Does Tramadol or Ultram cause seizures or addiction?
- Posted:
- 16 Sep 2006 by 062885love
- Topics:
- ultram, seizures, tramadol
Details:
After reading everything everyone has to say, I am wondering if I will have a problem. Possibly become addicted or have seizures?? You all are making me worry:
Hello,
I too have been given tramadol, ultram (hydrochloride), whatever you want to call it, for migraines - 50mg little green capsule pills. I would get Ocular migraines caused by stress. They would get to the point I would loose my vision and have to lay down for about a half hour at a time. Then a minor headache would follow sometimes for almost two days non stop. I have now been on this drug for about three months. I can go days taking none (but not usually) or days taking one, and other days taking 2 and sometimes but rarely maybe 3! I get the same "happy" easy going, non worrying, way less stressing out, relaxed feeling from one pill as the first day I ever took one! So I guess everyone is different. Just wanted to say this pill has done wonders for my life and I am thankful for it. (I have not had a headache or Ocular migraine since). Also, FYI - It allows me to focus better on work and just smile and nod easier through out life and the things that get thrown my way! I do not take it about 6-7 hours before I know I will be sleeping because, for me, I can not sleep on it. I just lay there happily and feel good, but cant sleep. Oh and another thing, I had a problem with alcohol and partying and getting into trouble. Now I don't drink except maybe once a week and have no craving to even then. I am also perfectly content staying in on Fri and Sat nights when my friends call and want to go out. I would rather have them over here to just sit and talk or play video games etc... Its not like I am being anti-social. Oh and this drug also seems to help me do the house hold chores. I can clean like a mad man and be happy and have fun doing it. Seems like its a wonder drug huh? Well to me, it is! Thanks for listening - hope this helps someone and if anyone has any advise or precautions for me I am all ears. Thanks again,
Iryna's man~
16 Sep 2006
If you haven't has seizures yet, it's unlikely you will, they are addictive, but they're so weak you should have hardly any discomfort if you stopped taking them, unless you take a lot. Don't be scared by the addictive word, it sounds like you have a medical need for it, at most you would be called dependent, there is a big dif between the two. Try not to take too much, because you know where that leads you, try not to like them too much, because that's how it starts. If you can go without, that's really great, and it tells you something.
4 Jul 2009
Do not drink alchol at all.This drug is as seductive and poison like Methodone,hydrocodone and the rest.Drinking will only add to your list of problems.This will also increse the chance you will have a seizure.Please try and find some other way to help with your pain.I took this med for a while but, it made me feel like I was wearing cement boots.I hope you will try to get off it,I will be happy to help you with support and caring.Jawibo56
10 Aug 2009
Yes to both, and i'm a living(Thank God!) proof of it.
Wow, you're just like me 4 or 5 years ago... when i was prescribed that crap for chronic knee pain.
1. Renewed sense of self-confidence
2. Decrease of alcohol use - i was down to a single beer a week
3. Increased enjoyment of doing daily chores-cleaning, fixing things around the house, whatever
4.Overall wonderful sense of well being, like you've finally discovered the missing ingredient your brain had lacked all these years.
FYI, at some point NOT TAKING tramadol will cause your body to "create" the pain for you, in my case headaches or odd pain as if your bones are on fire. Furthermore, if you have an addictive personality and a knack for trying things, stop Tramadol use and seek alternatives now.
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I've been exactly where you were, started with 1 or 2 pills a day, irregularly, and ended up with taking 25 pills a day, 5 years later. Right now , i'm recovering from a seizure apparently caused by overdose of Tramadol and i thought i'd never get where i'm now.
This stuff sneaks up on you and you'll be addicted before you know it.
I hope this helps you put your situation in perspective.
Good Luck !
