Useing Tramadol to come off effexor

[Middleway]

I have been on effexor for about a month and have just run out. I have come off it successfully before using prozac and I was wondering if there is any reason why Tramadol being an SSRI shouldnt at least help as well. If I give the effexoe a day to clear my system there shouldnt be much risk of seritonin syndrome right?

 

[nabollocks]

There are studies to suggest that people withdrawing from Tramadol find help when administered effexor. I cannot see why it would not work the other way.

How did you run out of Effexor? Go and get yourself another script.

Why are you stopping your treatment? Have you talked to your treating MD? Don't play silly buggers with your brain!

 

[nabollocks]

Similar effects of tramadol and venlafaxine in major depressive disorder.Reeves RR, Cox SK.

Department of Mental Health, G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi 39216, USA. [email protected]

The analgesic tramadol has many characteristics in common with the antidepressant venlafaxine. The drugs are structurally similar, share both serotonergic and noradrenergic properties, and undergo a similar metabolic fate. In this study, a patient, who developed significant depression following cessation of tramadol after several years of therapy, is described. Her depression was then treated with venlafaxine with excellent response. It appears that tramadol may have provided a prophylactic antidepressant effect in this patient. Because of its similarities to venlafaxine, tramadol may possibly exert a degree of antidepressant effect in certain patients, particularly those with chronic pain.

 

[hugo24]

I have used Tramadol during the hellish withdrawal of Cymbalta,it worked very well,about two days no wd symptoms!

 

[nabollocks]

hugo24: It is great to see someone with 'real' experience with these drugs on BL.

It is definitely not ADD but can you please give us some more details about your use of Tramadol whilst in withdrawal from cymbalta? As I understand it Cymbalta is Effexors little cousin, so your experience would be a great asset to this site.

You said that it took away your symptoms for 2 days? What was the dose? Single or multiple? What were your symptoms after the tramadol use? Were they worse or less in terms of the way you felt?

I can definitely see how these drugs might be useful with withdrawal, but I am not sure as to the cross tolerance they exhibit when used in this manner.

Any more light you can shed on the subject would be appreciated.

 

[hugo24]

I wouldn't call Cymbalta the little cousin of effexor,rather the big brother,the effexor is just longer on the market and more is known.Duloxetine is very potent on both NAT and SERT...

I went down from 45mg Cymbalta which went good initially,the usual tapering offf.But then wd hit me quite hard (there are sites dedicated to this now...) and I couldn't split doses further (capsule) than taking 1 30mg capsule every other day or so .About two or three times,at least partially out of curiousity,I took 100mg Tramadol which eliminated wd effects almost immediately and,happily, lasted for almost two days!Probably as well correlated with its halflife.Btw,the Tram buzz was there as expected,meaning a little reduced because I was still on Trazodone for better sleep.

But I didn't want to change to Another dependance so I basically did the last weeks tapering off by opening the Cymbalta capsules and weighing the little pellets (I have read from someone else doing same with good results).This worked surprisingly good,and I must say I drove it down religiously gradual,to only one pellet in the end,yes it seemed that sensitive as when I got wd symptoms again,took 2-3 pellets and gone were the symptoms!Don't listen to those who say it is being inactivated in the stomach when you open the capsule,it might have a little altered pharmacodynamic,but thats all.

Without Tramadol,that seemed the best way going off,maybe one could improve this by using Tramadol in lower (50mg?Every other day?) doses,just for a silent support in the background,without going to the next dependancy.

 

[nabollocks]

cheers