SilverSparkCat

I've been clean off Oxy for 32 days now. My chronic facial pain came back like a vengeance about 4 days ago. I thought I would have to go the hospital it was so severe. I went to see my pain specialist and she was very supportive of me getting off opiates. She gave me a free sample of 4 Tramadol. I really didn't want to take any pain killer but I was desperate. The Tramadol worked although I got an unpleasant loopiness from it.

I keep hearing conflicting reports about Tramadol. My dr said it was not an opiate which is why she could give me samples and that it wasn't addictive. My friend who is a pharamacology expert said I would have to taper down on it which I didn't like the sound of. A pharmacist told me that it shouldn't be taken long term like my dr was suggesting.

Does anybody have any experience with this med? I don't want to trade one addiction for another.

aeo1313

You can get a high off tramadol and it can easily be abused. I am so sorry to hear that your pain is back. i don't know anything about chronic pain, but I did abuse Tramadol when I didn't have any hydro.

CarolD

A recent broken arm made me use a small ammount of another pain med
then I was switched to the Tranadol. I got no high feeling from either...but
I took them exactly as prescribed and did taper off easily
No withdrawals or yearning for more.

However..my addiction is to alcohol...I have never been a pill abuser.

Hope you can work something out ....I do have chronic pain but it is caused by age
by arthritis and I can live with it Yours sounds much more severe
Gentle

.

Chrisy

I have chronic pain in my neck and shoulder which is in really bad shape. My shoulder is like a frayed rope and I have bone on bone. I get shots in my neck about every 6 months which help somewhat. I used to be a pharm. tech and tramadol is a non narcotic drug. I have good friends with fibro and they take that and have been on it for years. They only take it when they are in pain. They have never been addicted to it. I too have taken it over the years and never had a problem. I would trust your doctor.

There is an ointment that I rub on my shoulder and neck that does help that is something that you might want to discuss with your doctor. Lidocaine ointment does help with the shoulder and neck pain. There might be an ointment that your doctor can perscribe that is also non narcotic.

I don't handle pain very well and when it comes to being in pain that is so bad I feel like I have been hit by a train, then I don't see anything wrong with taking tramadol.

Good luck and I hope you and your doctor can come up with a pain managment plan that works for you. I go to my pain managment doctor today. I was seeing if I could manage my pain with just the tramadol. Can't, so I will talk about other options.

Are you in constant pain or does your pain come and go. I would encourage you to be refered by your primary care doctor to a pain managment doctor. They will have you sign a contract. You have to give an account of every single pill.

Also If you feel like tramadol is to strong, you can cut it in half. My mom is on atavan for anxity and I cut them in half for her as she feels a whole one makes her fall asleep, if after 30 minutes she is still hasn't chilled down she takes another half. She is allowed 4 half's a day or two full pills a day.

when I was on the oxycodone I cut them in half too and only took a full one at night or if the pain is really bad that day.

Love and Blessings
Chrisy

keltie

My doctor also switched me from Norco to tramadol. Norco was my DOC, and instead of going cold turkey from it when i quit, my doctor gave me the tramadol to both help with pain AND any withdrawals.

I don't abuse tramadol like I did with the norcos...however, in my experience you DO need to taper off it. When I tried to severely cut back my tram's I felt so depressed that I felt like my body couldn't even move. So talk to your doctor some more and do be careful.

BTW, congrats on your 32 days clean- that is wonderful!!

lostgirl25

Tramadol is addictive. Just read posts on this forum. Unfortunately not all doctors do their homework. Be extra vigilant of any pain meds.

istherehope999

Tramadol is addictive, and the w/ds are horrible as Tramadol also affects serotonin. If your stop after taking it even for a couple weeks, it can throw you into a merciless depression....at least it did for me. I don't buy that it is not a narcotic....it acts on the same opiate receptors that other painkillers do, and it is a "controlled substance" in other countries. Please be careful with this drug, it is not to be messed with!!

SilverSparkCat

Hi Chrisy,

I have chronic facial pain due to nerve damage. The pain is all day everyday. I've being seeing a pain specialist for 8 yrs now. Nerve pain is one of the hardest pains to treat and I've tried every non addictive and opiate over the last 8 yrs. Oxy was the only one that worked but even then it only took the edge off.