10 Feb 2010
yes it can cause you to have seizures especially if you take more than 200mg in a day..but if you allready suffer from seizures you definately dont need it..and as far as habit forming,it definately can be and the withdrawl from the medicine is terrible,like you have the flu or something..but if you never have had seisures you should be ok as long as you stay in the recomended dose wich i believe is 200mg..and as far as withdrawl just come off of them slowly dont jus come off cold turkey..now im not just saying this to scare you if you take it right you should be fine .just be careful
7 Mar 2010
Yes. Tramadol will cause seizures -- moreso if you are taking anything else (alcohol, antidepressants, other CNS depressants). I have experience with this as of last night. I had a seizure on tramadol while I was driving. Be careful with this drug. It does sound like you're being given it for a medical reason, but it's certainly no wonder drug.
14 Mar 2010
Thats what they blamed my seizure on, tramadol and prozac. along with insomnia, now i know i am not addicted to ultram, but sounds like if all
conditions are right, it lowers seizure threshold. Now i thought they were
just guessing because they didn't know, so still am not convinced. Not taking prozac or ultram anymore tho. Why take chances? I'm 56 and my
body felt like someone beat the stuffin out of me. Been 3 weeks and still
sore.
Good luck you and hopefully it wont happen again. with me they said
my eeg was abnormal, left temporal..yadda. Not sure i want to know.
Take care, God Bless,
Mare
21 Mar 2010
nah dude relax man tramadol is a awesome drug i love the fact that i can actually function in normal life. after having the 200mg tablets a few times a day due to paranoia it makes me feel calm and relaxed and i actually feel very good. i dont have a prescription but i dont care its good drug with no real side effects
21 Apr 2010
Yes it does I had a seizure in the middle of Wal-Mart from tramadol. I've been taking them now for about 7 years and I'm addicted bad. at first it was just a few then I had to take more and more. The withdrawls are hell! I know I'm addicted to them and need some kind of help to get off of them. Even after the seizure I still take them. Pretty stupid huh! Life change's after you have a seizure let me tell you! You get scared to be alone, or your always thinking of the best position to be in so if one come's you'll land safely. If your taking them 2-3 a day and it stays that way then I'd say your ok! and not an addict like me! if you find yourself starting to need more to feel normal then you too! are an addict.
6 Jun 2010
I also have a question. I am going to be honest, so please help.
So I have had two seizures and I am 20 years old. I have been taking tramadol for a little bit of time now. I have never had a problem with seizures before. My mother who is an extreme alcoholic has seizures when she withdraws (detoxes) from alcohol not from overdosing.
I did take a lot (about six to ten 100 mg tramadols a day). I never once had a seizure.
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My first time was when I was visiting in LA at a college campus. It was about 3 in the afternoon and I had not eaten yet. At all. And I was probably severely dehydrated because I don't remember drinking much water. Just a pepsi here and there and a red bull. I am a physically fit young man so I never thought anything of taking so many. And on this day, I didn't take more than I usually do. But I guess due to the heat, not eating, or drinking factoring in I am not sure if I overdosed or not. Again like I said I took anywhere from 6-10 like I usually do. I know this is a lot but it wasn't out of the ordinary for me.
All I remember was I twitched once really bad. My friends started laughing. I chalked it up to the red bull. Then I did it again and dropped my cell phone. All I remember was my friends voice starting to fade and him putting his hand on my waist and the back of my head and squeezing me into him and yelling for someone to call 911. The rest I don't remember. I woke up on the ground.
My second one happened when I was in China for a school trip. These seizure are only spaced about a month a part. I thought I was going to be fine. But I had a problem with the food there, so I wasn't eating (first mistake). It was really hot. I felt it coming on so I ran back in side the restaurant and went into the bathroom stall and locked the door. i was hoping to calm my self down. it didn't work. i woke up outside throwing up. one of the guys in our group is a certified EMT and followed me to the bathroom for some reason. he ended up kicking the door down when i wasn't responding and found me on the ground.
so i am a little worried. i stopped taking them. i was detoxing for a while, but i am fine now. i know i was dumb to take that many. but each seizure i was taking a different kind of tramadol. the first one was a tablet form (same mg) the second one was capsule form (same mg). I was told that the capsule is less strong, so thats why I asked for that one instead.
