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Tramadol, Tramadol/Cymbalta, Tramadol/Effexor, Tramadol......HELP?
lower back & right leg pain NOT very consistent 2001 after 2nd pregnancy.
lower back & right leg pain VERY consistent 2006 after 3rd pregnancy.
2007 the start of wanting to chop my right leg off every night from the constant pain.
2008 dr prescribed me every pain med to try what helps. Tramadol 50mg 1/3xs a day was the winner!
later that same year got in 2 car accidents. 1st one was horrible. hit from behind on the highway, spun around, & flipped over a couple of times. was lucky to be alive.
I was very traumatized from accident. my dr wanted me on Cymbalta. at that time tho, couldnt be on both Tramadol and Cymbalta. so stopped Tramadol & tried just the Cymbalta.
only lasted a couple days. got very bad anxiety. as well as the sweats then the chills. I begged my husband to give me my Tramadol. he said he couldn't cause dr said cant combine. I cried & begged more. he gave in & I stopped the Cymbalta.
looking back now, I realize that was actually my 1st sign of addiction to Tramadol. but didn't see it or maybe just didn't want to either.
anyways, from there after accident started also having right hip pain on top of lower back & right leg pain. I ended up taking more. I was at 6 pills a day. 2 in morning, 2 in afternoon, 2 @ night. dr also had me doing trial n error. anywhere from physical therapy, tens unit, cortisone shot, joint injections, you name it. nothing seemed to work. not even the Tramadol felt like it was working. but if I skipped a day, I was more miserable too. so I thought well, I guess it does work. really it was just taking the edge off. this went on for years. & I was still on Tramadol 6 pills a day.
2010 had surgery on my right hip & a very bad separation w my marriage.
2011 the surgery did not help me & still going thru bad separation.
2012 still separated. got very depressed. Feb 2012 dr put me on Cymbalta again. this time I was able to take w my Tramadol. (according to my dr) started on 30mg Cymbalta. then 60mg. ended up 120mg a day. on top of 6 Tramadol. felt ok as long as had my pills.
BUT! had a major weight gain. gained 30lbs within months. (at this time tho I didn't put it together that it was the Cymbalta)
I've always been small framed forever. I was 5"6' / 120lbs. once started the Cymbalta I gained 30lbs. my eating habits were the same as always. as a matter of fact, always in the past whether I was depressed or going thru a break up or anything I always lost weight!
so of course, I got even more depressed because now I'm fat.
Jan 2013 a year later from being on 120mg Cymbalta on top of still being on 300mg Tramadol, my dr decides to instantly take me off of Cymbalta & switch me to Effexor!
now I'm on Effexor, 1 pill in morning & 1 @ night. & still on Tramadol.
I've tried many many many times to get off of Tramadol. ESP since I've been on it for 5 years now. & I know need to. but I cant. I would rather die coz that's how awful it is for me w the withdrawals!
I also have not been able to lose the god awful weight I gained either!!!!
earlier this week for reason I started to realize that I started this horrible weight gain that is impossible for me to lose when I started the Cymbalta over a year ago. so I googled & came across this site. I noticed that not only the Cymbalta but the Effexor I am on now is more likely the reason for my ugly weight gain. plus! because of the weight gain I hate myself. I'm disgusted w myself. I can't even look @ myself. none of my clothes fit me. I don't want to go anywhere or see anyone. etc. etc. blah blah blah & so on.
SO! I'm on my 4th day w no Effexor & only 4 Tramadol a day. I'm going thru hell but trying my hardest to stay off of it. I will!! & I best lose the weight.
I don't want to be addictive to Tramadol anymore either. it takes over my life. the thing is that I still have the pains in all the same places of my body I did over 10 years ago!
I want to wean off the Tramadol but I don't know if I can. right now, these past days I've been in more pain, headaches, nausea, tired, & very horrifying nightmares!
I'm sticking to totally being off the Effexor for sure! I just don't know if I can get myself to get off the Tramadol completely w out killing myself. but then again aren't I already doing that too??..........,,
lower back & right leg pain VERY consistent 2006 after 3rd pregnancy.
2007 the start of wanting to chop my right leg off every night from the constant pain.
2008 dr prescribed me every pain med to try what helps. Tramadol 50mg 1/3xs a day was the winner!
later that same year got in 2 car accidents. 1st one was horrible. hit from behind on the highway, spun around, & flipped over a couple of times. was lucky to be alive.
