• 💊 OTHER DRUGS 💊 Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Notable Threads 1 Notable Threads 2
    Dangerous Combos Addiction Support
    Emergency Services Benzo Guide v.1
    Addiction Stories Scary Case Studies
    Biology, Pharmacology & Drugs 101
  • Select Your Topic Then Scroll Down
    Alcohol Bupe Benzos
    Cocaine Heroin Opioids
    RCs Stimulants Misc
    Harm Reduction All Topics Gabapentinoids
    Tired of your habit? Struggling to cope?
    Want to regain control or get sober?
    Visit our Recovery Support Forums

Opioids Tramadol as an antidepressant and withdrawal vs SSRI's

As others have said, Opioids do not make good antidepressants. Often times though, antidepressants don't make good antidepressants. SSRI's work sometimes, but are frequently "not enough" and side effects of varying shades are well known and even expected i.e. sexual dysfunction.

I too believe that Tramadol as an Opioid/SNRI doesnt make a good choice. I predict dose escalation and subsequent abandonment of the treatment in the future. SNRI's in general though are known for potentially difficult withdrawal syndromes.
 
Googie Withers said:
I've been using Tram for nearly ten years. It still gives me that extra bit of motivation but I would like to stop taking it as it's costing me a fortune. How long does withdrawal take. Appreciate any guidance.
Click to expand...

I can't give a definitive answer to this because I was also withdrawing from benzos at the time but the worst of the tramadol withdrawal side effects seemed to go away after a week or 10 days. The ones that I remember most were restless legs and insomnia and sweating. Also, during this period my depression became very bad. Because I was also withdrawing from Xanax it was hard to tell when the tramadol withdrawal effects ended because I also had the benzo withdrawals which persisted for much much longer.
You could try making a new thread if you haven't already and hopefully people will chime in with a more definitive answer to this and advice.
 
Keif' Richards said:
As others have said, Opioids do not make good antidepressants. Often times though, antidepressants don't make good antidepressants. SSRI's work sometimes, but are frequently "not enough" and side effects of varying shades are well known and even expected i.e. sexual dysfunction.

I too believe that Tramadol as an Opioid/SNRI doesnt make a good choice. I predict dose escalation and subsequent abandonment of the treatment in the future. SNRI's in general though are known for potentially difficult withdrawal syndromes.
Click to expand...

Thanks. It's for this reason that I don't want to take SNRI's.

I've actually stopped taking the Tramadol every other day now because I was getting withdrawals on my off days. I'll have to look at other avenues for now but will keep tramadol on hand for if I'm having a very bad depressive episode which I know it can pull me out of within an hour or two. Unfortunately once every so often is all it's really good for, at least for me anyway.
 
Oasis100 said:
I can't give a definitive answer to this because I was also withdrawing from benzos at the time but the worst of the tramadol withdrawal side effects seemed to go away after a week or 10 days. The ones that I remember most were restless legs and insomnia and sweating. Also, during this period my depression became very bad. Because I was also withdrawing from Xanax it was hard to tell when the tramadol withdrawal effects ended because I also had the benzo withdrawals which persisted for much much longer.
You could try making a new thread if you haven't already and hopefully people will chime in with a more definitive answer to this and advice.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your interesting post. A new thread is a good idea as things are more complicated when you throw benzos (xanax in my case) and alcohol into the mix. I just wish it wasn't so enjoyable sometimes. Particularly after keeping up with depressing current affairs.
 
I would also like to use Tramadol as an antidepressant but I always end up abusing it and taking large doses.

Withdrawal from Tramadol affected me much more than that of antidepressants: extreme fatigue, depression, anxiety, insomnia, monstrous appetite, weight gain, eye twitching. In fact, I was able to stop taking Sertraline and Venlafaxine after two years without properly tapering them and withdrawal symptoms did not make me feel like crap such as Tramadol wd.
 
supersonic89 said:
I would also like to use Tramadol as an antidepressant but I always end up abusing it and taking large doses.

Withdrawal from Tramadol affected me much more than that of antidepressants: extreme fatigue, depression, anxiety, insomnia, monstrous appetite, weight gain, eye twitching. In fact, I was able to stop taking Sertraline and Venlafaxine after two years without properly tapering them and withdrawal symptoms did not make me feel like crap such as Tramadol wd.
Click to expand...


It's disappointing that Tramadol isn't really suitable for long term treatment for depression, at least for me anyway, as it is so effective at combatting it.
Having said that, there do seem to be people that can have long term success with it, having read the reviews for it on various websites.
I personally have stopped taking it now due to having withdrawals on the days that I wasn't taking it. They were only mild but I was at a point where I either take it every day or not take it at all.
Now I will keep it on hand for if I'm having a really bad depressive episode as it can pull me out of it quickly, but if I do take it I won't take it again for at least a week. It's a useful tool to have but it's potential for addiction and abuse are it's big downside.
 
Oasis100 said:
It's disappointing that Tramadol isn't really suitable for long term treatment for depression, at least for me anyway, as it is so effective at combatting it.
Having said that, there do seem to be people that can have long term success with it, having read the reviews for it on various websites.
I personally have stopped taking it now due to having withdrawals on the days that I wasn't taking it. They were only mild but I was at a point where I either take it every day or not take it at all.
Now I will keep it on hand for if I'm having a really bad depressive episode as it can pull me out of it quickly, but if I do take it I won't take it again for at least a week. It's a useful tool to have but it's potential for addiction and abuse are it's big downside.
Click to expand...

Can I ask you what dose of Tramadol you take?
 
Oasis100 said:
Hi. Only 50mg instant release.
Click to expand...

Wow. That is really a low dose.

I'm glad you can control your consumption. I don't know if I could.

The best thing about Tramadol is that it acts immediately as an antidepressant, you don't have to wait two or three weeks for it to take effect like SSRIs.
 
supersonic89 said:
Wow. That is really a low dose.

I'm glad you can control your consumption. I don't know if I could.

The best thing about Tramadol is that it acts immediately as an antidepressant, you don't have to wait two or three weeks for it to take effect like SSRIs.
Click to expand...

Yes, I don't have any tolerance at the moment. Years ago I was taking 100 mg every few hours I think, but at that time I was also taking benzo's and was a heavy drinker so I can't remember how much it was affecting my depression.
This time around I thought I would try it alone as an antidepressant as I no longer drink heavy regularly or take benzos. But the tolerance built after just a few weeks so I had to decide if I wanted to go back on it permanently every day or stop.
I was aware that I probably couldn't continue taking only 50 mg every day and would soon probably be titrating up again which I'm not really prepared to do. So now I will take it only occasionally if I'm at a really low point.
Like you say, the best thing about it is that it acts immediately. I only wish it wasn't so addictive as it's otherwise a great drug.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top