tramadol withdrawal

[Birdie23]

I am in the process of getting off of tramadol. It was prescribed for me for ocassional use for mild to moderate pain like headache, muscle soreness, etc. I used it only ocassionally for several months. About 4 months ago, I became involved in a fairly intense project and was experiencing more discomfort. Without really thinking much about it, I started using tramadol every day and then increased this to 2-3 times each day. The dosage was 100mg, so I was taking 100-300mg daily (or 2-6, 50mg pills) for 3 months. After I finished the project in mid-may, I decided that I needed to stop using a drug to get through the day, so I tried to just stop taking it. WOW! Serious withdrawal symptoms including joint and muscle pain, stomch issues, fatigue, depression and a strange hollowness in my nerves ensued. I didn't feel I could just stop functioning for a week or two or whatever it would take, so I used some hydrocodone that I had to help me get my tramadol use down to 100mg per day over the course of a week. I would just take the hydro when I started feeling really bad in the afternoon to get me through the rest of the day. Then, I decided to just quit the tramadol altogether. The withdrawal was really difficult. I was worried about getting addicted to the hydro, so I got some concentrated kratom powder and was alternating use with the hydro every day or two so that neither of them was in my system daily. This got me through week 2 which was a reduced amount of muscle pain, but more fatigue, lethargy, depression. Now I am beginning my third week. I am out of hydro and I am still experiencing some muscle and joint stuff, but the big problem is the lethargy and depression. It's just kicking my butt. The kratom is very helpful in this and lifts the dark cloud that I seem to wake up with, but I'm worried about an addition to this as well. I am now taking about 1.5-2 grams in the early afternoon to get through the rest of the day. I am not using any other drugs or substances. I have never been addicted to anything before and wasn't abusing the tramadol. It didn't make me high or anything, but it did get rid of ALL of my aches and pains and let me do everything I needed to in the day. I don't have any major pain and I know I shouldn't have been so lazy about my health. Now, I am trying to be really careful without losing myself to laying on the couch all day. My questions are: How long will the tramadol withdrawal take to be completely over? and How long can I use a small amount of Kratom on a daily basis without just creating another addiction that I have to get over? Or can I just slowly reduce the kratom to avoid the withdrawal since it is a powder and very easy to measure out? Any thoughts on this would be helpful. I am reluctant to engage my physician in this too much. he knows I am having withdrawal fromt he tramadol, but I don't want to ask for any other drugs if I don't have to. I just feel like I've done something really studpid and I want to get through it without his help, if possible. Thanks!

[catadn]

hey jati i have a knee problem and have been taking tramadol i noticed you said you didnt get your shipment are you ordering them online if so can you tell me what site that would be appreciated i would like to order them you can email me at ***@**** thanks

[Ruthy55]

This is an old post that is getting new responses. I'm currently tapering from Tramadol and the taper is well as well. Tried the C/T but went nuts and started up again. May God have mercy on us all! Go to the upper right corner and type Tramadol and recovery room. There will be active posts just about this particular evil pill. So glad you made it through!

[ditchwitch]

How are you now?  

[ICrane]

I can't explain to all of you how bad Tramadol is, it helps with pain but it marketed as non-habit forming. What a load of BS. I was prescribed Tramadol for a car accident with numerous injuries. Although the jolly feeling some have talked about is temporary it eventually leas to numbness, irritability and brain fog. Now trying to get off these things without poper sedatives is nearly impossible. I've tried. You must have a plan, but when you go through the long arduous process of getting this pesticide out of your system it's like you're seeing the world for the first time again. The fog lifts and everything is more beautiful. As for the woman who was dealing with her father on the floor, it's been a while now so I'm sure it's been resolved. But NEVER go off this stuff cold turkey because that's exactly what happens. Her father should have been forced to ween himself off the Tramadol and then go onto the codeine. What in the world is the matter with these doctors??? You never take a patient in his condition off a drug like Tramadol that quickly. What another person said about this drug is exactly right, the reason withdrawals are so bad is because it acts like a pain killer and an anti-depressant so you are really withdrawing off of two drugs at the same time. "Good little pill"- whatever Doctor said that should be dragged out in the street and force fed this stuff and then cut off abruptly so he goes through withdrawals. I'm sure his attitude would change.

[alanjason]

I've been on opiates for about 9 years. God, has it been that long? It started in 2005 when I injured my back and was prescribed Percocet.  After getting as many refills as I could from the local doctor, I realized I had to go online to get meds. It was easy back then to get strong opiates with a phone consultation from a doctor. I was able to get Norco for almost two years from an online pharmacy, but the DEA started cracking down on physicians, and I was no longer able to get Norco. After some research, I read that Tramadol was weaker than other opiates, and will help with withdrawal. Funny, right? Well, six years later I was still taking Tramadol to feel normal.  It did seem to help me with anxiety and depression. Now, with the August deadline where Tramadol was made a controlled substance, I was no longer able to get Tramadol. The last of my Tramadol stash ran out a couple weeks ago. I quit CT. It's funny because the first couple days didn't seem to bad at first, so I thought it would be fine. Then starting about 4 days after CT, I started getting bad withdrawals, like head sensations, cold and hot spells, sensitive skin, indigestion, sleeplessness due to my leg anxiety. I'm on my second week of CT, and it's very hard to concentrate at work. My anxiety is up to the sky, and my emotions are all over the place. I feel very sad all the time. I'm an emotional mess, and I cry for no reason constantly. I hate it. I wish I knew how much longer this would last. I'm starting to lose hope. I'm extremely depressed. The only thing keeping me going is the love of my family. I hope this will end, or it will end me. I'm not a religious person, but I've prayed for help.

