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1647482 tn?1301333972

Tramadol withdrawal

I was prescribed tramadol 9 months ago. My dr messed up my tubes being ties and i had a few surgeries,part of my stomach cut out and was hooked to a wound vac for a couple of months. All of this was very painful but i told my dr I did not want to take pain pills because I was terrified of becoming addicted because I knew I would have lots of pain over a long period.  he told me that tramadol was not addictive so I should take that.  It is I discovered very addictive.  I do not want to take this anymore. I quit cold turkey 2 days ago.  I can not stop throwing up.  I have the shakes,can not sleep and anxiety too. However, it is extremely hard to take care of my 9 monthold daughter while constantly throwing up. Does anyone have any advice? I do not know if this matters but I have not told my husband any of this. He thinks I have the flu and he works all the time so he is unable to help much
30 Responses
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1416133 tn?1351123217
WHEW is all I can say to that!  :)
Helpful - 0
229538 tn?1300377767
Mother of God I fell like I dodged a major bullet ! My doctor almost had me convinced this was a good drug alternative to Vicodin or percs.  I had a script and did not feel it .. Stay strong  Cjjg we are here and with you ..Jimmy
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1416133 tn?1351123217
That is a GREAT first step - opening up about this to your best friend and most importantly, to your husband.  A definite and really great start.  I think you're going to be surprised when you find out just how much the people in your life love you and how they are going to want to be there for you if you need them to be.  :)
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Avatar universal
Sorry I posted that last post on the wrong thread. I apologize.
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Avatar universal
Go read the thread titled tramadol withdrawal. A few posts down from yours. Don't take anymore. It sounds like a nightmare. Hopefully it won't set ya back. I think you'll be ok. Try not to stress it too much, but get everything out of your house. U don't need any temptations right now. Keep fighting..
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1598904 tn?1300645501
ohohoh-my friend tramadol.
hah.
not likely.
that certainly played a part in my descent. that along with xanax. luckily i figured the xanax wasn't going to do me any favours, especially if i abused it as much as i was inclined too. so, that i stopped. tramadol, well, that was being prescribed for a genuine long-term pain issue and afaik was not going to dump me in too much trouble.
lesson learned.

as for you, i admire your courage and your spirit. i have no doubt that you will battle through this and come out the other side, clean and happy. it might take a little while, but you will definitely get there.

muchos respect to you and very much hope your wds ease up soonly.
Helpful - 0
1647482 tn?1301333972
This is going to sound silly but I made myself play with my daghter for a little bit and it helped in a huge way.  Still feel like complete and utter crap but her huge smile when I was playing with her helped my mood alot and reminded me why I am doing this.

Also...I called my dr and made an appt ....called my best friend and asked her to come over tommorow so I could tell her some things....last but certainly not least...I called my husband and asked him to get home at a decent hour today cause we needed to talk about some things.

I am absolutely terrified of teeling these people but I can not do this alone.  It is not good for my children to be ignored and I need help right now.

Wish me luck cause I am so scared he will look at me differently and as corny as it sounds he is truly the love of my life

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1416133 tn?1351123217
Okay - BOY do I know what you're going through.  Tramadol was my DOC for 6/7 (not sure because tramadol STOLE my memory) years and in my opinion, the WORST pain killer out there - it's not only a synthetic opiate, but also contains the chemical components of an anti-depressant which is why the withdrawal is SO horrible.  But I will tell you that if you haven't taken it for a couple of days I do NOT recommend going back on to do a taper.  There are reported cases of seizure but from what I understand, that was ONLY when you've taken high doses, or stopped and started again on a high dose.  I have not read any reported cases of seizure after you've stopped.

Okay as far as what you can do to help you through this - firstly, I started taking the vitamins/supplements and they helped SO much.  This included a daily multi-vitamin, fish oil tablets (three times a day) b12 (for energy) twice a day, morning and noon, and St. John's wort (300 mg tablets three times a day).  The St. John's I am convinced kept me from getting the depression that happens to so many of us.  It helps to regulate those serotonin levels in your brain as you're going through recovery as the tramadol REALLY MESSES with those levels.

