Can tramadol get you high like opiates?
Question posted by legolas on 17 Sep 2010
Last updated on 15 September 2023
This question has also been asked and answered here: Does tramadol cause a high if abused?
35 Answers Page 2
I've been on tramadol for a few years due to back pain. At first it made me feel high but eventually it just made the pain ease off. So yea if you take enough you will get high but I wouldn't recommended it. If your just starting I'd stop and find another way to deal with the pain. I wish I'd never started but I stay in pain with my back.
Tramadol only works on 1/2 of the population. I had an ex bf put him right out, I on the hand it did nothing for my pain. If you take a large amount it will induce a seizure. My ex had one. after taking 7 of them. It was scary
Tramadol can cause a high if you take an overdose it's not the same high as say oxy or hydro some say it's a better high more people say they don't like it as much
Yes but only depending on the dosage. Use caution when taking this medicine though because I ended up building a tolerance, taking to much and having a seizure. Very scary experience.
I was rear ended at 50mph at a red light... on percocet for a while..than vicodin for a while... helped with pain but made me feel crazy..was put on tramadol 50mg 3 times a day after getting out of rehap center... still taking 50mg twice a day... I think it makes me less depressed there is some research on this on the web... going to ask my neurolgist about this Anyone try relatively low dose tramadol for depression?
Well, I have been using tramadol for about 4 months now. It works great for my tension headaches which I have had forever. It does no good on the monthly migrane days though. It did make me very "up" the first 2 days I took it. Since then it just takes away my pain and usually puts me in a good mood. I used to take effexor which never put me in a good mood and was really difficult to come off of. The stories I read about getting off of tramadol and the siezures really scares me, so I will try to keep my usage to a minimal.
I have a question about tramadol my doctor took me off lortabs and prescribed me them but they are not helping me with my pain. Do I need to take something else with or what? My body is not used to this medicine and I have been taking lortabs for some years. So can someone please help me with this?
I have had 5 back surgeries, I take tramadol for pain, although i haven’t had any since May, I refilled my script in January, they only 60 tablets, I take Tylenol instead, I do feel that sometimes I am dizzy and tired, is this a result of not having the tramadol
I have been prescribed Tramadol for almost a year for knee and back pain, the beginning of arthritis the doctor thinks. I don't take them all day long every day now because the pain has subsided quite a bit. I only take it when I'm in pain. I have the 50 MG tab. I did take one every eight hours the first couple of months, per the prescription. I'm allowed to double up on it if the pain persists, after taking one. I've never taken more than 3 at a time. So far I've not had a single problem with it. It helps with headaches too, but plain old Tylenol or aspirin or Aleve works just as well for my headaches. I've never noticed any "high", but maybe that only comes if way too many are taken I guess. I have ranitidine for upset stomach but hardly ever need it.
I have been on pain meds prescribed o just bought them for over 20 year. It started further back when I was 13 for migraines. It was Fioricet. I have taken them for 27 yrs now. Almost 1 yr ago something snapped in me (psych wise)and I am now an amputee. My pain med doc ramped me up to 450 8mg dilaudid (syn morphine) per month, 240 30mg oxy a month. And the list goes on... flexeril, Xanax... ALL AT THE Same time! Six days ago, I stopped flushed it all and am just on the Fioricet and just got some tramadol. I wish I was exaggerating, but I am NOT. Please, anyone with any advice-help me here?
@sicNTird inbox me I know your answer is old but I can help.. I’m recovering as well
My gf just got some and they make her throat swell up but I got some a couple years ago for my back .
If they made her throat swell up she is allergic to something n them & should never ever taek them again. For yourself, if you are taking them to get high, please go back & read my comment above & read the link to tramadol in blue. Just click on it & read it through. they are very addictive, & can cause seizures. have ou not read what these people are saying... Mary
No Mary I said I took some in the past for my bk. Did u nit read the comment
Ok, you are right! Sorry... Mary
Hello Mary,
Thank you for your concern but I am well aware of the side effects of tramadol now. My drugs were prescribed for chronic pain but I soon began abusing them to get high. Doctors should never prescribe these types of medications to person with noted mental health issues, higher potential for abuse, but we are also responsible for our own health. I struggled with Major Depression symptoms for years and was using these drugs to make myself feel "normal" again.
