I reread my message...If you are taking a high dose of tramadol (I was taking 18-20 50mg a day) it is NOT easy to quit cold turkey. You need to taper this down because there is a double whammy from loosing the opiate effect and stopping an anti depressant that MUST be tapered. If you are only taking a few pills a day then cold turkey is probably okay.
On the dose I have been on there is no way I could have functioned at work this week. The first two days every 10 minutes to the toilet, then absolutely no sleep. I did sleep okay on day 3, and felt better on day four. Then when I got out of bed my knees killed me and on top of that that night the restlessness took hold in a major way. Being single, it has been beneficial for me (and my folks) to live with them. They are still in the house we grew up in and they love it. They cannot take care of it so I help them. They know I am an addict but if they knew I'd relapsed for a year it would kill my mother especially. At 80, I don't want to complicate their lives. I've been sharing with my brother and sis-in-law. My folks think I have a stomach flu, but if I can't get back in the saddle and take care of things around here and at our lake house they will know something worse is going on.
I'm a church musician. I took last week off sick. I have to work Sunday, then I have a two-week annual vacation. This is a good time for me and by the time work kicks in it will be almost a month. I really want to do this right and no more relapses. I stopped almost a month once, then a short time over a year or so ago, so this makes the 3rd time for me. I know all the drills. I just need to decide about NA. I've been to meetings, and because I work in church it feels like work. NA is a lot like church! But I do believe in the program. I know it is supposed to be anonymous but in this small town....Both my bosses know I have had problems. Again Good LUCK!
Sir, you are doing well. I do have chronic pain, as I worked hard labor jobs while in college, but then again, what 51 year old doesn't have pain?
Unlike you, I discovered pills for recreation. Tramadol is available online with a "false" prescription, and when I could not get a regular pain pill, I supplemented with those.
However, I was solely on Tramadol for about a year and it is in a special class by itself. It acts like an opiate, but it also has a built-in anti-depressant and it is very easy to stop cold turkey from a high dose. At this last go-round 90 pills lasted almost a week, and this was just to feel normal. No buzz or energy boost. It needs to be tapered and thankfully you have a doctor to work with. As others tell you, chronic pain symptoms can actually moderate when controlled by something other than an opiate or opioid like tramadol. My knees have been killing me since I quit last Sunday. I left the house on errands last week and I could hardly walk. I came home took some ibuprofen and had an immediate improvement.
Today I am 5 days clean and while I am still detoxing, I almost feel like myself. It is a good feeling. Bad days will come, but they also go.
Whatever path you take, I wish you well in your work with your partner. I lost my beloved of 18 years to sudden illness back in 2006 and I still miss him every day. Best of luck. Oh...if you are religious, as am I, don't neglect to ask your god for help and strength, and in the same breath thank him. It helps.
Peace,
Ransome
Have you tried the Hyland's Restless Leg tablets? They are available @ drugstores & are homeopathic. They really work for restless leg pain. Also, Hyland's makes a tablet called, Calm Forte, which helps you to rest @ night. Melatonin is also a great sleep inducer. Good Luck!
Hey Friend,
You are doing great, hang in there. You need to cut your sources tot he Tramadol. Tell your doc not to give it to you. If it is calling to you now, it will call to you again, and next time you may not be so strong.
Keep up the great work! Drink Ensure when you can't eat. I lived on it for a while. Take vitamins and stay hydrated. Push through it, you are doing great.
hugs,
Lily
Congrats on another clean day! I am at 12 for my Oxy w/d. I spent a good part of yesterday cleaning our carpet with a machine to keep busy- I am home for detox. I way overdid it and went to bed with sore muscles and back. So I had RLS all night. Gave me a laugh this morning untangling the sheets to make t he bed.
Hang in there, the physical part gets much easier day by day. For me, what another member recently said about hyper analgesia is true. I thought I was taking the pain meds for pain (and get high of course) when in fact the Oxy was somehow worsening the pain in my back-amplifying it.
Now I am reading and reading these posts to help with the mental part. Sooner or later the chance at more pills will present itself and I know I need to be ready.
Keep up the good work!