Tramadol Hydrochloride

[digital_monkey]

I took Tramadol Hydrochloride for 6 months due to joint pain from my work.  It worked wonders.  I had energy, no pain, and happiness.  But I began to notice that I had to take almost 8 pills a day to feel good.  So I tried to stop.  I cut dosage down little by little.  I felt like ****.  My body had this 'rushing' sensation of anxiety and aches.  So now I have to take at least 1 pill a day just to feel normal.  I stopped for 2 weeks altogether, but everyday I felt terrible, more so than I did before I started taking the meds.  The only way to feel 'normal' was to take at least 1 pill every 18-24 hours.  At least i don't have to take 8 anymore.  I just wanted everyone to know that even though the medical industry denies the addiction possibility, it is really there.  I'm afraid I will have to take one pill a day forever.  Anyways, just wanted to share my feelings with ya.  And my question is, why?  How can I get off this stuff?  2 weeks doesn't even do it.  

[Ghilly]

"give me back my loratabs, etc. at least they help with the pain, and yes I rather be addited and pain free than in constant pain. "

Sometimes, that is exactly the way I feel!!!!

There are, of course, many MANY different reasons for people being in pain management.  For some people it is a temporary situation.  For me, it's not.  I will be in pain management for as long as I live.  Unless someone discovers a way to separate nerves that have welded themselves to each other and formed a mass of scar tissue, there will never again be a day when I don't have to take pain meds in order to have a halfway decent quality of life.  

I take oxycodone 15mg, 2 tablets every 4 hours, and for breakthrough pain I use ETH-Oxydose 20mg/ml, which is a liquid version of oxycodone, 1 to 1 1/2 droppersful every four hours.  They work WONDERFULLY to control the pain.  So far.  I hold down a full time job and the only thing I can't do while I'm taking the medication is drink.  I don't drink ANYWAY.  

As far as becoming addicted to my meds, WHO CARES??  If there was a chance of me not needing them someday, it would be different.  But there's not a chance of that, in fact, as time goes on, I will need my meds to be stronger.  I would rather have a good quality of life and be able to do things without the hideous pain that accompanies adhesive arachnoiditis than be clean and free of pain meds but unable to get out of bed and even just stand up because the nerve pain makes it feel like there are shards of broken glass in the soles of my feet.

Of course, everyone might not feel this way about themselves, but I do, and I also fully support anyone else who feels this way about themselves.  I'm so tired of friends and family telling me "I worry about you taking all those drugs".  Tell you what - live one day - just ONE DAY - in my body, and then tell me that you want to live like this without anything to mitigate the pain, and if you can do that and still do all the things you like to do and HAVE to do each day, then I'll consider going it without the meds.  Until then, you live in your body and I'll live in mine.

Ghilly

[NaluKana]

Ultram works on a chemical in the brain GABA, the same chemical that anti-anxiety meds work with. It might help to try using a small dose of ativan or xanax to help with the withdrawl symptoms. Just a thought.

[dottypotty]

I was on tramadol for yrs i didnt have any iddiction. They worked for  my pain well then didnt Now on gabinpentin Ibrufen 600mgs and stong cocomol and 200mgs amitripiline at night SOMETIMES i cant get out of pain so i try and fight it by dragging my selve up town or on pc etc to take my mind off it from Dorothy.

[pattir727]

Hi, The comments made from AnonDH56 on right on.

     I am allergic to Ultram (tramodol), allergic to codeine also.
    
     Serotonin effects in SSRIs/SSNRIs
     actually increase my pain and give me panic attacks.
    
     It is called an Oppositional Medication Response/Reaction.

     So sometime the medication your taking can make you feel worse than
     the pain.

pattir727
    

[AnonDH56]

There is at least one other set of posts that talk of Utram and they say it interferes with the Serotonin levels in your brain. I dont know in what way but they seemed sure of it and that might explain why Effexor worked for that one person. Antidepressants either mess wtih Serotonin, Norepeneprhine, Dopamine or one other. The Serotonin ones gives males erection problems I think and that would be Prozac. Now I didnt hear it said what dose you are on so if it is 100mg's, suggest you break them in half and see if a half a day is sufficient. If 50's try the same. Almost all drugs can be titrated off of eventually but I dont think they even know how Ultram works yet. Drugs that have unknown mechanisms should nto be sold IMHO. The only Antidepressant I can take that doesnt make me worse and feel crazy is Wellbutrin and that doesnt mess wth Serotonin.

Keep us informed.

DH

[smittygirl]

Ultram and Tramadol are the same drug.  It did nothing to relieve my pain and the side effect I experienced was the inability to urinate, not a good thing for the kidneys.  Good luck everyone.