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  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android

Not AGAIN... please (tramadol withdrawal)

I've tapered successfully twice. I don't abuse it as it's my antidepressant.

If I forget a dose - 50 mg - I get 'dopesick'. I'm on it for the foreseeable future. Whatever the case, it is important to wean and respect the 400 mg/day upper limit. This is not a forgiving substance.
 
versd said:
^ thanks for taking the time to tell us your story
Click to expand...

It's actually really refreshing to be able to be so honest and forthright, even if the audience here is a group of complete strangers [to me]. I find myself telling all of you things that I haven't really told anyone else (at least not in as much detail as I have here). This place is like free therapy, especially when there are people I can actually relate to. No one I hang out with now is an addict (which is good of course) so none of them know what I've been through and what I struggle with to this day, and I don't wanna talk their ears off or give them a bad impression by appearing like I'm some kind of retched ex-junkie.

So yeah, it's my pleasure, especially when it comes to tramadol. It's such an innocent looking drug; like something that couldn't possibly take a hold of you [when this couldn't be any further from the truth]. Aside from oxycontin/heroin, I've never experienced any addiction of this magnitude. It's something that took me five or six years to finally kick, and even then I STILL crave it to this very day. Bleh.
 
I to have had a few battles with Tram..I started in 1996 (approximatively) when it first hit the market. I can still hear my doctor (He was scripting 100's of hydro to me at the time) he said I have a new pain reliever for you to try, he then went on to explain to me that it was not a narcotic and that I can take them a safely as tylenol . Well I did and then that dreaded night came and I had ran out and had a few days to go before I was able to get my next round. By the second night of being without them it hit me like a mack truck I kicked sooooo hard I swore I was gonna die. At that time in my life I was dippin in a little heroin, here and there, now and then , I eventually went balls to the wall with the Heroin snorted it for a short time and then I made a bad choice and decided to mainline it. Needless to say I spiraled downward for ten miserable years. I won't get into details as to how I finally stopped the madness lets just say it took me a long time, slow tapper ,many rehabs, allot of money,and a whole lot of will power. Well I have been diagnosed with fibro and I was scripted lyrica for it. But I can't take it so geuss what gang? Yes sir I am back on that shit again(TRAM) but I only take 50 mg a day and beleive it or not I have not had to increase my dose and it has been at least 6 months but if I do run out before my time for refill I panic and create my own withdraw. I am pretty scared right now. My fear is that there will come a day when I no longer get them. I feel for the OP the withdraw is all to real and it is a horrible feeling. I wish you all the luck in the world. I really hope you do this thing for yourself and your family. If ya can't throw in the towel at most knock down that dose you are on. I myself have read numerous posts about large amounts of tram. and I can't even fathom the withdraw from such a large intake. I don't think I have ever taken more then 200 mg a day and THAT just about killed. It is such a tricky medication I have never understood it, in fact I never could tell how it affected me when I was taking it but I sure enough know exactly how it affects me when I am without it..good luck you can do it.
 
I have also been through tramadol withdrawal... no, it's not very fun. I only took them for perhaps two weeks in a row at the longest stretch, but I was only a few months of off roxy withdrawal and so it didn't take much to get physically addicted again. I also did the whole thing with taking like 30 a day and taking anti-seizure meds to balance myself out... craziness... there was also one time where I was at my mom's house and my vision started fading out, going black, and I freaked out... scariest ride home ever... but I thought I had to get away. In retrospect I'm lucky I didn't kill anyone. I had to speed walk around for hours because I had the feeling that if I fell asleep I would die. This particular episode was before I was on neurontin and I didn't have an anti-seziure to take, or perhaps I had klonopin - I'm not really sure.
Anyway, when I was in withdrawal, it was a very sleepy withdrawal. The five days or so were met with close to 20 hours of sleep each day. It presented very much like an actual flu, and not just the cliched line non-users think of as 'opiate withdrawal'. It sucked but it WAS manageable. Lopermide and tylenol should help. Good luck.
 
Well you're not alone on the Tram account...