Also, I began taking valerian root for anxiety - not a lot, only when that got really bad.  And for sleep - HOT HOT showers, and melatonin.  It helps to keep a lot of comfy clean clothes on hand as you may end up experiencing the night sweats (which were horrible for me) so it helped my mindset to have clean comfortable clothes to change into.  Also clean linens on the bed also helped my mood.  But I can NOT stress the help I received from those hot showers and I would also use epsom salts (as a kind of "scrub") in the shower as the magnesium from the epsom salts helps draw out toxins through your skin (your largest organ) thereby helping you to eliminate the awful tramadol toxins stored in your body.  And the added benefit to the hot showers is that it helps alleviate your anxiety - allows you to kind of "breathe" for a little bit.  There were times that I took THREE showers during the night to help with those awful feelings, and they helped SO much I can't stress that enough.

And the other things that helped were staying hydrated - although I had trouble, early on, drinking water (it made me nauseous) so I would drink orange or apple juice with a "b boost" drink added to it for the extra vitamins/nutrients.  And that helped to settle my stomach, along with small glasses of ginger ale or gatorade.  And my appetite was pretty bad after I quit, so I basically lived on saltines, soup and yogurt.  And bananas were good during this time too and also has the added benefit from the potassium it offers which will help with the rls (restless legs syndrome) - not sure if this has occured for you yet, but if it does, the bananas help a lot with that.  I would eat toast and tea at night, along with some peanut butter on the toast, and a banana.  The peanut butter helps promote sleep and the bananas kept the RLS at bay.  At least it did for me.

And lastly - keep posting!!!  Or reading - there's a journal on this web site about Emily's journey when getting off tramadol that was HUGE in my recovery.  I could relate to everything she wrote and all of the information I found on her journal was so so helpful to me.  I learned so much about this poison (tramadol) and what to expect along the way, and found that knowledge to be HUGE for me during recovery - maybe that might help you as well?  And the bonus there is it gave me something to read on those nights when I wasn't sleeping - let me know if you want to check it out and I'll lead you there.

Oh and finally - STAY POSITIVE - or at least, as positive as you can.  Getting off this drug was the BEST decision of my life - I am over 8 months clean now so it CAN be done - I am proof of that as are many other members here are as well.  I can not tell you how angry it makes me that Dr.'s are still touting this drug as non-addictive or non-narcotic.  That is SIMPLY NOT THE CASE.  I too had various surgical procedures over the years and NEVER had a problem getting off of the standard opiates (vicodin, percocet, whatever) like I did with the tramadol and I KNOW it was the anti-depressant in that drug that made withdrawal so horrible.  But keep the faith here cjjg1234 this CAN be done.  Feel free to pm me if you'd like and I'd be happy to share my experiences with you.

I'll be rooting for you all the way - YOU CAN DO THIS!!  :)
Helpful - 0
1647482 tn?1301333972
i know i can not stay on drugs the rest of my life and i really do not want to

i keep looking at my daughter who is playing by herself on the floor and i feel so guilty for doing this to my family

not only that but this pain is so much worse than anything i have ever done brfore
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Avatar universal
You'll only feel better for a very short amount of time then your right back in it. Your too close to break down. It ***** but just stick it out. Look at what that stuff has done to you. Get angry at the meds. Don't let them ruin your life. Kick their ***. They are trying to wreck you, u know that. It's the biggest fight in your life and u and your family is on the line. You can win! Tough it out.
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Avatar universal
Don't do it...You'll feel even worse!!
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1647482 tn?1301333972
I do not know if I can do his.  I am just sitting here crying and my whole body hurt.

I feel like  failure as aperson and a mother right now.  Thus is too hard.  

All I can think about is taking a pill to feel better.  
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1647482 tn?1301333972
That was a complete bust. Halfway to the park I started shaking all over and felt like I was going to pass out. It scared me to death. I have decided to call my dr for help. I can not risk passing out or getting real sick while I am alone with a baby.

I feel so awful and so stupid for getting in this mess in the first place
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1647482 tn?1301333972
I hear the baby stirring.  I am going to tryand get dressed and take a walk to the park. Maybe some exercise would help.

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Avatar universal
Don't worry about the rest of your life right now!  You need to get through THIS!