Do you guys believe I just overdosed each time, due to lack of nutrients and sustenance. or could it be something mechanically wrong with my brain? the first one i had i was taken to the hospital and they did a cat scan, nothing wrong. but the second one was in a third world country so i couldn't go to the doctor.
Any suggestions?
21 Oct 2010
Well just last Friday I had a seizure from taking Tramadol and it says that if you exceed 200mg then you are likely of having a seizure.
19 Nov 2010
My son was just released from the hospital after his first seizure at age 19. He was taking Tramadol for chronic back pain from a sports injury. They have called it a Tramadol induced seizure. They say it lowers the threshold for seizures, especially if over 200 mg taken in one day. The neurologist said Tramadol is notorious for causing seizures. Please check with your doctor on safe limits and do not exceed.
19 Nov 2010
I take the tramadol and am trying again to wein off, as per my mD after I admitted a problem. I totally understand how it makes you feel. Don't listen to the MD's when they say its not addictive! Thats very untrue. I had a partial seizure both on and detoxing. It was a seizure that felt like a strong De'Ja'vue followed by sweating and severe nausea, lasted for about a minute or so, be very careful.
2 Dec 2010
Hi, I was using Tramadol, and was taken off this drug last week due to the severe seizures it was causing for me. If you aren't having seizures, that's awesome. I was having 1-10 bodily spasms every second of the day, and they kind of crept in to my awareness until it was like "What is going on??" They became particularly awful at night. To couch my particular problem, I have a family history of epilepsy, but to date, had never consulted at doctor about it, until I tried Tramadol, when the problem was brought to the fore for me.
The only thing I can advise is to keep a symptoms journal. If anything is weird as you're going about your daily activities, note it down, with date and time, and other circumstances you might consider appropriate. Review your list. Tell your doctor what you've written down. I wouldn't worry if you aren't experiencing a side-effect - consider that your good luck, and enjoy a medication that fits you well!
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I have ceased taking Tramadol, and can't report any withdrawl symptoms neither do I miss the upper effect it causes, to answer one more of your concerns!
Good luck, and Good Health!
31 Dec 2010
I felt the exact same way you are feeling, I have a problem with my back and thats why I have been taking tramadol for over a year now. I already had 2 seizures, the last one was last night and I almost died, thanks to the EMTs I didn't. I dont know why I didnt learn my lesson the first time it happened last year but I guess I couldnt see how much I needed that pill. Now today after 12 hours it happened, Im still having memory loss problems, last night I couldnt remember where I was or what happened and now I have to think very hard to remember anything about me. I just want you all to know that this medication is not a joke and doctors alot of times dont tell you the real side effects of them. Thank you
1 Mar 2011
I have Multiple Sclerosis and take Tramadol for cronic pain. I have had approxiamatley 15 seziures before I started taking it. I was taking it for about 1 week before I had two back to back and had to be taken to the hospital. They informed me that if you have a prior history of seziures you are more likey to have one while taken Tramadol because it lowers the barrier of some type of chemical that makes you more likely to have one.
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Don't be fooled that just because it hasn't happened that it won't. I have been taking ultram for decades, and 4 at a time. not every day but have
need for them and stronger things. It took like 25 years before i had seizure, and never ever even crossed my mind that i would ever have one.'
Just be careful kiddo. Ok?
Mare
These drugs are addicting. Yes really addicting. I also had a siezure and went to the E.R. Then while I was in the hospital I didn't take any tramadol and went through the worst withdraw ever. You have been warned! I think tramadol should only be used as a substitute for methadone... pass that on.
I recently have been prescribed the same drug for chronic arthritis pain and I don't seem to have any major problems with them. But I now that you mention it my seizures have been increasing over the last few weeks. I thought it might be because when I am in pain my blood pressure tends to rise up. When this happens I usually do have seizures. do agree with the others you might need to mention this to your docotors.