I was very traumatized from accident. my dr wanted me on Cymbalta. at that time tho, couldnt be on both Tramadol and Cymbalta. so stopped Tramadol & tried just the Cymbalta.
only lasted a couple days. got very bad anxiety. as well as the sweats then the chills. I begged my husband to give me my Tramadol. he said he couldn't cause dr said cant combine. I cried & begged more. he gave in & I stopped the Cymbalta.
looking back now, I realize that was actually my 1st sign of addiction to Tramadol. but didn't see it or maybe just didn't want to either.
anyways, from there after accident started also having right hip pain on top of lower back & right leg pain. I ended up taking more. I was at 6 pills a day. 2 in morning, 2 in afternoon, 2 @ night. dr also had me doing trial n error. anywhere from physical therapy, tens unit, cortisone shot, joint injections, you name it. nothing seemed to work. not even the Tramadol felt like it was working. but if I skipped a day, I was more miserable too. so I thought well, I guess it does work. really it was just taking the edge off. this went on for years. & I was still on Tramadol 6 pills a day.
2010 had surgery on my right hip & a very bad separation w my marriage.
2011 the surgery did not help me & still going thru bad separation.
2012 still separated. got very depressed. Feb 2012 dr put me on Cymbalta again. this time I was able to take w my Tramadol. (according to my dr) started on 30mg Cymbalta. then 60mg. ended up 120mg a day. on top of 6 Tramadol. felt ok as long as had my pills.
BUT! had a major weight gain. gained 30lbs within months. (at this time tho I didn't put it together that it was the Cymbalta)
I've always been small framed forever. I was 5"6' / 120lbs. once started the Cymbalta I gained 30lbs. my eating habits were the same as always. as a matter of fact, always in the past whether I was depressed or going thru a break up or anything I always lost weight!
so of course, I got even more depressed because now I'm fat.
Jan 2013 a year later from being on 120mg Cymbalta on top of still being on 300mg Tramadol, my dr decides to instantly take me off of Cymbalta & switch me to Effexor!
now I'm on Effexor, 1 pill in morning & 1 @ night. & still on Tramadol.
I've tried many many many times to get off of Tramadol. ESP since I've been on it for 5 years now. & I know need to. but I cant. I would rather die coz that's how awful it is for me w the withdrawals!
I also have not been able to lose the god awful weight I gained either!!!!
earlier this week for reason I started to realize that I started this horrible weight gain that is impossible for me to lose when I started the Cymbalta over a year ago. so I googled & came across this site. I noticed that not only the Cymbalta but the Effexor I am on now is more likely the reason for my ugly weight gain. plus! because of the weight gain I hate myself. I'm disgusted w myself. I can't even look @ myself. none of my clothes fit me. I don't want to go anywhere or see anyone. etc. etc. blah blah blah & so on.
SO! I'm on my 4th day w no Effexor & only 4 Tramadol a day. I'm going thru hell but trying my hardest to stay off of it. I will!! & I best lose the weight.
I don't want to be addictive to Tramadol anymore either. it takes over my life. the thing is that I still have the pains in all the same places of my body I did over 10 years ago!
I want to wean off the Tramadol but I don't know if I can. right now, these past days I've been in more pain, headaches, nausea, tired, & very horrifying nightmares!
I'm sticking to totally being off the Effexor for sure! I just don't know if I can get myself to get off the Tramadol completely w out killing myself. but then again aren't I already doing that too??..........,,
I do understand your frustration and the feeling of just wanting to be OFF everything. It sounds like you really do have legit pain and not being able to get it diagnosed just stinks.
It is really encouraging to hear what overopiates says. Would staying with the Effexor and getting off the tramadol instead be something you would consider or be able to do? I have heard positive things about Effexor as opposed to other AD's. I believe it is also similar to the tramadol as far as the anti-depressant and how it works. You would just need to then find a way to address your pain issues. Tramadol never really did much for my pain per se; all it did was build tolerance which caused me to more or less be immune to even the really "heavy" stuff when I needed it with my neck surgery last summer. I was on MASSIVE amounts of opiates and still felt every single movement for days after my surgery. This is way I will always suggest to anyone using tramadol to proceed with caution. It builds tolerance SO fast; and for me, rendered the stronger stuff basically useless. But again I used for 15 years at very high doses. Just don't want to see you go down that path.
Best thing IMO is to talk to your doctor about all of this. You deserve to be happy and feel good about yourself. Keep checking back with your post, hopefully more people will come along with some more support and suggestions. Hang in there!
