Still baffeled over Tramadol/Ultram being Addictive??

[dedicatedtostop]

So I had absolutely no clue that this medicine is addictive. Actually thought the opposite since all the Dr's seem to push this instead of Narcotics, and dont undrstand why they say it is non addictive. I did not know any of this untill I took one a few days ago During WD's for my backpain and everyone said NO!!!! So I am currently taking Ibuprofen 800 for backpain which is hit or miss, somedays it works great some not so great.

So, with that said, if Ultram is not safe to take, it seems there is nothing left to take for legetimate pain other than Ibp or Tylenol. So w the Ultram addiction does this build up over time as with the controlled? I am assuming that it is not an option for me to take on occasion if ibp is not doing the job?? Just mean here and there. Even if taken for a short period, does it still cause addiction and WD's?? I am Baffeled that Dr's push this and do so because it's "safe", and why hasn't the FDA taken over??

Has anyone that has ever struggeled w addiction(Lortab) in my case, ever been able to take this medication for a short period of time w successful results?? Addiction, WD's ect

[ImDONENoMore]

A thank you from me as well - especially since you're a pharmacist, it's very interesting to hear your perspective about this drug.  I still think this stuff is poison, but I find your information very helpful.  Thank you.  :)

[dedicatedtostop]

Thank you very much for the info. I found your post to be extremely helpful on gaining more insight.

[my_mayberry]

in some states, it is a controlled substance. in some, it isn't. lyrica is a controlled substance. you won't find many posts from addicts, though. addiction to it is rare given that its addictive properties are far less than benzo's, barbiturates, and opiates...however, those who've been on it long enough in high enough of a dose risk becomming addicted. actually, on occasion someone does post about them. tramadol seems to be similar....MANY people take it with no problems at all. actually, in the pharmacy i work at, we dispense it more than ibuprofen 800mg or naproxen 500mg. FAR more, actually. of all the people it gets dispensed to, only a very small number get addicted. they still are addicting, though. many posts show it. my theory is when it comes to REAL pain, you work your way up the grapevine. start as light as you can and work your way up and try to avoid the addicting substances as much as possible. tramadol sits kinda right in the middle....and if you really DO need it and it really DOES work, then tell your doctor your concerns and use it with extreme caution, unless you'd rather live with the pain.

many people here deal with chronic pain. its unreasonable to assume we are no longer allowed to treat our pain just because we are addicts. we just have to be EXTREMELY careful about treating it. same goes for surgery pains, etc. tramadol addiction is nasty business, though. it does funky things to serotonin and other stuff in the brain that regular opiates don't do, so going off of it brings a whole host of nasty stuff besides just the usual opiate withdrawal symptoms.

[ImDONENoMore]

You're welcome - :)  keep smiling whenever you can.

[0421]

Thanks you made me smile, that's a good thing!!!

[ImDONENoMore]

And dedicated - I think this is obvious - we all think YOU rock yourself!!  :)

[ImDONENoMore]

Hang in there 0421 - your emotions are going to be all over the place for a while, as I'm sure you know that by now.  What you're doing is hard, but so worth it.  Keep going and stay strong - and in case I don't hear the next one - G-D BLESS YOU!  :)

[dedicatedtostop]

thanks guys.... you rock!!

[0421]

13 day clean,
but don't know why but all I have done all day is cry, at the TV ads, the dog, someone mentioned a manaise sandwhich and I remember my first husband took them to work when we didn't have any meat or cheese or money to buy them. Also noticed someone mentioned sneezing and I thought that was odd guess what I have sneezed all day long. It is strange we all have much of the same wds but all at different times. I like reading all the post and so proud of all who are making it through.

[LeaAnn807]

Good girl!  Looking for a quick fix is dangerous territory for addicts, and I'm so glad you are aware.  Any med that is "new" or is highly touted as "non-habit forming" is something I check very carefully before I take it.  Honestly, now that I am clean, I find that I don't need meds that much.

I hope you find that your pain gets better with your clean time!  I know mine did.  And..........BIG, HUGE congrats on those 7 days!  : )

[ImDONENoMore]

Thatta girl - I knew you had this down.  :)  And most importantly - congrats on the 7 days!!!  :)

[dedicatedtostop]

Thanks all. To clear any confusion, I AM NOT taking this med, and I do not have any. The questions all stemed from a situation that occured the other day, took one had no idea about it's effects as I went by the DR's that I have worked for, saying it is so safe. Needless to say after I posted that I took one and the results I got then... I flushed them. So with all that said, I was just looking for more insight on med, and why Dr's RX it, and say it is so safe. I am on DAY 7 clean and feel pretty good, mornings are a little rough but I make it because I know it passes quickly. I will def try excedrin.... Again I am not looking for a high my no means at all, I really like feeling normal again:)


Thanks all

[LeaAnn807]

I would sooner ingest arsenic than another tramadol!  I have no clue why it is still pushed with all the info out there on it now, but we have to take responsibility on ourselves to learn about our meds before we take them.  Same thing happened to me with Ambien.  It was supposed to be so wonderful for sleep and not habit forming.  That was the most cruel joke I was ever a part of!

Stay far, far away from tramadol if you have had any opiate addiction, especially. It will get you VERY quickly!

Good luck! : )

[ImDONENoMore]

Okay - well as most of you know, I have TONS of experience with this drug and I have to tell you dedicated please find another alternative.  You might not think that one or two here or there will hurt, but if you end up liking the feeling (as so many of us tram victims did) then you've potentially got another addiction on your hands and I know you don't want that.

