Ive been taking Tramadol and Hydrocodone together for about three months off and on, perscribed of course, then I started reading how bad withdrawals can be from the Tramadol, so I quit taking it cold turkey with little side effects. Now I'm getting ready to quit this Hydrocodone, just a little scared from withdrawal and what to expect. will it be bad after just three months. averaged about 40 mgs. daily. I heard the Tramadol was worse, but it was nothing. Any thoughts
J
If you take tramadol daily for more than a week or so, you will have 'discontinuation symptoms' or withdrawal. But you can avoid most of those symptoms by lowering the dose over time-- say by taking half of your dose for a few days, then half again of that dose for a few days, and so on. The problem is that SOME people cannot taper off medications that have addictive properties. I myself am one of 'those' people; I know from experience that if I take something that has an addictive quality to it, I will have a lot of trouble stopping it. So I have to avoid taking those types of substances. But those without addictive disorders don't have the same trouble stopping tramadol
Even though tramadol has a short half-life, the withdrawal may be delayed by a day or two. For most substances, the withdrawal doesn't kick in when the substance is gone; it kicks in a couple days after the blood level is significantly reduced. People who stop drinking alcohol, for example, clear the alcohol from their bodies very quickly-- certainly within 24 hours. But the withdrawal takes 2-3 days to start, and peaks as much as 4-6 days later.
In your case, if you start having discontinuation symptoms, I would suggest taking about half of what you WERE taking, and stay on that dose for a few days. Then cut that in half for three more days, and then stop. Your symptoms will be minimal if you follow that schedule.