Wondering about tramadol replacement

[gonewiththewindows]

Okay so I am prescribed wellbutrin and ritalin as well as ativan and ambien. i don't have anything at the moment and i recently gave up drinking because it just doesn't do it for me anymore. i also don't smoke pot. I have major depression or whatever it's called. it was trauma induced. i'm working through it with therapy and stuff and for a few years now i've been taking different antidepressants and wellbutrin seems to be the only one working. ritalin helps too i guess. but i'm out of everything now and i know the withdrawal from wellbutrin is slight compared to withdrawal from other ad's (such as effexor) so i'm not desperate at the moment but i'm also not feeling great. i'll be getting my meds soon but this last week i started messing around with tramadol. i've never messed around with pain killers before because benzos have thus far sufficed (or so i thought.) i took a few tramadol and i really loved the apathy i felt on it. i've eaten a month script worth of ativan(30 1mgs) before in a matter of days and never felt the disconnect that i feel on tramadol. i've never tried hallucinagens and don't really have the desire to. i don't want to mess around with pain killers either, but i have been majorly depressed for 3 years now and tramadol is the only thing that has literally just taken every worry away and left me feeling amazing. i took 7 50mgs last night (spacing them out between every few hours) and now it's 8pm and i still feel wonderful. it's nothing crazy but it's taken away every stress. but i did my research all day today and realized that i lucked out this week not seizing up on this stuff. i don't want to risk my health anymore than i already have. i understand that all meds carry a certain amount of risk, but tramadol seems to carry an excess amount of seizure risk. Are there any other meds like tramadol but that don't carry the large seizure risk with it? i know pain killers in general will probably be the answer but i don't want to deal with anything too addictive. what's a good alternative to tramadol? are there any? and how does it take away all negative emotion? i mean it's a literal miracle drug. it's not like stimulant high where there's a come down afterwards. all week i have felt 'great.' i know its half bodies are long or whatever, and that it's a pain killer + anti depressant. is that the secret? sorry if this post is confusing, i've never posted on this or any forum before but this tramadol has me reeling, in a positive way. And whenever i'm searching for info about meds this site always comes up and helps.

 

[Bluesbreaker]

Could you break down your text to three or four paragraphs please, because the truth is, a "wall of text" will never be read by anybody.

edit: not trying to be rude, that wasn't my intention

 

[WantToBeReborn]

Tramadol is an opiate based, addictive drug, not too dissimilar to morphine and heroin and is not prescribed as an anti-depressant. Some opiates are partial agonists, some are full agonists, however they all produce euphoria at first. 350mg is a large dose for someone with little to no tolerance and mixing Tramadol with other meds, especially sedating meds, without medical advice is highly dangerous. You could overdose or have a seizure if you continue with huge doses with no real tolerance. Addiction and/or physical dependence is inevitable with prolonged use of opiate pain meds and therein can lead to severe intractable depression due to altered brain chemistry.

The euphoria you describe is common initially with opiate based painkillers, however with prolonged use, the euphoria disappears and the user/addict needs increasing doses just to feel "normal" and stave off withdrawal. The increasing doses become dangerous and seizure/overdose risk heightens. Increased Tramadol use is associated with increased morbidity, seizures and dependence. Opiates can also cause severe constipation, especially in sedentary/immobile people and the elderly. Indeed, in some instances, bowel obstruction occurs with prolonged use and emergency surgery is required.

I would urge you to discontinue use of this addictive drug immediately and return to your physican for a review.

 

[Bearlove]

Tramadol doesn't carry that high a risk of seizures unless it is abused or the dose your taking starts to get in the hundreds of mg range. 50 - 100 - 150mgs is a relative safe dose. What you have to consider is that Tramadol can lower the seizure thresholds of other drugs also so you need to keep a check on all your other medications.

It is addictive and a tolerance can build fairly quickly so it's not a miracle drug and its not without its own set of side effects and risks.

Tramadol isn't normally prescribed for depression and is usually offered as a pain relieve med - if you use a search engine most people talk about its opiate like high that removes anxiety (in some people) and this is why they think its good for depression. Starting opiate's for depression could start you on a downward spiral so tread carefully.

 

[gonewiththewindows]

I did not take that as a rude comment, only as good advice so thank you. I think i got the info i needed by the other two repliers but in case you can shed some light as well i'll break it down. i have a rambling problem so i'm not surprised you commented on that ahah.

okay. to be as basic as possible. i'm not prescribed tramadol but i used it this past week for a few nights because i was out of my regular meds (wellbutrin, ritalin, ativan, and ambien.)

i have major depressive disorder and so being off of all my meds made me more out of my head than usual. every night i took the tramadol i had an incredible experience. all my worries were gone, straight up euphoria. usually no matter what i'm on i still carry the risk of having unpleasant flashbacks of the event that sent me spiraling in the first place. on tramadol nothing entered my head, the closest thing i can compare it to is molly, only w/out the awful comedown.

i got my wellbutrin today and took my prescribed dose (300mgs a day.) i also took adderall today. i wasn't planning on taking tramadol again because of the associated risks, especially in combination with wellbutrin and adderall. i'm toying with the idea of taking it again once the adderall wears off. initially i wanted to know if there are any other meds that have the same euphoric effects of tramadol but sans the enormous seizure risk. now i'm also wondering for today is it relatively safe to take 200mgs?