I was already on 320 mg a day so my doctor refused(with good reason) to increase the dosage. Which is why I started abusing by taking more of them bc like you, I simply can't endure the pain. I finally quit bc I simply couldn't handle the physical dependence anymore and they weren't helping with the pain.

One ointment that I found that works is peppermint oil...it also works on my neck when it's sore.

Thanks for your advice on Tramadol. If I decide to take it then I will be very careful not to abuse it and only take it for the worst of my pains.

My doctor also gave me some Cymbalta to try but that takes over a week to help with pain. Luckily, there are new non addictive meds that I've never tried and my doctor said she won't stop until she finds something that will help. Good luck at your appointment today. LMK if you find something that works!

SilverSparkCat

Thank you to all the posters who have warned me about Tramadol. I'm shocked at how many conflicting answers I've gotten from professionals.

I havent decided whether to take this med but I'm glad to be warned that it can be addictive, you must taper and warned of depression after going off it.

I will be extra vigilante about Tramadol...thanks to all!

kait32

I beg you NOT to get used to taking the tramadol. A few years back I became addicted and was up to 6 pills a day after 8 months. When I quit, I literally thought I was going to die. I had to have my mother care for me. It took 2 weeks for me to start to feel halfway normal. I cried uncontrollably and wanted to die! I vowed I would warn everyone I could. The doctors don't get it. In fact when I went to my doctor they didn't believe me and said I must be abusing something else. I am on my 4th day of coming off hydros and the withdrawals were NOTHING compared to tramadol! Please, please don't continue to take it regularly!!

Stopdropburn

I hate when doctors blatantly lie about this stuff. *IT IS AN OPIATE* PERIOD. It's just a very weak μ-opioid receptor agonist.....but it's still an opiate none the less. And it can definitely be used just as effectively as other opiates, just maybe not with the same intense punch. I used it heavily in times when I couldn't get my normal DOC's....it may not be strong enough for heavy users, but it will do exactly what they need/want it to do. And I would recommend a taper plan just the same with it. Good luck with your treatment.

istherehope999

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istherehope999

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istherehope999

I second what kait32 said.....I had a very similar experience when trying to get off Tramadol.

SilverSparkCat

kait, thank you and others for the very strong warning.

I've only taken 4 samples of 100 mg in 4 days that my dr gave me. There is a prescription waiting for me at the pharmacy and I'm not picking it up. I just went thru the hell of Oxy wd....Tramadol wd NO thanks. I know myself well enough to know that I have issues taking opiates responsibly.

I have pain everyday but only 1-2 pain attacks a week that are unbearable. I MIGHT consider ordering 2 just for those attacks. All the warnings have made me think I shouldn't even do that.

Warning heard and understood...thanks!

Stopdropburn

@SSC That's good to hear. Additionally, not that it needs to be said now, but for the sake of the conversation - Once a habit has started on Tramadol, and becomes bad, a lot of people don't know how different of an opiate it really is, but I learned when I took too much too fast one morning, and found myself on the frozen, snow-covered concrete looking up at paramedics preparing the gurney to get me in the ER for the self-induced seizure.....super great stuff. It's made out to be so innocent and safe, it's really no better than anything else. Glad you're taking the good advice being given here. Good luck to you.

MassCasualty

Just the usual tramadol is the devil post here!

I started taking it for a torn labrum and biceps tendon after I injured the original repair. I was on it (200mg ER tab) for 9 months. My doctor cut me off cold turkey (Yeah, he likes to do that) And said go see an ortho about getting it fixed again. I spent a month in horrible pain and the worst depression I could ever imagine. Honestly can't believe I didn't kill myself. I am doing better now, but still dealing with PAWS daily. I kicked Norco so much easier than the ultram. Go back to the ortho in 2 weeks to find out if surgery would help me or not. It is really bad because my career is on the line. Can't have a firefighter who can not lift his hand up high enough to climb a ladder. The ultram really did help deal with it, but I will NEVER EVER touch that again. Please be extremely cautious when taking it.

tomsteve

tramadol isnt an opiate( natural). it is an opoid( synthetic, made in a lab). it acts on the same receptors in the brain as heroin. it can be extremely addictive and deadly. i have seen many people go through detox that started through a script from a doctor, then addiction kicked in.
its really not trading one addiction for another. addiction is addiction is addiction.