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Hello. My husband is addicted to Tramadol. He has chronic back pain but I wish he would find other ways to manage it. He has a cycle that seems strange to me - he'll get Tramadol, take it for a few days until he realizes that he can't stop taking too many, stop them, and go through withdrawal. He has stolen pills from me. I have narcotics sometimes because I have severe endometriosis, but I only take them on the one or two days a month when I feel the most pain.
He didn't take any for months, but then he just got a new prescription for them a couple of weeks ago. He told the doctor he was in pain. The same cycle happened. This time, he admitted he has no self-control, said he hated Tramadol because they influence him so much and because they have caused fights between us, and said he wasn't going to do them anymore (again). He is SO hard to live with during withdrawal.
He also got a prescription for Xanax from his doctor. He said they would help him with withdrawal and related anxiety. He got 30 of them, and they were supposed to last for a month, but they were gone in less than a week. He called the doctor to ask for more, and the doctor said he wanted him to come in. I went to the appointment and told the doctor everything - he didn't know how many Tramadols were taken, he didn't know about the Internet pharmacy he's used, etc. He told my husband that he had many signs of addiction, and he asked my husband if he would go to rehab, and my husband said no because he would never open up to a counselor and because we're about to move. He was mad at me for telling the doctor everything, but the doctor was already suspecting something since he asked for more Xanax so soon, and I'm not sure why it would really help you to lie to your doctor. The doctor prescribed an antidepressant and pills for restless legs syndrome.
He's been off the Tramadol and the Xanax for a few days now (I think) and despite all the trouble the Tramadol has caused him, I was really surprised and hurt when he told me yesterday that his back hurt and that he was sorry he threw away the Tramadol because it's the only thing that makes him feel better. It bothered me so much I could barely talk to him yesterday, and today felt strange at home too.
He is also having sexual problems. I am afraid this is related to all the damage done by the pill use. He took Viagra once and it didn't work and he won't try it again. He also smokes, drinks at least 3 bottles of 20 oz. Pepsi a day, and generally has a bad diet. I would feel horrible if I treated myself that way, and I think he stumbles around in a stupor most of the time because he mostly won't eat normal meals and consumes way too much sugar and caffeine.
This has cost him his relationship with his family, and it certainly isn't helping our relationship. I believe we love each other, but I feel alone, anxious, and worried.
Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? What can I do to take care of myself?
<3
geranium
He didn't take any for months, but then he just got a new prescription for them a couple of weeks ago. He told the doctor he was in pain. The same cycle happened. This time, he admitted he has no self-control, said he hated Tramadol because they influence him so much and because they have caused fights between us, and said he wasn't going to do them anymore (again). He is SO hard to live with during withdrawal.
He also got a prescription for Xanax from his doctor. He said they would help him with withdrawal and related anxiety. He got 30 of them, and they were supposed to last for a month, but they were gone in less than a week. He called the doctor to ask for more, and the doctor said he wanted him to come in. I went to the appointment and told the doctor everything - he didn't know how many Tramadols were taken, he didn't know about the Internet pharmacy he's used, etc. He told my husband that he had many signs of addiction, and he asked my husband if he would go to rehab, and my husband said no because he would never open up to a counselor and because we're about to move. He was mad at me for telling the doctor everything, but the doctor was already suspecting something since he asked for more Xanax so soon, and I'm not sure why it would really help you to lie to your doctor. The doctor prescribed an antidepressant and pills for restless legs syndrome.
He's been off the Tramadol and the Xanax for a few days now (I think) and despite all the trouble the Tramadol has caused him, I was really surprised and hurt when he told me yesterday that his back hurt and that he was sorry he threw away the Tramadol because it's the only thing that makes him feel better. It bothered me so much I could barely talk to him yesterday, and today felt strange at home too.
He is also having sexual problems. I am afraid this is related to all the damage done by the pill use. He took Viagra once and it didn't work and he won't try it again. He also smokes, drinks at least 3 bottles of 20 oz. Pepsi a day, and generally has a bad diet. I would feel horrible if I treated myself that way, and I think he stumbles around in a stupor most of the time because he mostly won't eat normal meals and consumes way too much sugar and caffeine.
This has cost him his relationship with his family, and it certainly isn't helping our relationship. I believe we love each other, but I feel alone, anxious, and worried.
Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? What can I do to take care of myself?
<3
geranium
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ontario
Posts: 180
Hi G, welcome and thanks for posting.
The best thing you can do is take care of yourself. You can't force him to go get help. Even if he gets help, addiction is a disease that will never go away. He may not be using, but he will always be an addict.
I haven't figured out what I should do, and can't tell you what to do, but I'm here with you. Read some of the stickies about things addicts do, I thought they helped me understand that it isn't me, and it isn't AH, but it's addiction that causes a person to act in the ways your AH is acting.
Good for you for telling the doctor, but you can't make it your problem. There's always another way around you and your roadblocks, unfortunately. You cannot choose how anyone behaves, but yourself. No one can choose how you feel, but you.
The best thing you can do is take care of yourself. You can't force him to go get help. Even if he gets help, addiction is a disease that will never go away. He may not be using, but he will always be an addict.
I haven't figured out what I should do, and can't tell you what to do, but I'm here with you. Read some of the stickies about things addicts do, I thought they helped me understand that it isn't me, and it isn't AH, but it's addiction that causes a person to act in the ways your AH is acting.
Good for you for telling the doctor, but you can't make it your problem. There's always another way around you and your roadblocks, unfortunately. You cannot choose how anyone behaves, but yourself. No one can choose how you feel, but you.
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