I have been on trams for about 5 years and want off of them so bad.weaning has not happened for me i have tried i dont know what to do anymore when i called a local clinic they all but laughed at me but i need help! Any advice?
Hey, don't know if you're still trying to titrate off of Tramadol, but I wanted to reach out. I have had the unfortunate pleasure of being dependent on many different types of meds- painkillers and benzos over the past 10 years, and by far, the worst to come off of was tramadol. It laid me low. I tried multiple times but didn't succeed until I told my doc i felt dependent on it. She gave me small amounts- enough for 2 weeks at a time, and had me go down by 10mg per week. It took months, and I needed to use some of my benzos to help me get through the worst days but I have been off of them for 2 years now.
A few things that may help are:
-Acknowledge that it's not going to happen overnight. It will probably take months if you want to come off of them w out nasty withdrawals.
-Getting smaller quantities at more frequent intervals really helped me stay on track. It's really easy to fall into the "deal with the consequences tomorrow" line of thought, and double up on meds for a better today. But tomorrow always comes, and it kicks your ass.
-I started using a pill box and I'd divy up my meds per day. It was a more tangible way to keep myself in line because I couldn't use additional meds one day without taking them from another day.
-Make sure you're in a good place before you start the titration. If you've just moved, had a child, started a stressful job, etc- wait until you've got the other things in your life somewhat managed. Coming off of any mood altering medication is going to be rough, don't throw any more stressors into the mix.
-Get a support system. I'm sure many people know the fear and anxiety that comes when you anticipate sharing your struggles with someone. I hid my issues from my spouse for 5 years before I almost OD'd and everything came out. I was so scared to tell him, but when I did he told me he had no idea I was so unhappy and that he wanted to help me get into a good place again.
You don't have to tell people exactly what your struggling with, but letting them know that you're working through some things and you have bad days when you need a friend, is better than nothing.
Most people understand that sometimes you just have to do whatever you can to survive the day.
I hope some of this helps and that it isn't just useless chatter.
I wish you luck and commend you on your decision to take the hard road.
Please give me a shout out if you ever need a friend.