I was at a very high dosage, 300 mg, not to mention i was abusing it, but I was forced stop cold turkey because of the seizures caused by serotonin syndrome. I havent had any issues since. However, i also take neurontin, which can be used as a anti-seizure medication. As far as withdrawal symptoms, i had some but it was nothing compared to the withdrawal effects of a true narcotic like Narco and Lyrica.
You have to understand, you are talking to a person that was taking cocktails of 10 - 20 narcos, 10-12 lyricas and 12-13 tramadols - several times a day... Do not ask me I how I survived during those months, I didnt have my 1st seizure until 2 years after I started. I am very lucky to be alive.
However, you are also very right about withdrawal effects on a "normal" user, it has some very strong withdrawal symptoms for a drug that is considered a psuedo-narcotic. It needs to be prescribed with more caution. My doctor wasn't even aware of the fact that mixing anti-depressants like Cymbalta or Effexor (SSRI's) or Wellbutrin, is strongly discouraged because of the effect both drugs have on Serotonin levels in the brain. That is what causes the seizures... I had to tell MY doctor about it.
I am certainly glad you are ok now. Just fyi, Lyrica is also a seizure medication that is used off label for pain. I used it for a couple of years myself when it was approved for fibromyalgia. I had bad side effects from it & had to stop it suddenly, but did not get a seizure from it thank goodness. The problem with tramadol is that the drugs reps have touted it to doctors as the wonder drug for pain because it's not classed as a narcotic or opiate because it's synthetic. Most doctors are not even aware of the high rate of seizures it can cause at all because they either don't have the time or don't take the time to read about these drugs.They also do not realize how addictive it is. A lot of our members have been down this road with tramadol.I have given the link to lots of people & tell them to print it & show it to their doctors when they stop them cold turkey at high doses. It's totally ridiculous that doctors don't know these things about the medications they prescribe. Hope your back is better too... Mary
Now I understand why I didnt have the seizures earlier... I was taking as many Lyricas as I was tramadol's. when I stopped the Lyrica and still used Cymbalta plus Wellbutrin... the seizures started. Thank you for that.
You are most welcome!
I would like to share something with ya'll. I am a 20 year old college student and was poppin vicodin and tramadol (never together and both of which i was prescribed). i was heavily addicted to both. Well one day my dr gave me 240 tramadol at 50mg each. I was pretty excited but guess what... within 4 days I had a SEIZURE.
I had taken about 15 total within a few hours one day and started feeling dizzy, sweaty, confused, and light-headed. Well, my dad asked me to grab dinner for us so i took my dog with, left, and just i was leaving the drive-thru.. I blacked out. I woke up 15 minutes later in the back of an ambulance and i was absolutely out of mind. I was screaming and fighting the paramedics. Apparently it took 8 people to hold me down! I had blood on my shirt and all over my arm because they couldn't get the IV in because of my aggressive state.
Not to mention, I also bounced off three parked cars in that parking lot and really messed up my fathers truck.
Before this horrific incident, a friend asked me for some so i gave them to him. My heart dropped when i found out he also had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital.
Overdosing is something i never thought would happen to me I am ashamed it did. I keep it a secret.. that's how embarrassing i find it. To say the least, i'm very lucky to be alive and fortunate to not have hurt or killed anyone else. For god's sake, 2 minutes before i seized i was driving 55 mph down the highway! If you are going to take tramadol take it responsibly, although i would personally suggest not taking it at all.