I have never had problems with anything that could cause seizures or epilepsy... but after trying to take Ultram (tramadol) for breakthrough pain for spine surgery and a bone tumor in my arm, it caused a seizure. I think I took the doses too close together but still, what other medicine can cause this kind of damage, not to mention, it doesn't even work on the pain... I have 3 kids and was trying to get out of pain so that I could work and ended up in the ER after having a wreck due to having a seizure while in traffic. I think it is irresponsible that the medical world thinks that a drug that reduces your threshold for seizures is safer than giving you a medicine that works on the pain simply because it is a narcotic. The war on drugs needs to be on illegal drugs, not on the patients that have documentation after MRI after film after documentation proving that the pain medicine is needed. It's not like they are just having to take my work for it.
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They have more than enough proof. PLEASE be careful with Ultram... the ER told me that it lowers the threshold for your brain to NOT have seizures. This has really made my life more difficult, because now I am on a list in the Davis System that I can not drive until I am cleared. Even though they KNOW that the Ultram caused it.
WOW!!! So many comments on this question!!! Very good advice from most of them, some, not so much!! I have to comment on this, even though so many others already have. I was given tramadol about 20 yrs. Ago for migraine pain. The doctor said it wasn't addicting and was safe to take it. he was very wrong. At this time, tramadol is not listed as a narcotic, but it should be. it starts off making you feel better, able to cope with life better. But before you know it, it will start giving you rebound H/A's. It does cause seizures, really bad ones too! Migraines are hereditary and my 25yr. Old son gets them also. So being his mother, and not wanting him to suffer, I gave him some of my tramadol for pain relief. I could just kick myself for that. I never gave him more than 1-2 tabs per day. But guess what? They can be ordered over the Internet!! And before I realized what was going on, he was taking about 20 pills a day. He was addicted to them.
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I know addiction because unfortunately, it too is hereditary. I became addicted to them with only taking 1-tab 3x a day. We both went through pure hell getting off of them. I weaned us both down off of them very slowly but it still took several weeks of flu like symptoms. W/D from them feels like your bones hurt, your skin feels like your nerves are on fire, you feel this really uncomfortable feeling in your stomach, an ansy feeling like you can't possibly sit down. And then of course you have the N/V and the diarrhea and cramping. And I mean the uncontrollable, no advance warning type of diarrhea . Not pleasant at all. The only reason that I would suggest tramadol is if it were for a patient with. Chronic pain, who plans on being on it forever. It is the lesser of all evils when compared to other opiates. But don't let it fool you!! It has all of the side effects of any opiate out there. please reconsider your options here before continuing this drug. Seizures will happen eventuall if you stay on it long term and especially if you take more than 3 tabs a day. If your doctor has weighed in all of the options and feels that you are going to have a better quality of life if you take this drug, then take it with caution. I realize that chronic pain can make your life unlivable also. So if you take this drug the way it is prescribed and it enables you to get through your day, your job, and your life, then just be careful and always respect what could happen if abused. NIK
I too have been on Ultram (tramadol) for over five yrs and can definitely relate to trying to go off of them. They definitely cause total w/d and I was not aware of ever having since I have never done drugs illegal or legal. This really upsets me to know that I depended on my own specialist to give me a drug to help with chronic pain related to an MVA and now I can't seem to go a day w/o it. I take 300 mg daily and if I skip yes tired, sick, flu-like, etc. I have been fortunate that I have never had a seizure but my doctor is now having me taper off the tramadol due to my kidneys showing signs of abnormalities. This is another big factor of this medication and should be addressed before starting. It may not be a narcotic but I do know they are trying to get it classified as one due to its high dependency and relative family class of opiate meds i.e. Vicodin.
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I must say I feel safer on Vicodin than tramadol and even my doctor feels the same since switching me to Vicodin and tappering me off the tramadol due to these abnormal kidney functions. I am to young to have kidney problems due to medication from a specialist whom I trusted with helping me with my pain. I definitely would NEVER recommend this medication to anyone and to think before starting any med. Yes, I know chronic pain is a terrible way to live daily but if you can give yourself a "drug holiday" where you don't take anything for the weekend or for xxx amt of days so you are never dependent on any medication. I am tappering at 200 mg daily but have slipped back on 300 mg to function w/o feeling so badly and no sleep but know I have to do this for my kidneys and any other organs it may start to affect. I am thinking of just going cold turkey and getting it over with instead of this tappering since you feel so badly, why not just go cold turkey and get over it instead of lingering it on, my theory. Again, thank-you for reading and my prayers go out for those who have to learn the hard way like me... believing what our specialists tell us and taking things before checking for ourselves what it can do. My fault too since I did not learn until after the fact when they did not know much about Ultram (tramadol) at the time. But, via my pharmacist he told me staight out how addicting and how common of a drug it is because people believe it is safer being it is not a narcotic yet. Taking Vicodin would be a better choice if taken only as needed and not daily but still better than tramadol. Good luck to you all.