You'll be fine,you just aren't going to feel great for a little while.  I have not been addicted to Tram personally but I know a bit about it. It's dangerous in high doses;like 20-30 tabs per day. It's hard to quit but you'll get better...go easy on yourself. Call your doctor and talk with him/her about this. There are meds that can be prescribed that are non addicting and will help you to feel more comfortable.  You really need to let your doctor know about this...

As far as pain management in the future...you can take pain med on a controlled basis. Someone can hand them out to you. I don't recommend ever taking Tram again. It's very incidious and people who take it tend to really love it. My Mom takes it and it makes me nuts that she does...she has chronic pain but...I think she takes too much...

Anyway,hang on and keep posting. Try to stay "in the moment" and take each thing as it comes,each day as it comes...  You'll get a lot of support here.
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1647482 tn?1301333972
Hi Jimmy

I never took Vicodin but they gave me alot of other really strong pain killers in the hospital that made me very high.

Tramadol does not really make you high it just gives you a sense of feeling good I guess is the best way to put it.  Nothing bothers you.  But it is addictive as I have learned so please be aware of that
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
There may be things you can take that will be beneficial. Just get through this detox and then move on and see what's out there. Get a pain doc that understands your situation. There are good docs out there that only want to help. It's so early in your detox. Try not to think too far ahead. I've heard alot about people that after they get off the meds eventually there pain gets better. Ya never know. I hope the best for ya..
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229538 tn?1300377767

Hey guys ! Set me straight on Tramadol please ! My doctor wanted to prescribe me this telling me that this is not an opiate that would do anything to me like Vicodin . From what I have been reading I am inclined to believe that's not the case . He said it does not get you high like a regular opiate based pain killer . Thanks .Jimmy
Helpful - 0
271792 tn?1334979657
Taper=gradual decrease. But you already stopped and in order to taper you would have to begin taking them again. I am not going to be the one to suggest that.

I think you really need to speak with your doctor if you thinking of going that route. And please know that you will jump off at some point if you decide to taper. Also know that tapering is tricky business and as you begin decreasing your dose, you will begin feeling withdrawal. It is like ripping the band-aid off slow or fast--you decide.

Like I said, it seems you are out of the danger zone so think long and hard about going back on them to do the taper. We will support you not matter what you decide.
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1647482 tn?1301333972
I guess if this is going to help[ I have to be completely honest. They were never able to completely repair all the damage they did so I will always have pain.  

I am very scared of that. I have never been addicted to anything before but after this experience I never want to take anything again.  I guess what I am trying to say is that I am scared of living with this pain for the rest of my life and knowing I will never be able to take anything to relieve it.
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1580085 tn?1400940838
you will be able to quit still, i am like baker3336, you have been off 2 days, i hope it goes ok for you, god bless
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Avatar universal
I'm not too familiar with tram but if without it for 2 days already maybe the danger zone is over. I don't know.. It probably would be a good idea to talk to a dr. It just seems like it would hard to be 2 days off and then take it again. But like I said I'm not sure how tram compares to my DOC, norcos. Seems like it is more dangerous to quit CT. Good luck.
Helpful - 0
1647482 tn?1301333972
Thank you so much for all of your replies,advice, and support. as wierd as it sounds reading all of this has helped. I think I will gather up the courage to talk to my husband. I guess I am just scared cause it has always been me that everyone turns to in the family. I have always had to be the strong one and I have never had to deal with anything lik this.

I did look online and the stuff I am reading scare me to death.  My daughter is down for her nap right now so I figured a good time to look for support and advice.

If I a taper off does it mean that I am never going to be able to quit?

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1580085 tn?1400940838
hi, the thing is you shouldnt go cold turkey from tramadol, its best to taper, i think that is why your symptoms are so bad. but you have started ,and done 2 days ,there are things that can help you, could you ask your dr. for a taper plan?  if not there are some things that can help , drink plenty of fluids such as gatorade, get some valerian root, and melatonin to relax you , calcium and magnesium supplements help , take hot baths, and get some imodium for any stomache cramps etc, there is the thomas recipe on the health page, top right hand corner , lots of stuff to help in that, i really wish you well, its a very hard thing your doing, its awful your dr. thinks they arent addictive, so perhaps he wont help with a taper plan , keep posting, and god bless
Helpful - 0
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