I'm glad I saw your thread because I've learned A LOT more about why I've been chronically fatigued. I was clean/sober 27 mon after 25 yrs using, on court ordered piss tests like you, blah blah. When I decided I would give being clean a shot, I did everything NA told me to do. They warned that it's pretty easy for active addiction to weasel it's way and creep back into your life if not vigalant. For me, Tramadol not only woke up the opiate dragon all over again, but they were WAY worse, harder to kick than my Rx "real" dope had been! I took up to 8-12 pills day, weaned down to 4, but couldn't dose lower than that without severe physical consequences. I felt like shit. I went to doc, 9 months tired 24/7. I couldn't go lower than 4 pills, so finally I said fuck it, quit the Tram, got back on Rx codeine/fiorinal....& meth to do away with the fatigue. After a couple months of meth on & off, I thought I'd feel normal again, like the old days, stop speed, feel like crap 4 days, then back to normal right? Wrong. I went up to 12 days, STILL felt like shit, even now long after I quit Tram for my "real" dope. I didn't know it was as dangerous as anti depressants. Tram somehow fucked up my brain chemistry, I'm convinced. As for meetings, look up Smart Recovery, it's not 12 steps. "Sex, Drugs, Gambling, & Chocolate," Dr. A. Thomas Horvath--you find helpful. Don't cold turkey the Tram. Bad idea. Library closing gota split...
 
"CUT!" - A story by TJ--(with Tram reduction suggestions)

Act 1 Scene 1 (on the set) "CUT!," said the exassperated and tired dude on the set, "Take 502 or was that 5150? Again....," he yelled/complained/whined all directed at TJ. Producer, "TJ will you PLEASE get to the point?," said the rich suit. "How very disappointing if I didn't," said TJ with a grin. Groans heard all around. "Lights, camera, ACTION!," - suit yelled.

"As I was saying," began TJ....AGAIN......"Well 1nce upon a time, this BLer posted about Tramadoll W/D'z & he had a VERY interesting thread! TJ happened to see it & replied at once at her 1st available opportunity, which was short & to the point, well as much as TJ is able to be, (clears throat & grins) BUTT alas, there was a 2nd opportunity to which she took full advantage & painted this dazzling portrait in words with chemicals....or is that the other way around? Anyway, well, um...

Ok, I'm at home now sooo, I don't know if this suggestion will help you or not, but here it is anyway. I DID go to a Naturopath, N.D. (Dr. of Naturopathic medicine.) They go through medical school just like the "real" (lol) docs the US society recognizes, you know the ones with the title "M.D." instead of "N.D." after their names, docs of alopathic medicine. (Those bad boys & girls of which many BLers/GLers have come 2 fully appreciate in terms of those demoness-ulicious Rx recipies of benzo/opiate/barbies/methamps/FUN drugs ad infinitum. Only those select few that make it into the "Rx" club are privy to these recipies, where our beloved pushers with a license 2 sell dope 2 children & old farts like me, aka our neighborhood pharmacists! :)

Well these chemical dessert sellers that are prepared by only the finest chefs of many a delightful chemical gormet creation, also called pharmaceutical chemists or cooks if you will have such outstanding talent that many customers that try their desserts are before you know it, "GOTCHA!," among the HOOKED CLUB 8nt that special? Well among many a receipe of the (legal) cook's are .... Tramadol! Which brings me to the suggestions that helped me until I made a mistake, --- "Finally, please God," from the dude that goes around yelling "CUT!" as well as from the Producer.

"As I was saying," (TJ grins) "This Naturopath explained to me that my seratonins or something a tonins in my brain got rearranged, or actually production got drastically lowered beyond what was needed in order to be "normal," without the Tramadol as with many anti-depressants. His suggestion was this naturopathic drug called Phenocane---he explained that I was to take 3 1/2 pills the following week followed by 2 pills of Phenocane every 6 hrs---1st dose 6 hrs after Tram was taken----then 2 more in 6 hrs, ect. I DID actually manage to get all the way down to 1/2 pill & had upped my Phenocane dose to 2 every 4 hrs---he said that was fine.

It was at this point my bones ached, lower back ached badly, flu like symptoms, of which I'd never had before kicking my "real" opiate/barbie dope, BUTT (lol) it DID help a hell of a lot with the wretched apathy--not depression, not numbness, not even speed come down---but an intensified fucked up horrific feeling of not being able to sit & concentrate, life felt like physical torture in a mental way because I couldn't get pleasure out of a damn thing unless I had Tram dose---until I did the Phenocane. Where I fucked up, unfortunately, was taking 1 Tram pill when I'd weaned myself down to 1/2 pill, to see if it would take away the aches/pains, blah blah....& did.

At that point I went right back to step one with that insidious, tenacious fucking drug that I couldn't unravel myself out of.....so that be it. "Thank God!," whined the cut man & producer in TJ's direction.