After going to see my doctor I found out that Tramadol didn't cause my seiziures it was the fact that they didn't find the correct medications to control my seiziures. As far as addiction, my doctor never lets me take that pain medication or any pain med because they can become addictive. She calls it giving my body a rest. So try getting with your doctor and voice your worries about this medication and see what they think, now that you have heard what could possibly happen.
I was up to 30+ a day... and when my monthly prescription of 270 didn't last all month, I had no problems buying them off the net. Are they addictive, YES! Can they cause seizure, YES! They are the devil. Because even most doctors are unaware of the potential risk of tramadol, they are far too easy to get. The withdrawal for me was worse than ANY DRUG EVER! And I've been on most of the "strong" narcotics, hydrocodone, oxycodone and buprenorphine. Nothing compared to the W/D's from tramadol. Just don't take it!
My husband just had a seizure and almost died tonight..He was taking celaxa and too many tramadols..stay away from this drug... not worth dying over... do some yoga and strengthen your body...
For all of you taking Tramadol and think that it doesn't cause seizures, your dead wrong! I witnessed the love of my life struggle with this drug and deny there is any addiction after seeing him go through withdrawls when he doesn't have any. It's a horribly addicting drug and a very dangerous one at that! I also witnessed him having a seizure today from taking too many, this is his second one. If anyone you know or love is or will be put on tramadol please research this drug before taking it. I've seen the "happy" side of it and the deadly side also!
if you stay at the docs. dose you should be ok but it sounds like you take less than the dose scribed. tramodol is nortorious for seizures so if you have one its most likely you'll have another. The doc switched me to Vicodin cuz i was having seizures on a norm dose so i guess it depends on the person but i do know once you've had a seizure your more likely to get them again on trams. i would perfer percocet but hydrocodon works good enough for my chronic back pain but i have hep c and the acetamtophen doesn't help. Just keep your tram dose down and you should be ok for now. tram sham:)
My boy friend is a former herion addict,and was addicted to pain pills also,He is now 4 1/2 years clean... But last year he went to the docs for stomach pain,and the doc wanted to give him vicodin or percocet,He told them his sittuation and asked for something non-narcotic and non-addicting... He was precribed Tramadol/Ultram, 1 tablet 4 times a day... Now he has tried several times to stop taking the medication,but had severe withdraws,he has now been off the tramadol for 2 days and is having,from what he decribes as worse then herion withdraws.He is vomiting,can't eat or sleep,severe leg and muscle pain and spasams,very fatigue,jerking in the bed so hard that he almost falls off the bed,hot and cold,feels like he's running a fever one minute then shivering the next cause he's so cold... (NO SEIZURES!!! YET!!! ) I have never seen anything like this before,it has scared me so bad that I don't want to leave him alone...
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I believe that Tramadol/Ultram should be concidered a class A narcotic.No-one should be missinformed any more about this drug,and anyone who has exsperienced any of this due to this drug should report their stories to the FDA,so that this can be prevented,and better informed,and most importantly before someone loses their life from this so called NON-NARCOTIC/NON-ADDICTING MED... Would appreciate any feed back if ya have any
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I have a serious question here... I have taken Tramadol off and on. I was taking Tramadol when I had my first seizure the day after my 31st birthday(a bad one according to my mother, thank the Lord she was at my house that night). I had no clue what happened! All I remembered was what I was doing before the seizure, and remember trying to answere the paramedics question on what my name was and how old I was... it took me awhile to come around..My mother explained to me that I was foaming at the mouth and seizing violently(I HAVE NEVER HAD SEIZURES).she said my body tensed up so bad that she was having a hard time rolling me on to my side. Here is the more interesting part... Now either the ER mixed up the urine lab results, or Tramadol can make you test positive for PCP. I do not do these kind of drugs nor have I ever, so this was very shocking to me when the Dr. said my urine test came back with a positive PCP result.