bmann, THANK YOU for posting that! Too many doctors are prescribing tramadol without even knowing what it is becasue the drug co. reps have touted it as non narcotiec pain reliever. BS! Not only does it mix with your bodies chesitry to become opiate like in nature, but also has snri quatlities that can cause seizures,. I preach this to everyone who comes on here about tramadol "oh, I take 600mg a day" etc... please read the link below. ... Mary
https://www.drugs.com/tramadol.html
I also started having seizures after abusing cocktails of Norco/tramadol/lyrica on top of taking Cymbalta. I have sense sopped taking Norco and Lyrica but still used the tramadol. It was after my 3rd seizure that I realized I wasnt supposed to take cymbalta and tramadol ( and now Wellbutrin) in the 1st place... causes Serotonin Syndrome. U have to be very careful on drug interactions.
tacz, are you taking these to get high or becase you have chronic pain? Please go back to my previous comment & read the link in blue about tramodol. It is highly addictive, & can cause seizures if stopped abrutly. Please be careful using tramadol...
Well 750mg of Tramadol in one day.. is almost double the 400mg maximum for tramadol daily.
You can't blame a drug for something you did. They didn't do tests at the hospital in your blood to determine that you did in fact OD on tramadol?
Where I work you would have been a psych patient for that reason.
Scary these days.
I take Tramadol PRN for pain - very sharp pain in my stomach which is rarely needed since it diminishes fast usually & I have not had a problem with this medication. It's very helpful for me and I usually take it and go to sleep though since it does make me drowsy.
I realize everyone's not the same, however take the medications how your suppose to in the beginning and stick to it and you will not have anything to worry about.
FutureBSN,
For your info... the abuse occurred several years before. When I had the seizure I was taking it as prescribed amd yes I can blame the drug because of the interaction with the Cymbalta. I didnt even have seizures when I was taking upwards to10 at a time. I did that for almost two years and how I survived I had no clue but the drug interaction with cymbalta and wellbutrin caused the problem.
... and yes they took blood samples, that is how I found out about the drug interaction since the third seizure caused me to fall into a cabinet and break my shoulder, requiring surgery. They did all kinds of tests then. If i had taken the amount I used to I would have ended up in a psych ward or drug rehab.
It makes me mad that people come on here to ask questions about getting "high" this site is used to help ppl. Not for you to see if you can take a ton of tramadol and abuse it. Some ppl actually need tramadol to get through daily life. Thank you have a good day, come again
It makes me mad as well. This isn't a site to get ideas for what drugs to do, but get support from like minded individuals when we need help! I fully agree with you!
This is just my humble opinion, but I don't think anyone should rely on a substance to get them through daily life. In my long experience with drugs especially opiates I learned that living life on a drug isn't actually living. I am sympathetic toward your situations though contrary to my opinion, but i would rather die then become an addict again.
Why get butt hurt .People want to get a idea thats all.Your not here to get mad.THIS ain't yahoo or fox.
Glad to see that I'm not the only person on this site thinking its pathetic and wrong to share what can and will get you high... I came here to read some info on tramadol. I'm allergic to codeine. I wanted to know more about the medication than the pharmacy gave to me. I want proper information not lessons on how to abuse pills. Sadly addiction knows no boundaries.
COMPLETELY agree with rockgal!
Not all of us are wanting to know for the reason of this medication getting us 'high'. I am on the medication and before I started taking it I wanted to make sure it doesn't get you high. I defiantly do not want to be feeling that way while on the medication!! So excusseeeee us for trying to protect ourselves!!
mikal99 agreed
To everyone wanting to take this medication becuase of the fact that it gets you high... DO NOT. This is very dangerous. So many things could go wrong so PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICATION TO GET HIGH!! Thank you. Have a great day you all
DON'T TAKE IT TO GET HIGH!!! I've taken opiates before for various injuries, etc, I've never become addicted to them like I did Tramadol. They are a helluva drug to try to come off of once you start taking them! Don't even start or you'll be in for some serious withdrawals!
