous..be safe and keep posting

[Mercedes175]

Hi Over60, I too am a recovered alchoholic and never abused drugs of any kind.  In the last year I had medical issues that introduced me to Tramadol (main ingredient of Ultram).  Long story short I was actually given the green light to take up to 6 50mgs a day..doc said that was reasonable and little to any withdrawals would be observed should I stop.

As far as the RLS..Madtram is correct.  One of the primary withdrawal side effects of Trams even if you didnt have RLS prior, is RLS.  I get it in my neck and arms the most but as far as the one of the worse symptoms is just that.

However I can also relate to how it helps in that department if you take it. It is because the drug effects the central nervous system..not a scientist but it does work.  Worked for me too. Unfortunately you will need to decide to risk taking more of the drug to avoid daily withdrawals or to stop.

You can deal with your RLS.  As many have found when they stopped alot of the issues they had before subsided.

Tram withdrawal is not easy but it is doable...there are many things you could do to help once you make the decision.  Take a good 3/4 days off, baby yourself, expect a bad case of the flu..and I recommend going to Doc before you start your withdrawal and getting some Clonodine and maybe a sleep aid of sort for the first few days.  Look up the Thomas Recipee..helps alot.

I am on my 10th day and feel good but not out of the woods yet.  You know the value of God..keep going to meetings (or encourage you to try them out if you don't), stay active, take care of yourself.  Do some research...

Oh, I almost forgot..I have heard people rave about Hylands Restless leg. It is a tiny box you can get at Walgreens. You take a couple under tounge and I hear works magic. There is a user on this board that had very, very bad RLS..basically her entire body all night long..bad. And she uses Hylands and it basically went away.

She recommends taking as much as you can until symptoms subside (more than the box states..just keep taking them under tounge until you relax).  In her case, after a couple nights of doing just this the symptoms went away entirely.

I had a case of mild RLS the other night and yes, it did work.

But I do highly recommend to get off the Tramadol..can relate with the alchohol you don't want to rely on this.  Also, for RLS, you would only need a couple at night I would think so taking 6 a day I would think is because you are building a tolerance or are also enjoying the other side effects of energy, etc.  That all goes away soon. You become more a fog head then productive energy. It has bad withdrawals...stop while you are ahead.  But you CAN do this.  You do not have to comprimise your sobriety..I didnt and I am on day 10 of tram free. God bless.

[madtram]

Sorry, here are the links:-

http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/20035?personal_page_id=142

http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/20327?personal_page_id=142

[madtram]

Hello,
The good news is that you have become aware of the tolerance building qualities of tramadol.  In the experience of a lot of people, this only gets worse & you find yourself taking increasingly higher doses just to feel normal.  You may also go into withdrawal on a daily basis if you don't increase your dose or maintain a steady state of the active ingredients.

Ironically, one of the symptoms of tramadol withdrawal is severe restless legs syndrome.

I don't want to scare you but I suggest that you read through the following tramadol dedicated threads.  There is plenty of support and lots of useful information.

Please keep posting,

Michelle