Warning about Ultram in patients w/ increased ICP or head injury patients.

[Spaceystac]

Hello forum, I am writing today to share my experience with this medication that my doctor prescribed for my chronic pain.
  About 2 years ago, my jaw was in need of some fixing. At some point my doctor started me on Ultram 50mg 4 times a day for the pain while waiting for a procedure to fix it (which never happened, insurance wouldn't cover it). At the time I was relieved as the pain was relentless and the med really helped with my chronic pain I have had from my spinal issues. The doctor made the med out to seem safer than normal pain meds an I cannot take NSAIDS due to Chronic Gastritis so it was nice to be able to get some relief. Also, was told that Ultram helped prevent headaches rather than cause rebound headaches like normal painkillers can so I thought hey this should help me all around.

    About 2 months ago I started feeling like my body had become dependent on the meds, I am almost 30 want start a family in the near future and did not want to have this drug in my system. I expressed this to my doctor. And we took me down to 3 a day, then the next month instead of going down to 2 a day he decided to cut me off. He gave me 2 weeks to go from 3 a day to nothing.  He said he had read some new research that showed Ultram can make you perceive your pain to be worse than it actually is and that he was taking anyone of his patients taking it off of it!  At first I was upset with his decision, but as I found out how terrible the withdrawals were I realized how NASTY these things are and that I wanted nothing to do with them anymore.  I decided I wanted to get it over with so,  instead of taper that whole 2 weeks...I went down to half a pill and quit as fast as I could. Last dose was 5-25 and I am still not normal. I have even read that getting off Ultram is worse than Vicodin! So glad to be through the worst of it.
   The symptoms of the withdrawal for me, were also accompanied with SSRI discontinuation syndrome which has its own handful of lovely feelings of illness. You see, the Ultram has a tenancy to increase your Serotonin. So not only am I dealing with more pain, and ill feelings but I am also more depressed then I have been in my life. I am having brain-zaps and vertigo and dizziness nausea, gastritis flared up like never before.   I am finally starting to not feel so ill, but the mental change is really taking its toll. I also have no energy and lack motivation all together. I just want to feel normal, but I have to accept the fact that I will be having issues the rest of my life.
    
Anyways, I have been researching this med and have found this warning

Increased Intracranial Pressure or Head Trauma Ultram should be used with caution in patients with increased intracranial pressure or head injury. Pupillary changes (miosis) from tramadol may obscure the existence, extent or course of intracranial pathology. Clinicians should also maintain a high index of suspicion for adverse drug reaction when evaluating mental status in these patients if they are receiving Ultram.
http://www.opioids.com/tramadol/prescribe.html
This medication also has a rep for causing seizures and lowering seizure thresholds.  

I found that my doctor and the pharmacy did not have educated information about this med, when I asked about withdrawal symptoms the pharmacy tech claimed I would only have more pain from discontinuation and he is either misinformed or a big fat lier! I literally had to go looking through the drug company information to find some of the crazy things this med can do so if your doctor tries to prescribe it think twice and do your research!   I had stressed to my Dr soooo many times that I didn't want any anti depressants and I am so mad to find out this was acting the same way on my brain! Mess with my brain chemicals! You know the only way brain serotonin levels can be tested is in a  dead brain sample? How can they safely prescribe these brain chem altering drugs with out knowing what is really going on in there? Oh wait, that's why there is a high risk of suicide with these meds! Silly me!    Guess I needed to vent *sigh*
  

Thanks for reading this public service announcement ....have a nice day : )

[sandy629]

   i was told it was a seizure med that helps with pain

[zygy2]

So sorry for what you have been through!  Medications are quite spooky.  I am so med sensitive that I fight taking anything!  I always know there is just bad news in my future.  I am able to laugh about it at times but I have had so many side effects that it just drives my husband up a wall.... he can't believe that anyone can react to EVERYTHING.  I just had shunt revision surgery and did it without pain meds (even during surgery) they just extra numbed the area!  It stinks but I know what my choice is... suffer the side effects.  Sometimes you have no choice but it stinks!  I was put on a medication for POTS and it said the same thing about people with increased pressure and the Dr. gave it to me without even considering my chiari, I had so much head pain within just a couple of days!  I guess we have to watch for those words!  Maybe someday they will have more answers and it will make things easier for a different generation!  Until then we have to do our own homework and fully understand what we may be getting ourselves into!  Good luck to you, hope you have better days. -zygy

[Spaceystac]

It was my GP but the funny thing about that is when I went to my Neurologist  about my headaches he pushed my headaches off on taking tylenol and that they were causing rebound headaches (and i know the difference between a pressure and a rebound ha!) The guy gave my a handout about rebound HA's and it mentioned that Ultram was not going to cause rebound HA's. While on the med I had just as many HA's proving to me that I wasn't having rebound headaches.    I really have no Dr. I trust to help me at this point, not sure where to go from here.

[selmaS]

  Thanks for sharing that...it sounds like a scary ordeal u went thru and continue to have to content with....

May I ask was this a NS that RX'd this med?

  I am glad u got off the med, and I pray u feel better soon.