I found out later on that Effexor was similar in structure to Tramadol and I was using Effexor at the time. One thing I am real disgusted with is that the medical community didn't take the Effexor withdrawl that seriously. At this time I use 30 mg of hydrocodone/day. When I stop temporarily the symptoms are mild and not too uncomfortable. The symptoms from stopping Effexor abruptly I think in some ways are comparable to narcotics. Except the psychological is worse. Now I use Pristiq, similiar to Effexor. The same peril can exist if I go more than 36 hours w/o. I still think the narcotics that are closer to natural are safer. One just must prepare to taper down and work closely with your Doctor if you have control issues. I once had a Doctor who was willing to give me a few days to a week medication at a time to help get off them(narcotics) before. -Good Luck-
Is Effexor an ssni? That completely makes sense that it would feel the same as the tram withdrawal. It's a tough road and doctors don't really care about any kind of withdrawal unless it's a narcotic. Everyone is different... different people react to meds in their own way. Why don't they get that?! Our withdrawals are as bad for us as a heroin addict's withdrawals are for them... but because it's "just a regular med", we get no sympathy or help from them! I'm sorry you're going through this, but just keep at it! I'm here if you need to chat! :)
yeah snri is a tramadol relative.
Ive been taking tramadol for 4 years... Approximately 10-15 a day... Im detoxing off of them as we speak (or type). Im on my 4th day and ive been weaning myself off... The only withdrawl i have it diahreah (which is tolerable with over the counter drugs) but the INSOMNIA is HELL!!! Ive only been taking two a day for the past four days and believe it or not i dont feel too bad, besides when trying to sleep. If ur going to get off of them i highly recommend clonidin (clonazepam) for the anxiety... It has helped me tremendously! I also was taking methadone, perks, vics, anything i could get my hands on... If u can come across clonipin i strongly suggest it... My withdrawls arent bad at all considering how many opiates i was taking.
I have been taking Cymbalta, another SNRI, for ten years. Because it was so expensive after I lost my job, I tried to ween myself off of it but the withdrawal effects were too strong too cope. The medical community has finally labeled the withdrawal symptoms as Serotonin Syndrome, I dont think i can ever come of the drug now. It ticks me off because I was forced too take it while I was in the hospital but wasnt advised of the powerful withdrawal effects. You almost need to be in a hospital to handle the symptoms.
I abused the narcotic, Norco, for several years and the withdrawal effects of that narcotic was nothing compared to the Cymbalta. Withdrawing from most SNRI's has to be closely monitored because it can bring on suicidal tendacies. I think that makes it just as bad as the narcotics and I think the medical community needs to educate the public about it before administering it. People committed to mental institutions are forced on these medications without being told of the withdrawal effects... very, very wrong to me.
I'm a RN working in corrections, I'm starting to see a pattern of tramadol plus flexaril use, any comments on what this combination does? Physicians are ordering the meds, the inmates come into the facility on them.
I can only imagine that since flexiril is a muscle relaxant that they are taking it with tramadol as a downer. Flexiril can give the effects of Xanax or Klonopin because it is a downer... too many tramadol makes you sleepy too. Of course too many will have disastorous consequences of relaxing so much they dont wake up again.
Oh KKaron, physicians may be placing them on tramadol too because it is a low level opiate... I bet the people on it have some kind of muscle strain or sprain. The flexiril relaxes and the tramadol takes away the pain.
HELP!!! I have been prescribed Tramadol for pain. I do take Effexor for depression. The pharmasist called me and told me taking both could cause seizures. My doctor told me not to worry about it. What do I do. Who should I listen too. I have been in miserable pain for over a year. It's still undiagnosed. I have to walk with assistance. My life is awful. I am completely disabled. Any advice??
I have been on Norco for quite some time. Doc just prescribed tramadol 50mg with norco still in my system. What can I expect?
Yes, I think they can get you high. I've done most opiates but I've only recently taken tramadol for the first time and I definitely felt a little glow from the prescribed dosage. It will get you high but they're dangerous according to the literature. I mixed them with subies and the mix was definitely a high. I told my doctor to give me something that would work on pain while I'm on suboxone and the pain was better with them. i prefer H but I'm in a testing program.
you took tramadol AND suboxone... I thought the nalaxone would put you into withdrawals??
