Thank you, G-dspeed, and good luck to all...

[dammitol]

It's official, 4 days to get over the hump with trammys. Still feeling brain zaps, but energy coming back. I see light at the end of the tunnel. I feel human. I feel strong enough. It's exactly as you said. Tramadol will never darken my door again.

I love you all. Take care of your loved ones. It's up to you.

[dominosarah]

Congrats on the 4 days.  You are doing great.  Stay positive and keep going forward.  sara

[avisg]

Day 4 on tram really tends to be the turning point it was for me too .It was my first night of sleep .Things will be get better from this point on ..... you can do this I have been tram free for almost 11 months you can do it to .

[dammitol]

One last update for all the lovely people on this tremendous resource on the web. I'm officially over the hump. It's all coasting from here. You guys were great and I probably wouldn't have made it without you all. I really mean that and I'm really grateful.

For any rookies on Tramadol / Ultram, yes, it can be done. The 4th day was the turning point during withdrawals for me where I knew I could do it. I don't know how to solve a lot of things, but one thing I do know pretty well after nearly 1/2 a century on this planet is myself and I know I will never fall into these or other opiates/narcotics.

Started using when I was 13, pot was always my drug of choice and the only one that caused me legal problems. That took the longest to get away from and the one I will always have to watch out for. However, when my pot supply was broken, I would fall into heavy habits including, but not limited to ETOH (alcohol), cocaine, crack cocaine, xanax, percocet, morphine, valium, LSD, THC, hash oil, actifed, DM cough syrup, amphetimine, heroin, methadone and others.

Tramadol, believe it or not, was the hands-down worst kick I've ever done. Going back to knowing myself intimately, I know when I'm over a drug when I stop while I have access, and don't ever touch it or reminisce about it or it is available to me again. I somehow develop an aversion to it, just like in "A Clockwork Orange", where it makes me physically ill just thinking, talking about or seeing it. It is the opposite of being during (that didn't seem to parse too well?) an addiction when the smell, taste and feel of a drug brings intense pleasure. I know I'm done when even years later, I'll be offered something out of the blue such as when one of my childhood buddies (who recently died, actually) showed up with one of those giant ziploc bags stuffed with hospital percocet blister packs- hundreds of percs- handed it to me, and I just laughed and told him I didn't eff around with them anymore. This was some 5 years after I'd kicked them. It was actually touching in a way because my friend didn't take them, but he remembered I used to and brought them as a gift for me. Gus, was his name, was a hard-core coke shooter and it finally killed him a couple of years ago. But, I digress.

Anyway, I didn't need proof, but as an example today, I went to my pharmacy to get my regular B P pills and today my Trammy script was re-upped, 180 pills, waiting for me and I didn't, not even for a split second, consider getting them. The girl at the counter brought them out with my other pills and told her, "I don't need this one,  I'm still good" and pushed 'em back. I walked out of teh phramacy and the sunshine hit my face and small breeze swept across my face and I felt good. I will never put my life in the hands of those horrid little pills again. Not knowing what I know and having been through what I've been.

Thanks again to everyone from the bottom of my heart and good luck to all those still suffering from Tramadol dependency. It can be done.

[worried878]

Congrats to u...sounds like u decided to get it done and u did...aftercare is so important but u probably know that...glad u feel so positive

[dammitol]

Thanks for caring about others and continued success to you.

[seekingbetterdays]

I enjoyed your honest writings about your experiences.  I'm Day 16 tram w/d and making it -- but suffering as you well know.  I turned the corner on Day 5 and my body did, like yours, did a "Clockwork Orange" aversion to it thankfully. However, the demon drug still has it's way with me at least some all days.  I'm in control, but the devel still "has me by the sleeve" as the saying goes.

I read with special interest your accounting how difficult it is to kick Tramadal compared to other drugs.  I have no other drugs to compare, so enjoyed learning. I is the toughest thing I've ever done and have a half-century of living under my belt as well.

Good luck to you.  I visit this blog twice daily as therapy for me and it has been a great help.  (EmilyPost's blog was the one that fianlly moved me 16 days ago from just being an observer and into the acction.)

One again ... thanks for keeping it real -- and honest.  It helps others like me.

[Bob641]

Congrats in your decision, and your willpower. As you already know I'm struggling w/ the Xanax and will take some time. I use also Vicodin and Tramadol, but it has been for a period of a couple of months only and I have ran out of Vicodin and had no W/D effects. The Tramadold I have been using it for the same amount of time as the Vicodine or a couple of months more, but onl once or twice daly and I didn't knew it was a synthetic opiate and addictive, I cut those two cold turkey when I started last week with my plan for Xanax . I expect them not to be a big deal, God willing.
Keep strong and good luck.
Bob

[dammitol]

My main computer blew its hardrive, so I can't post as often as I'd like, but I wanted to let everyone know that I'm still holding steady. 9 days now and just got my first night of natural sleep, energy has returned pretty much back to normal. My head is a little foggy and I'm still hyper-emotional, but not as bad as last week where I would become weepy at the drop of a hat.  

Oh, also wanted to mention that Tramadol was making me extremely photosensitive to sunlight. I thought I had SLE (the disease "Lupus") for a couple of reasons, one of which was new, extremely easy burning from the sun. I felt like I was being burnt alive just walking in the sunlight from my door to my car. Anyway, that's gone now that the Tramadol is being flushed from my system. I'm back to being a normal Dago who turns olive brown in the summmer and never burns. Other tests and a new rheumatologist about 99% ascertain that I don't have the disease.

I'll know for sure when all the tests come back. Good luck, everyone.

[dammitol]

Thanks, Bob. As you can see from my previous post, my computer is hosed and that's why I haven't been online.

I wish you ever-increasing resolve and success in your current fight against these hideously addictive drugs.