Tramadol SNRI vs Opiate - Work for Depression?

[bobcat99]

Hi Everyone.

This is my first post here. I've been using Bluelight as an amazing resource just for learning a bunch of stuff from all you guys who regularly post on here - so thank you first and foremost.

I am having problems with my knee and it gives me bad pain especially at night. The DR prescribed 150mg Tramadol Slow Release - and I have to say that when I first took one it really made me feel amazing. The main characteristics were;

• A general feeling of warmth and kindness towards others.
• More focussed, task oriented, and generally had a great effect on my productivity.
• A real feeling of optimism and just being in a great mood.

My question is which of these can I attribute to the Opiate effects of Tramadol and which can I attribute to the SNRI effects?

The reason I ask is that for the first few times I took tramadol, I really truly felt like I was me again. I remember thinking to myself "this is how I'm supposed to feel normally". It was as if all my shitty thoughts and general pessimism etc just disappeared and I was once again a happy, friendly, optimistic person.

THEN

The more I read on Bluelight and some other sites about the SNRI effects of tramadol and the potential for it to be used as an antidepressant, I started wondering - is there ANOTHER antidepressant out there somewhere that could make the same shift for me in terms of the mood / optimism / feeling normal again thing.

I have struggled with depression in the past and tried a number of different antidepressants but none of them have made any real difference to me. After trying and failing to get one that worked I just sort of resigned and told myself that I had dysthymia (low level moderate depression), but after having these experiences with tramadol it's really made me question whether or not I should just accept that I am someone with dysthymia and that's just the way it is or whether I should keep searching for an antidepressant that can have at least a similar effect on my mood and outlook as tramadol does?

Anyone care to shed any light on this? I'd love to hear from anyone that's had even a slightly similar experience!

Cheers

bob

 

[Rooster17]

Being completely honest I would get as far away from tramadol as possible. I have to say it is amazing for depression and anxiety. Made me feel normal and got rid of some pain. But after deciding to take a break so I didn't become dependant I found out I already am. After only a month. The withdrawals are horrible. Worse than any other drug has given me. It's not worth it at all. Just a thought. Read threads about the withdrawals it's accurate and should scare the shit out of you.

 

[vacuole]

^ the post above is pretty much right-on.

There is a certain subset of people who respond amazingly to tramadol's combination of SNRI and synthetic opioid effects; I am one of them. Speaking personally, I never gleaned similar antidepressant effects from taking Effexor, though I'm sure a doctor would tell me that I should try different ones until I found one that works -- which has always struck me as ridiculous. The cycle of going on and off antidepressants is a hellish ordeal for anyone, which is why most people never stop taking them.

Most opiates/opioids are double-edged swords, but tramadol's edge is exceedingly sharp. The SNRI effects are to blame for this; unless you plan to be on this substance for the rest of your life (and, I assure you, the risk/reward ratio will tilt heavily toward the former, especially with the substance's propensity for inspiring seizures -- which I've seen happen), you're going to reach a point where it's scary to even think about coming off of it. I know that I was confident on tramadol, social (I have antisocial tendencies), and felt a weird sort of speedball effect that I loved -- I could sit around and relax just as well as I could stand up and be productive.

But the withdrawal . . . it can't be understated. Extreme depression and anhedonia, brain zaps, compelling feelings of doom, severe mood swings, and hell, most of that is the least of it. I promised myself to never subject myself to those effects again, and now the rare times that tramadol falls in my lap, I'll use it once or twice and then never again. I really can't stress how debilitatingly awful and spirit crushing those withdrawals are. It's a shame, too, though as of late I'm far less enamored of the substance.

 

[bobcat99]

Thanks for the responses.

I don't plan on using Tramadol as an antidepressant as I have already read at length on Bluelight about Tolerance and Withdrawal. I'm more interested to learn if there are any other drugs that can give a similar effect on mood, but which CAN be used daily without many negative effects.

Vacuole - I do think that I am one of those people who respond amazingly to the combination. I do notice tolerance building extremely quickly and I am limiting myself to taking it only every 3 days so as to to prevent any tolerance building, and any withdrawals from occurring.

Since writing this post I have discovered that Tramadol is not in fact an SNRI, but rather it is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor and a Serotonin Releasing Agent. If this is the case it would certainly explain WHY tramadol has a much bigger effect on my mood than any antidepressant has ever had.

If it is a Serotonin Releasing Agent rather than a Serotonin Reuptake inhibitor then it's acting more like a very small dose of MDMA than an SSRI like prozac for example.

Have to say - I'm a little disappointed.