The replier bearlove says up to 150 is a relatively safe dose. i know it's unwise but i risk it when it comes to a lot of meds pushing the boundary of what is considered a safe dose to take. but what worries me about tramadol is the amount of stories i've read about ppl having seizures on it. i only have maybe 7 (50mgs each) of them left anyway, if that. can i risk another 200-250 dose? or am i playing with fire?

as user bearlove said, starting opiates for depression could start me on a downward spiral. so i think if i ever use any opiates again it will only be these last 7 i have. but i don't know how big of a risk it is to take 200-250 mgs. Is it risky the same way taking too many stimulants is risky? or like taking too much ambien? i know all of these are serious meds. but is excess tramadol more serious than excess stimulants or downers? how about if i stayed in the 150-200 range? i know the best bet would be to not take them at all.

i also read of first person experiences by people who started having seizures at 150mgs. so i really don't know. this is the only week i have taken them, and i don't plan on continuing after my 7 are done if that makes a difference. i would like to note that i have no intention of going up to 350 or even beyond 250 again because i realize i was being facetious with those doses and am lucky nothing serious happened. i only wanted to feel great, which is the same dilemma i'm in now. but now i'm worried about the consequences.

i think even though i broke my original post down to several paragraphs it still came out too long and unreadable. if that's the case i'm sorry! i don't expect it to be read. i will be really grateful though if i get some useful feedback.

edit: i thought i had 7 left i just checked i only have 5, so basically how big of a risk is a 250mg dose?

 

[Bearlove]

The problem with Tramadol is its so unpredictable - it's impossible to say 200mgs is a safe dose as you can be fine one day on that dose and the next time have a horrible experience. I'm one of the people who enjoy Tramadol and have had some horrible effects on relatively low doses of 100mgs - from the same box, same strip of pills where I have had no previous problems.

The maximum dosage per day is suggested at 400mgs but its always in doses of 100mgs (some sites suggest starting as low as 25mgs and working your way up). I personally have found no great gain on taking more than 100mgs in a single dose as feel more than 100 mgs comes with an uncomfortable body load for me.

250mgs is not really a dangerous dose by itself - but you have to take into consideration what else your taking and think about what you stand to gain from this 'one off' use? Most people who mention seizures etc are taking large doses at one 400mgs upwards but low dose seizures are possible.

Your first post you spaced your dose out by 50mgs at each step and felt wonderful - why not just repeat that ? Start on 100mgs and then you have three more pills IF you need them ?

 

[gonewiththewindows]

Thanks Bearlove, that's exactly what i'll do. Starting w/100mgs and working my way up if the need arises. It's so obvious and it didn't even occur to me because i always expect instant gratification but I forgot that w/tramadol because it lasts so long you can piggyback without worrying that what you're looking for has passed. Thank so much!

 

[Bob Loblaw]

~> OhDee

 

[Factin]

Maybe you can try Tramadol alternatives offer a variety of medical methods including: braces, corsets, collars, physical exercise, pain management techniques, relaxation, aromatherapy, physiotherapy, spinal epidural steroid, nerve blocks, acupuncture, ultrasound, biofeedback and herbal remedies. Not pretty sure about it.

 

[flyhighk]

Imo you should talk to your doc about it. Tramadol and bupe are rarely used for treatment resistant depression, but they definitely work. AFAIK, tramadol is the only widely available "opioid" with SNRI properties. So it may be a good choice to use long term... at low doses.

 

[bunge]

I cant see your doctor being happy about prescribing tramadol to treat depression. That isnt what its licensed for and although doctors can prescribe beyond license, I highly doubt they will want to add a drug that lowers seizure threshold alongside two other drugs that do the same (ritalin and wellbutrin).
As above posters said, this amazing feeling your getting from the tramadol will be short-lived and by the time the magic wears off you will be dependant.
I was dependant on tramadol myself a few years ago. It eliminated my nerve pain completely, lifted my mood and gave me loads of energy.
I was enamored with the drug and thought it was perfect.
Then one day, it stopped working, It still killed my pain but I lost the high.
So, being the clever so-and-so I am I decided to take more..and more...and more, until it wreaked my appetite and sleep. I started to lose weight etc until I realized id lost over a stone and got scared enough to kick it.
Btw, some of the worst withdrawals ive ever experienced (and ive done a few.lol), panicattacks, pain, insomnia, shakes etc etc.
Opioids arent the answer for longterm treatment of depression, just as benzos arent the answer for longterm severe anxiety.
How come you ran out of all your meds?
Taking extra and running out of depression meds is a really bad idea.