"As far as the book I mentioned above, in my 1st post reply---as far as the mental cravings go....it has some excellent damn suggestions that enabled me to not shoot meth except on a schedule for 2 years, meaning stay clean 90-120 days---slam a teenager 6 days on allotted vacation time, recover 1 day (2 is better!) then no more dope til 90 days, but that's another story.... Anyway, hope you don't mind the story/reply.

Mod's if you find this reply inappropriate I'm sure you have the perfect girl/date for it...(drum roll) Ladies & Gentlemen Miss Dee Lete!" :D

Silly attempt at trying 2 help you laugh....at least a bit of laughter during your misery I'm hoping...or even an "oh brother" will do...hope this helps

/B]
 
It was worth the read..science if crazy..we are the experiment...I just read that the amount of CHILDREN in the U.S. alone that are on medication is astronomical . The next generation will be number then we ever thought of being. It is very alarming to me..but back on topic TRAMADOL is the devil..
 
I know neurontin helped me get through vicodin w/d's I wonder if it would work for tramadol w/d's.Maybe take 900 mg of neurontin and some HTP?I take about 15 50mg pills a day sometimes more sometimes less.I have been on them for about 4 months now.I wonder if I tapered to about 4 pills a day and then quit cold turkey and start neurontin for about 1 week along with the 5-HTP if it would help the w/d's.I have to work and have no time off for a long time.When I was addicted to about 100 mg of vicodin a day or more I took neurontin for about a week and a half and did fine.I can order the neurontin online and get the 5-HTP at the store.I also have some lexapro left and wonder if that might help.Anyone quit trams with neurontin?
 
Yes I know it sucks balls but it might help with most of the w/d's and maybe with some st.Johns wart started a few days before the taper might help also.
 
Mariposa said:
I've tapered successfully twice. I don't abuse it as it's my antidepressant.

If I forget a dose - 50 mg - I get 'dopesick'. I'm on it for the foreseeable future. Whatever the case, it is important to wean and respect the 400 mg/day upper limit. This is not a forgiving substance.
Click to expand...

Since this last post, I kicked tramadol as I saw it was becoming a problem. I've been off tramadol for about 6 months. I got through it with a lot of water, multivitamins, and a good friend who brought over movies. I lost some sleep, but that is normal for me when I am completely sober. There were many 100+ degree days so I didn't notice much increase in sweat, and I did not have any RLS type symptoms. I had the best support system ever, and the days that were so hot outside might have made a difference.

Tramadol is an SNRI. It affects norepinephrine. It may have serotonergic properties but I don't believe that's been proven.

I am better off unmedicated (as to antidepressants) than I was on tramadol.

Please check for any contraindications between Neurontin and St. John's Wort.
 
i have been on trams for 2 years,there are times when i run out before my date to reup,i found a over the counter remedy for w/d,it does work,if anybody wants to know,post.
 
Sorry for bumping an old thread. It was perfectly suitable so figured why not!

I'm in hospital. Backwards dislocated shoulder which requires surgery to fix. I woke up with it after a tram seizure. Three months ago I dislocated and fractured my other shoulder from a tram seizure (insanely unlucky? I don't know).

Anyway... It's time to kick this dirty habit. 500mg for a year and a half. First seizure was caused by 800mg and this one by 500.

I'm in hospital for the next few days so they will provide meds to help with the WD. I was just given Valium. I'll keep the thread updated with whatever works and how the next few days go.

This thread has some good posts in it, thanks!
 
Thrakmar said:
Sorry for bumping an old thread. It was perfectly suitable so figured why not!

I'm in hospital. Backwards dislocated shoulder which requires surgery to fix. I woke up with it after a tram seizure. Three months ago I dislocated and fractured my other shoulder from a tram seizure (insanely unlucky? I don't know).

Anyway... It's time to kick this dirty habit. 500mg for a year and a half. First seizure was caused by 800mg and this one by 500.

I'm in hospital for the next few days so they will provide meds to help with the WD. I was just given Valium. I'll keep the thread updated with whatever works and how the next few days go.

This thread has some good posts in it, thanks!
Click to expand...

Let us know how you're doing for sure! I went through a period of my life where I was taking ~500-600mg tram daily. I stopped CT and it sucked but the w/d was over quickly. In my experience, tram w/d hasn't been as bad as w/d from percs or dilaudid. Just my experience though. I did experience some pretty severe depression though. All the best man. I never experienced any seizures but I hear they're fairly common at the higher doses. I guess I was just lucky back in the day...
 
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