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I strongly disagreed with this result for I knew that that I had NEVER done PCP etc, but of course I was judged and practically looked at as some drug addict. Can anyone else explain this to me, or has anyone else had this same thing happen? I have found some research about Tramadol causing someone to pop positive with PCP results; if this is true, then the FDA needs to put it out there to people. I am going this week to get another urine and blood test done to recheck it for I will not have my reputation ruined. Granted those who know me very well know that I have NEVER done PCP, hell I couldn't even smoke pot back in the day for it made me paronoid so I stayed away from drugs because of that; I used to trust the kind of drugs doctors gave, but I am learning very fast DON'T.I think Tramadol needs more warning labels and needs to be treated as a controlled substance ASAP!
I started taking Ultram in August 2010 due to an automobile accident. December 5, 2011 (more than a year later) I experienced my first seizure. I have confirmed with 4 different doctors that this medicine does cause seizures. I am not sure why they don't warn people of this risk.
My husband has had 3 seizures in the last year due to his Tramadol use. He was taking about 20 to 30+ pills a day!! In response to one of the posts above regarding PCP showing up in the lab results, same thing happened to him! The first seizure he ended up in the ER and when the Dr finally got to him he said he tested positive for PCP and amphetemines! We thought that was impossible they got the lab work mixed up. The Dr already had his mind made up that he was some junkie. I am convinced this drug is pretty serious, even lethal, when used in high doses!
Yes ur right Ive been on Tramadol for about three months for my RA Rheumatoid Arthritis, I felt it was working wonders for me and i was happy cause they wernt really addictive to me and i liked that until last night I had a seizure for the first time in my life it was the most scariest thing Ive ever been through it scared my husband to death and the doctor n the er said it was from the tramadol so please be careful and just cause it hasn't happened yet it will.
I'm early 40s what I'd say healthy gym going low b/ fat, good muscle tone bla bla. I've taken tramadol off and on for about 2 or 3 years only. I've used other pain killers, but I'm no junkie i get sciatic and Piriformis muscle pain (thats in the buttocks cheeks) related to a very mild spondilolisthesis condition exacerbated by lifting weights at the gym. My hips/lower back feel sometimes out of whack I can manage during the day never reaching for a painkiller in daylight ours. But because I anticipate pain (as stated above) at night I reach for a pain killer (most always paracetamol/codeine).
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Let me get to the point:
Two nights ago I had a brief seizure I think (first time ever), occurring whilst asleep early morning but I awoke to the attack on my body. For about 5 seconds my body felt pinned down to the bed, I couldn't move but I think there was convulsion. I know that sounds maybe contradictory but for about 5 to 10 seconds (I estimate) I thought this might be some sort of paralyzingly condition (permanently). My chest also felt heavy like a weighted down (I have a viral cough at present) so perhaps that gives rise to it being a heart attack?
Lastly, I went out 1 night previously to a nightclub dancing a lot and during course of the night downed 10 x 50mg caps of tram with few red bulls but no alcohol. The dumb ass I am just to get on a dance high. I'm pretty sure the tramadol ( high dose) contributed to my health scare. The stuff really is junk... I realise it gives people that antidepressant lift cause of its effects on inhibition of serotonin and norepinephrine but be careful taking high doses for silly reasons.
If anyone has a suggestion of what happened please let me know. Yesterday I commenced an antiseizure med gabapentin just to be on safe side. Easy to get without prescription as I'm in Thailand at present. I'll stay on it for a while until, perhaps see a specialist back home but I'm sure it was the red bull and tram abuse on that 1 night. Thx for reading.
ps. I think this drug has benefit for depressed people, but I think it's a very dangerous drug on the brain if abused.