I have been pondering this question for quite some time now.
There seems to be a % of users who use tramadol for its antidepressant (AD) rapid effects, I am one of them and I have read of similar experiences from others in this forum and on the internet. Instead of using tramadol for what it is supposed to be (painkiller), some people find its benefits to be of an AD nature albeit of a different nature than conventional SSRI-type ADs.
I have been using tramadol for some years and every time I have looked back at what I have done when I was using tramadol, what I have accomplished screams of hypomania: mild euphoria, increased social drive (to the point of becoming dangerous/time wasting), increased empathy, increased energy, increased creativity, grandiosity and foolishness. I used to get this from small doses 100-150mgs although these days I need 250mgs to get to this level due to tolerance. My use (abuse) of tramadol has always been for this marked benefit, never for the painkilling properties of the drug. In fact, this AD-esque effect only lasts 4 or 5 hours and then I enter a 2nd phase marked by analgesia which I dislike (the AD effects wear off in this 2nd phase, coinciding with the half-life of the drug and the metabolizing of tramadol to the o-desmethyl form).
Looking at the structure and pharmacology of tramadol, I cannot help but wonder if tramadol is activating hypomania in me and a subset of users of the drug who, like me, find this drug to be unique in terms of its AD effect. I have ADHD (diagnosed) and I suspect a bipolar disorder too (undiagnosed but suggested by doctor). I have a prescription of methylphenidate and no matter how much I take (abuse), I never get the same effect as tramadol, no other drug has me achieving this unique AD effect other than tramadol.
I was contemplating using tramadol long-term to reap this AD effect. However, as I say, every time I look back to what I did while using tramadol, it screams hypomanic and it has made me do dangerous stuff as well as waste my time on a lot of stuff (all while euphoric and with grandiosity). I have a lot of energy and motivation but I am all over the place and have done a lot of foolish acts due to tramadol-induced misjudgement. Since SSRIs are known to activate hypomania in a % of users I was wondering if tramadol would also be capable of this too as tramadol has a unique pharmacology in that it seems to release serotonin AND cause its reuptake too. I have never used SSRIs though but as I say, no other drug (including stimulants such as amphetamine or methylphenidate) can bring this stimulating AD-esque effect in me: this has made me take tramadol as my Drug of Choice for years, I haven't used other drugs.
There seems to be a % of users who use tramadol for its antidepressant (AD) rapid effects, I am one of them and I have read of similar experiences from others in this forum and on the internet. Instead of using tramadol for what it is supposed to be (painkiller), some people find its benefits to be of an AD nature albeit of a different nature than conventional SSRI-type ADs.
I have been using tramadol for some years and every time I have looked back at what I have done when I was using tramadol, what I have accomplished screams of hypomania: mild euphoria, increased social drive (to the point of becoming dangerous/time wasting), increased empathy, increased energy, increased creativity, grandiosity and foolishness. I used to get this from small doses 100-150mgs although these days I need 250mgs to get to this level due to tolerance. My use (abuse) of tramadol has always been for this marked benefit, never for the painkilling properties of the drug. In fact, this AD-esque effect only lasts 4 or 5 hours and then I enter a 2nd phase marked by analgesia which I dislike (the AD effects wear off in this 2nd phase, coinciding with the half-life of the drug and the metabolizing of tramadol to the o-desmethyl form).
Looking at the structure and pharmacology of tramadol, I cannot help but wonder if tramadol is activating hypomania in me and a subset of users of the drug who, like me, find this drug to be unique in terms of its AD effect. I have ADHD (diagnosed) and I suspect a bipolar disorder too (undiagnosed but suggested by doctor). I have a prescription of methylphenidate and no matter how much I take (abuse), I never get the same effect as tramadol, no other drug has me achieving this unique AD effect other than tramadol.
I was contemplating using tramadol long-term to reap this AD effect. However, as I say, every time I look back to what I did while using tramadol, it screams hypomanic and it has made me do dangerous stuff as well as waste my time on a lot of stuff (all while euphoric and with grandiosity). I have a lot of energy and motivation but I am all over the place and have done a lot of foolish acts due to tramadol-induced misjudgement. Since SSRIs are known to activate hypomania in a % of users I was wondering if tramadol would also be capable of this too as tramadol has a unique pharmacology in that it seems to release serotonin AND cause its reuptake too. I have never used SSRIs though but as I say, no other drug (including stimulants such as amphetamine or methylphenidate) can bring this stimulating AD-esque effect in me: this has made me take tramadol as my Drug of Choice for years, I haven't used other drugs.