What about excedrin?  Or aleve?  Both of those work great for me (I have OA) for pain maybe they would help you?  I find the excedrin to work best on really bad pain days - my Dr. told me it was one of the strongest OTC meds out there and he was right.  So I limit my intake of the excedrin and only use it on really, and I mean REALLY bad days.  Maybe it would help you?

And please - to remove all temptation on whether or not to take the tramadol - just get rid of it.  You've come so far and I know you don't want to be stuck starting withdrawal all over again with the awful "tramapoison".  Keep going girl you are doing it!!  Stay strong.  :)

[palmcoast]

My doctor took put me on Tramadol about a year for back pain. I stopped cold turkey. I usually don't have side effects from anything. Not this stuff. I had this constant sensation like a fly buzzing my head, landing, and taking off. I could hear it and feel it but not see it. I felt dizzy and had minor headaches. I called my doctor and she said I had to taper down. It took almost six weeks to feel normal again. I didn't like that. Oxy withdrawal is no fun but this was worse. Don't substitute one drug for another or you could end up addicted on something else.

Once you make up your mind to quit make sure you have enough drug that you have a comfortable cushion. Then one day you take half what you normally take. You might need something to help you sleep but the withdrawals aren't as bad as you think they're going to be. Exercise for me is the key. Running helps a lot. Stay busy to keep your mind off things. Once you make it to day two there's no turning back. Every three days cut your dose in half. It's better to get it over with quickly then to drag it out. Ten days max. No pain no gain. Remember it's the drug that is causing the pain. Once you stop taking the drug the pain goes away. Don't **** up. Tell yourself this is horseshit and your not a ******* junkie. Too many people are dying from this ****. You have a lot to live for. As soon as you start tapering down songs sound better, people become more important to you and good things start to happen.

Good luck. Stay strong and gut your dose in half tomorrow.

[avisg]

In the very begianing they did not know about the addictive qualties but the first time I took it in1998. My doctor new it was addicting just not as addticting  as other addicting meds.I  will  always say this with any meds plz read the info you get from the pramacy becuase it  tells your all the risks . With the  tramadol its says right on the paper work they can be habit forming and they should never be used for anyone with addictive issuses and you will go thew wd like a narcotic and it you be taken off it slowely.So with any med  plz read the insert.

[dedicatedtostop]

Thanks for everyones input. IBK, thank you for sharing your story, as it is the first time I have heard it! Your a Rockstar!! Most days are managable however, the sciatica is what gets me on the bad days. I will keep researching.... Thanks all

[IBKleen]

I took suffer with chronic pain. I have several herniated disks, have had back reconstruction surgery. I suffer with sciatica on most days and I have DDD and Arthritis. It is a rare day that I am not in some pain. After years of the merry-go-round with the pills, I decided to stop beating myself up and find alternatives.

I have a hot tub that is an immense help to me. Any sort of moist heat helps. I use a hydrocolator most days as well. I am signed up for another round of Aqua Therapy which again---huge help. I did the injections several times and they did work for a while, but not long-term. I also did acupuncture when I lived in another state and that did help but I have not found anyone since moving here that I would trust to do it. There are lots of alternatives.

You may want to also ask in the pain mngt. community--there is good support there as well.

[RnTgotitbad]

Hey, were baffled too. we were heavily addicted to percocets, and when out of them we took tramadol, my dr prescribed it to me and i hated them because i couldnt get high, however when we were detoxing we would take a few (5) to knock the edge off... then we scrolled down thru all the posts and read how many peeps were addicted to tramadol/ ultram. and how bad the withdrawls were. we binged on them and  were out in 4 to 5 days,we were never on them for along period of time, however my fiance did have some withdrawl symptoms that peeps posted such as blury vision and we both couldnt sleep, we slept better when we were detoxing from the percs. the thomas recipe recomended xanax so we used that as well,  but from what we read xanax is also bad ..so its a no win situation, hang in there peeps will answer you it gets slow sometimes and there are tons of old posts to read that are very helpful

[worried878]

Trams were mis-advertised when introduced on the market.  The pill is narcotic-like, but affects the same receptor as narcotics.  Therefore, although much weaker in effect, they are addictive.  The real bumber for most is the antidepressant effect of tram due to an increase in release of seratonin...which causes a depressing wd and a risk of seizures if on a high dose and stopped abruptly.
Tram has been proven thru studies to have very little pain relieving effects, almost equal to tylenol, and not worth the risks associated with the drug
Seems like u r right tho, just bout any pain reliever is dangerous for addicts.  Ice, heat, massage, yoga, injections have ended up being my saviour for chronic pain

good luck to u

[dedicatedtostop]

Thanks guys. I am just looking for another option for the actually back pain that I have as an alternative to the Ibprofen that I take, some days it works well, others not so well. By no means am I looking for a high, and def not looking to get addicted to anything!! Just looking for releif from "the legeitiment" pain

[IBKleen]

That would be "stay clean"...LOL (boy, I am doing that a lot lately)

[IBKleen]

It's the dinner hour in a good part of the country hun and it is always quiet this time of the day.

I have never taken Tramadol for any length of time or consistently. It was always an in between thing for me. Today, I would not touch it and not so much for the withdrawal, but it is the behavior that scares me. If I am constantly looking for a quick fix in a pill then nothing has changed. I have to change my thinking, among other things, to say clean.

But that is just me. Be patient and someone will be along later to talk with you. Hang in there!

[Baker3336]

Yea I don't know much about it, sorry. It does seem a little slow in here today. Somebody will be able to get ya some info, eventually. Hang in there.