Tramadol dosage?

[Panama]

Hey guys, I just read about how tramadol can cause seizures and other issues.

i have been off h and oxys, percs, and all that for a couple months now, but 3 weeks ago i got a tramadol prescription. my rx is for 60 50mg tabs.

i did all 60 on 3 different days during the week. id start out with about 5, then do 15+ over a 14 hour period(different incriments, which consisted of taking a pill every 30-45mins (+ or -).

so yeah its been about 12 days since i finished off my script and i just renewed it. i want to be more safe this time and have never messed with tramadol other then that first script, so basically i just need some advice?

i just took 4 50mg tabs about 10 mins ago and need to know what my daily limit should be? i figured id just take 1 every hour for the next 8 hours, that is until i go to bed....is that safe? my dosage for the day would end up being around 600mgs. ive heard somewhere that 400mg can cause seizures, but is that referring to taking 400mgs at once?

any advice would be appreciated- and yes iam trying to get a nod off, just trying to play it safe!

 

[Cane2theLeft]

The DAILY limit is 400mg but there is a lot of controversy here on BL about where the dangerous limit is. We've had people report regularly taking much higher doses as well as people who report seizing at doses below 400mg.

One way that you can increase your safety is by utilizing an anticonvulsant medication such as a benzodiazepine or one of several other medications used for epilepsy.

One important thing to keep in mind is that just because you've taken larger doses in the past and not had problems, absolutely does NOT mean that you can take those same doses in the future and not risk seizing.

Tramadol lowers your seizure threshold so it makes the likelihood of having a seizure much higher. Your best bet is to take a medication that raises your seizure threshold to counteract this effect.

Since this questions is primarily regarding dosing, I'm going to send it over to Basic Drug Discussion.



OD>>>BDD

 

[DelRi0]

PLEASE be careful with tramadol , I had a tonic-clonic seizure from just a 300mg a day theraputic dose for a broken rib ( yeah I know, broke rib, tramadol, wtf right? but what else could I do that's all the doc would give me, needless to say, he is no longer my doctor) But ANYWAY, this shit is serious and can really hurt you so please use good judgement, I was one of those people that thought 'eh seizures happen to other people, not me" and I'll be damned if I didn't have one within a week of taking it.

 

[Panama]

PLEASE be careful with tramadol , I had a tonic-clonic seizure from just a 300mg a day theraputic dose for a broken rib ( yeah I know, broke rib, tramadol, wtf right? but what else could I do that's all the doc would give me, needless to say, he is no longer my doctor) But ANYWAY, this shit is serious and can really hurt you so please use good judgement, I was one of those people that thought 'eh seizures happen to other people, not me" and I'll be damned if I didn't have one within a week of taking it.

good looking out guys. what exactly happened when you had this seizure? not really sure what a tonic clonic seizure is. im pissed also, my doctor will only write me tramadol for my herniated disc.

 

[K'd-OUT-in-AZ]

Lyrica is a good medication to help prevent seizures when you take higher doses of Tramadol. Regardless I still wouldn't go above 400mg. Seizures can occur at any dose really so taken with Lyrica you shouldn't experience one (at doses lower than 400mg) and lower your chances at higher doses. Without a tolerance 200mg should be fine. That could be a little high, I'm not sure as I've had a tolerance for quite some time.

 

[Ignant]

I got seizures from 150mg (my first time taking it)
I was also on an anti-psychotic that has an increased seizure risk though.

 

[K'd-OUT-in-AZ]

Anti-psychotics increase the risk of seizures? I didn't know that.

 

[DelRi0]

good looking out guys. what exactly happened when you had this seizure? not really sure what a tonic clonic seizure is. I'm pissed also, my doctor will only write me tramadol for my herniated disc.

Well I had taken the tramadol about 2 hours before it happened, we were riding down the road and all of the sudden I had this really strong feeling of deja vu (thats the first tell-tale sign of a seizure about to start...its weirrrrd) and next thing I know I'm laying in the grass on the side of the road with a medic above me. I don't remember much after that except they kept getting frustrated with me because I was trying to do stuff they were supposed to be doing (im an emt too) but other than that I just remember not being able to walk or do anything because during the tonic phase of the seizure I sprained every muscle in my back. At the ER they administered 4mg of Ativan and 25mg of Morphine thru IV and I slept for the next two days. It took me another week of constant Lorcet and Flexeril just to be able to even stand on my own and walk due to the muscle injury.