[beachbabe1979]

I am 18 days free of Tramadol! I was on Tramadol for 5 years, 2-3or4 50 mg tabs a day. My doctor all of the sudden decided that I wouldn't be getting another refill.....surprise, surprise!! In the beginning my doc told me that Tramadol was a "non addictive", "non narcotic" pain med. Oh my gosh, was she wrong!!  2 days with no Trams had me in physical and emotional hell! My symptoms were headache, sleeplessness, pinpricks head to toe, RLS, brain zaps, full blown panic attacks for no reason at all, tearfulness, fatigue out the a$$, nausea and diarrhea . I found several things that work. Benadryl for sleep (sometimes this works, other times not), Iron supplement (for RLS.restless legs) & bananas (RLS) and the BEST thing I found that helps me is 5-HTP supplements (Precursor to Serotonin). I take my Iron 2 hours before I take the 5-HTP, the 5-HTP comes 2 hours before I go to bed. If 2 hours after that I still can't sleep, 2 benadryl.I tried Melatonin & it did nothing for me..a multivitamin/energy pill first thing in the morning. THe 5-HTP helps with sleep and mostly with the fatigue...you wouldn't believe the difference it has made!!!  I can tell you one thing for certain.....I will NEVER take Tramadol again! I never got a high feeling from it, it was like a tylenol.....I really had no idea that I was "addicted" to it....I took it in the am as a preventative for my pain and when in pain I would take 1 or 2 more.....never again! I hope my experience will help someone else with getting off of this awful drug!

[ROBERT0LEE]

HERE IS THE BEST ADVICE ANYONE WILL JUST GIVE YOU. i HAD DECIDED TO TAPER, WHICH IF YOU DON'T, YOU ARE LEFT WITH ONLY 2 BAD CHOICES. EITHER COLD TURKEY (VERY BAD), OR GO TO ONE OF THE SUBOXONE QUACKS (VERY, VERY, BAD. THEY HOOK YOU ONE ANOTHER OPIATE, BUT I GUESS ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN (COLD). ABOUT TWO WEEKS  AGO I BULL CRAPPED (ANOTHER LOST OR STOLEN PILL LIE) MY DOCTOR INTO GIVING ME ANOTHER PRESCRIPTION. THIS WAS BEFORE HE FOUND OUT IT WAS CONTROLLED. TO MY PLEASANT SURPRISE WHEN I GOT HOME AND COUNTED THEM, THE PHARMACY MADE A MISTAKE AND GAVE ME 280, NOT THE 240 IT SHOULD HAVE.NOW I AM HAPPY, AS AN IDIOT DRUGGIE, IT WAS BECAUSE I HAD MORE TO ENJOY (THAT DRUG REALLY ***** ANYWAY). NOT BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO BE SMART AND HAVE THAT MANY MORE FOR THE TAPER, IDIOT. SO STUPID, I FORGOT TO TAPER WITH THEM AT ALL. OK, NOW I HAVE TO LIE TO MY DOC WHO IS A GREAT GUY, AND HE GOES FOR IT BECAUSE HE STILL DOESN'T KNOW IT IS CONTROLLED.ONLY NOW, I ONLY HAVE 200, BUT YOU CAN DO A GOOD TAPER WITH THAT MANY, BUT NO, EVERYDAY I CHEATED A LITTLE, WHICH LEFT ME TO GO COLD AT 14 A DAY. TRUST ME KELSEY, YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE. SO IN CONCLUSION FROM AN OLD DOPER WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER, BE SCARED, BE VERY, VERY SCARED, AND DO THE RIGHT THING WITH YOUR NEXT SCRIP OR YOU WILL BE VERY, VERY SORRY. DO THE RIGHT THING TALK TO YOUR PHARMACIST, THEY ARE USUALLY GOOD PEOPLE. WORK OUT A TAPER WITH THE PHARMACIST SO THAT YOU CAN GO THERE EVERY DAY, AND GET THE RIGHT AMOUNT. YOU DON'T WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH DR. SUBOXONE THE WASHOUT SHRINK WHO IS ONLY IN IT FOR THE BUCKS. HE ABOUT TO HOOK YOU ON SOMETHING JUST AS BAD FOR $300 FOR 30. PLEASE THIS OLD FART IS TRYING TO HELP YOU HELP YOURSELF. WHEN I WOKE UP YESTERDAY, I THOUGHT I WAS DEAD (I SORTA WANTED TO BE). LUCKILY I HAVE HAD THE SAME DOC FOR 40 YEARS, SO I WAS ABLE TO ******** HIM INTO GIVING ME RITALIN, NOT GOOD, BUT IT DOES MASK THE DETOX. I AM DONE WITH THIS CRAP, IT IS  NO WAY TO LIVE. YOU CAN THANK ME LATER WHEN YOU HAVE DONE WHAT I AM TELLING. PROMISE ME YOU WILL. I AM OLD ENOUGH TO BE YOUR GRANDFATHER, SHOW SOME RESPECT.

ROBERT (DEFINITELY NOT MY REAL NAME) SO WHAT? The DOC here is an *******