It is really encouraging to hear what overopiates says. Would staying with the Effexor and getting off the tramadol instead be something you would consider or be able to do? I have heard positive things about Effexor as opposed to other AD's. I believe it is also similar to the tramadol as far as the anti-depressant and how it works. You would just need to then find a way to address your pain issues. Tramadol never really did much for my pain per se; all it did was build tolerance which caused me to more or less be immune to even the really "heavy" stuff when I needed it with my neck surgery last summer. I was on MASSIVE amounts of opiates and still felt every single movement for days after my surgery. This is way I will always suggest to anyone using tramadol to proceed with caution. It builds tolerance SO fast; and for me, rendered the stronger stuff basically useless. But again I used for 15 years at very high doses. Just don't want to see you go down that path.
Best thing IMO is to talk to your doctor about all of this. You deserve to be happy and feel good about yourself. Keep checking back with your post, hopefully more people will come along with some more support and suggestions. Hang in there!
I wish I could say Im surprised ur dr would prescribe them together but there was a time when my doctor prescribed those meds together and lortab(xanax soma too).I will say I was on cymbalta a while amd gained weight(about the same as you).Stayed on it a while then switched to effexor.Took about30days to start losing the wieght and it was all gone by about90days.That is simply the worst side effect.Effexor works better for me too.
I forgot to mention too.
when this first all began I started to think that maybe all the pain I was experiencing was in my head. ESP since they couldn't find exactly what was really causing it. I just wanted answers. wanted results. I would even tell the drs that I didn't want to just be on meds for the rest of my life.
I really think that some drs believe it is in my head too.
it's just not fair!!!! I just want to be normal. is that wrong? is that too much to ask............
when this first all began I started to think that maybe all the pain I was experiencing was in my head. ESP since they couldn't find exactly what was really causing it. I just wanted answers. wanted results. I would even tell the drs that I didn't want to just be on meds for the rest of my life.
I really think that some drs believe it is in my head too.
it's just not fair!!!! I just want to be normal. is that wrong? is that too much to ask............
hello! & thank you very much for the replay!! really!!!
I'm still dealing w the same pain I have been for over ten years. my lower back pain. which shoots down my right leg all the way to my toes. every night I still want to chop saw cut whatever it takes to remove my right leg. also my right hip just aches. the pain I experience all together goes from achy, sharp, numb, tingling, dull, & back to achy sharp all the above.
some days r more severe than the next. nothing I do or don't do makes it worse or better. but! every night I deal w it.
before I was put on any kind of meds I was taking Motrin like it was candy. & @ night it was any kind of PMs......Aleve Tylonel Advil. whatever I could just to get a nights sleep & wake up w a right leg still attached to my body.
I'm a very addictive person. so of course when put on pain meds it went from there.
I really want to be free from all meds. any meds. I want control of my life. tired of the meds controlling.
being an addictive person, I want to be addictive to handling my pain myself.
does that make sense?
I've been passed to dr to dr trying to figure it all out as far as my pain. the X-rays the MRIs they don't see exactly what I'm feeling for pain. @ the beginning the one & only thing they did see was herniated disc L4 L5. but! they didnt see any pinched nerves. & till this day they still don't. the surgery I had on my right hip in 2010 was to release pressure from my sciatica. well that didn't help but made things worse. I'm frustrated.
I know I want off everything including & ESP the tram. as well as not going back to the Motrin & PMs.
I'm weak & I'm depressed. I feel like I'm all boohoo me too. & I that frustrates me more.
another thing.......I'm on day 5 off the Effexor. longest I've ever gone when it comes to any kind of meds. ESP the tram. the thing is
arent the more days u go, the better??? coz I feel like I'm getting worse.
today I feel very aggravated. very angry. @ just anything. I'm snapping @ my kids for no reason. I'm flustered.
when does that stop????!!!!
thanks!
I'm still dealing w the same pain I have been for over ten years. my lower back pain. which shoots down my right leg all the way to my toes. every night I still want to chop saw cut whatever it takes to remove my right leg. also my right hip just aches. the pain I experience all together goes from achy, sharp, numb, tingling, dull, & back to achy sharp all the above.
some days r more severe than the next. nothing I do or don't do makes it worse or better. but! every night I deal w it.
before I was put on any kind of meds I was taking Motrin like it was candy. & @ night it was any kind of PMs......Aleve Tylonel Advil. whatever I could just to get a nights sleep & wake up w a right leg still attached to my body.
I'm a very addictive person. so of course when put on pain meds it went from there.
I really want to be free from all meds. any meds. I want control of my life. tired of the meds controlling.
being an addictive person, I want to be addictive to handling my pain myself.
does that make sense?