In response to tomatogirl, Narcan does not directly cause withdrawal effects. Nalaxone (Narcan) binds to the opioid receptor making it unaccessable to any and all opioids. The withdrawal effects are caused by the bodies need for the drug. But if there is no chemical dependence (addiction), narcan will not cause major adverse effects.
Why are you in pain? Why don't you get to the root cause and get it fixed? You never even mentioned why you are in pain.
It is a profound tragedy that Ultram is not a Controlled Drug. Some states, such as Arkansas, Tennessee, West Virginia..and I think a few others
now do have tramadol Controlled at the CIV level, and I predict more states will follow
Yep here in NY state its considered a controlled substance. Not sure of the level tho
Controlled drug in UK now also
yes-i used to have a DF118 / Dhc habit years ago & some1 gave me a box o tramadol to ease withdrawals & i got out my face. it can make you feel really queezy though & its not gonna do your liver/kidneys any good at all.
You have had many good answers. Everyone is different but ultram was the first pain killer I ever took for pain. They did get me high like vicodin ect. And sent me down a bad road. Vicodin to loratabs --- 1 at a time -- 2 - 3 -4 -- then oxys then snorting them. Then full blown addiction. Then suboxone and so on. Not to mentionall the $ Just remember FOR PAIN AS NEEDED. Opiates have ruined alot of peoples lifes.
Hey there booter! Now look at itsmylifes answer again. The entire family was prescribed this medication. So many doctors STILL think this medication is a not a narcotic nor addicting! It amazes me the lack of knowledge these doctors have. So many states have already reclassified it as a controlled substance. Don't these doctors get updates on this medication?? At least it isn't a question about OC changing to OP so you don't OD!
Have a good night my friend.
chris
Booter, can you tell me more about what you think of soboxone strips? I've been taking them now for about a year to get off my vicoden dependancy and they have helped and while they are pricy as my ins. wont cover them, I'm still saving hundreds a week on not buying vics or lorotabs. Do you think the soboxon are as adictive? I seem to be able to let them go day to day now while my husband needs at least one and half to get buy or he's a raging ass. We've got a good doc and she's helped us a lot, but I don't see him ever letting them go. I hurt my knee last week and am on tramodol an a muscle relaxer called metaxalone (do you know abou the relaxer?) I was just curious if the tramadol will do anything since I soboxone in my system.I'm in a LOT of pain right now! I hate to say it but it's the easiest way to fall off the wagon is to get hurt..I just hate it!!! I want some comfort! Mentally and physically! Thanks for the info..I was up to about 15-20 vics a day so a few tramadal wont hurt I don't think!
Metaxalone is generic for skelaxin. I was on metaxalone and tramadol for 2 yrs. The metaxalone is a muscloskeletal muscle relaxer. I believe it works on the tendons and ligaments on and inbetween the bones. I have 1 herniated disc and 2 protruding ones in my lower back and that's the drug combo I was prescribed (skelaxin 800mg and tramadol 100mg) it worked pretty well for say about hmmm 1 month and that was about it. Then came the opanas and the crap just rolled downhill from there. They worked AWESOME on me but I got hooked hook line and sinker :-( my only advice to you about the tramadols and ur previous issue with the other drug is just BE CAREFUL and keep an eye out for warning signs of falling off the wagon. If people notice and say "are you ok?" You might wanna listen (that's coming from experience)
I am wasted on Tramadol right now. In a good way; feels like I'm drunk. I'm having trouble typing cause my keyboard is blurry and shifting side to side and back and forth. I vomited and cannot swallow but I feel so good I don't care. I cleaned the whole house full of energy. My wife on the other hand passed out early and is still asleep. We mixed Tramadol, Lyrica, and alcohol. Awesome high! As most comments note, it affects people differently.
Related topics
Further information
- Tramadol uses and safety info
- Tramadol prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Tramadol (detailed)
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