AND just since you asked about what exactly a tonic-clonic seizure is and since it does pertain strongly to Tramadol use, I will post an explanation I found online about them:


Phases

The seizures are divided into two phases, the tonic phase and the clonic phase, hence the name of the seizure, though a tonic–clonic seizure will often be preceded by an aura.

Aura
The person may feel a sense of strong déjà vu, lightheadedness and/or dizziness, unusual (and possibly inappropriate) emotions, intense feelings of discomfort or foreboding, altered vision and hearing (which may or may not include hallucinations), and sometimes other symptoms.[5] This is actually a simple partial seizure. Sometimes, the person will lose complete awareness and start making odd or pointless repetitive movements (such as picking at clothes or lip smacking) towards the end of the aura, at which point the seizure has progressed to become a complex partial seizure.

The aura stage occurs because tonic–clonic seizures often start in an isolated area of the brain, known as the seizure focus, and gradually spreads to the whole brain, whereupon loss of consciousness occurs and becomes a tonic–clonic seizure. An aura may last as little as a few minutes or as long as several hours, though some with epilepsy do not experience them at all. Many auras are followed by a tonic–clonic seizure.

Tonic phase
The person will quickly lose consciousness, and the skeletal muscles will suddenly tense, often causing the extremities to be pulled towards the body or rigidly pushed away from it, which will cause the person to fall if standing. The tonic phase is usually the shortest part of the seizure, usually lasting only a few seconds. The person may also express vocalizations like a loud moan or scream during the tonic stage, due to air forcefully expelled from the lungs.

Clonic phase
The person's muscles will start to contract and relax rapidly, causing convulsions. These may range from exaggerated twitches of the limbs to violent shaking or vibrating of the stiffened extremities. The person may roll and stretch as the seizure spreads. The eyes typically roll back or close and the tongue often suffers bruising sustained by strong jaw contractions. Incontinence is seen in some cases.

Due to physical and nervous exhaustion, Postictal sleep invariably follows a tonic–clonic seizure. Confusion and complete amnesia upon regaining consciousness is usually experienced and slowly wears off as the person becomes gradually aware that a seizure occurred.

Sometimes people that experience having a tonic-clonic seizure for the first time become sick, such as experiencing lightheaded feelings, vomiting, nervousness and other non-life-threatening symptoms.

Hope that answers your question pal.

 

[Acely]

Wow I didnt know people even took that high of a dose! I first took tramadol years ago before I got into opiates and yea they are fun but build a quick tolerance. I haven't touched them in years and still wouldnt get anything out of them. Be careful though! Scary thought that you can have a seizure on that. good to know

 

[ProducedRaw]

I managed up to, I think it was, 800mg in a day when I was abusing it. Please don't do the same, I mostly chalk it up to luck that I never seized. I mainly just wanted to chime in about long term use, the withdrawals are horrible with this stuff, frequent brain zaps, terrible anxiety and don't go away very quickly, best to avoid them for sanity's sake. The doctors don't seem to give fair warning about this aspect of Tramadol, which I think they are absolutely idiotic for.

 

[anonymiss]

<SNIP>

just be sure to take some klonopin or some other anticonvulsant..


<SNIP>

but to paraphrase Hunter S. Thompson

"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."

 

[DelRi0]

Treefa not to be a dick or anything but that post was pretty damned non-informative and could maybe even cause someone to hurt themselves by trying to duplicate your experience...

 

[Cane2theLeft]

^ you're absolutely right and that's why the post you're referring to is gone. Promoting dangerous practices has no place on a harm reduction forum.

Please use the report function with posts like that so we're alerted and can get rid of that type of post quickly.

 

[anonymiss]

i wasn't advocating it; hence the quote.

i was just sharing my experience with tramadol

 

[Cane2theLeft]

How did listing the massive doses you've taken at all contribute to reducing harm? The only possible effect it could have is leading people to believe it's not as danger as it truly is since YOU didn't experience profoundly adverse effects.

If you want to post your experience, please use the Trip Reports forum. Basic Drug Discussion is here to reduce harm.