I've been passed to dr to dr trying to figure it all out as far as my pain. the X-rays the MRIs they don't see exactly what I'm feeling for pain. @ the beginning the one & only thing they did see was herniated disc L4 L5. but! they didnt see any pinched nerves. & till this day they still don't. the surgery I had on my right hip in 2010 was to release pressure from my sciatica. well that didn't help but made things worse. I'm frustrated.
I know I want off everything including & ESP the tram. as well as not going back to the Motrin & PMs.
I'm weak & I'm depressed. I feel like I'm all boohoo me too. & I that frustrates me more.
another thing.......I'm on day 5 off the Effexor. longest I've ever gone when it comes to any kind of meds. ESP the tram. the thing is
arent the more days u go, the better??? coz I feel like I'm getting worse.
today I feel very aggravated. very angry. @ just anything. I'm snapping @ my kids for no reason. I'm flustered.
when does that stop????!!!!
thanks!
No it is fine..Some times in the morning or day people are at work..They come in after work or on the weekends..Some float in and out during the day like me..I PM a few about this..They will be here..Do not give up..A PM Means Private Mail..What is the question you have some concern with..I have used alot of things since I was 14..off and on..Until the opiates and methadone got me hooked real bad..I am into my 7 month..Maybe I can answer something..OK
vickie
vickie
Hi and welcome. I am so glad you found this site! Wow, you have been through a lot. I have taken all 3 of these meds myself and can completely relate to how you are feeling. As far as the AD's (Cymbalta and Effexor), I am really surprised that your doctor had you taking either one of these along with the Tramadol at the same time. Tramadol has anti-depressant properties itself; that work in your brain the same way the Cymbalta and Effexor do. Of these 3 meds, Tramadol was my drug of choice, and I battled with addiction to this med for 15 years.
I was prescribed the Cymbalta about 5 years ago after the death of my Dad, and took it for about 2 months at the 120mg dose. I was actually off the Tramadol (one of the brief sober times in my 15 year "affair"). I hated the Cymbalta - just too many side affects. So I stopped it and ofcorse started back on the trams. About 2 -3 years ago I was starting to get really bad hot flashes and other symptoms I (assumed) were female related. My doctor prescribed Effexor for hot flashes (he did not know I was taking the tram prescribed by by neuro pain doctor). I did take it but only for a about a week (maybe less). I did some research on it and found out about the risk factor mixing it w/tram and also that it was a hard med to stop once you have been on.
I too have experience the weight gain problem. But it cant be due to the 2 AD's because I just was not on them long enough. I actually think the Tramadol has something to do with it - but I took it for a LONG time at doses MUCH higher than what you are on. I think it would be a good idea for you get off the tram; because as you have already experienced, it will cause dependency and when you are suddenly without it you will have w/d symptoms. So I guess first my question to you is - what kind of pain are you dealing with now? Is it severe every day? Do you take other meds for pain? In general what is the most problematic symptom you have right now? And please - don't be down on yourself; you did NOT choose for any of this to happen. You can get free of the tramadol if that is what you want to do, and you will be supported here all through the process.
julie
I was prescribed the Cymbalta about 5 years ago after the death of my Dad, and took it for about 2 months at the 120mg dose. I was actually off the Tramadol (one of the brief sober times in my 15 year "affair"). I hated the Cymbalta - just too many side affects. So I stopped it and ofcorse started back on the trams. About 2 -3 years ago I was starting to get really bad hot flashes and other symptoms I (assumed) were female related. My doctor prescribed Effexor for hot flashes (he did not know I was taking the tram prescribed by by neuro pain doctor). I did take it but only for a about a week (maybe less). I did some research on it and found out about the risk factor mixing it w/tram and also that it was a hard med to stop once you have been on.
I too have experience the weight gain problem. But it cant be due to the 2 AD's because I just was not on them long enough. I actually think the Tramadol has something to do with it - but I took it for a LONG time at doses MUCH higher than what you are on. I think it would be a good idea for you get off the tram; because as you have already experienced, it will cause dependency and when you are suddenly without it you will have w/d symptoms. So I guess first my question to you is - what kind of pain are you dealing with now? Is it severe every day? Do you take other meds for pain? In general what is the most problematic symptom you have right now? And please - don't be down on yourself; you did NOT choose for any of this to happen. You can get free of the tramadol if that is what you want to do, and you will be supported here all through the process.
julie
thank you for your reply! I keep checking back on this to see & I think I was too much. I just want answers or commons or anything something!! I was literally gonna give up on this site. erase & be done. thank you!!!!!!!
Good morning and Welcome..I was on completely different meds so I am going to Bump this up front..Just keep checking your post..They come rolling in and out..We have alot of experienced people here that used the trams and the other meds you are on...Ok..It is slow right now..
vickie
vickie
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