hi iv been to see the doc today and they have took me off tramadol and put me on methadone 30ml would i be better going cold t off the trams or stick with the methadone im on 55 trams?thanks
Methadone/tramadol?
Question posted by matt112 on 13 July 2011
Last updated on 10 October 2018
Added 13 July 2011:
i have never taken methadone before
3 Answers
lennymo36
13 Sep 2012
tramadol is one of the worse withdrawals i ever had, they were worse than the hydrocodone and oxycodone w/d's cause they lasted for 2 weeks!!! the lortab and percocet w/d's were over in 2 days. tramadol withdrawal not only last longer, they are also more intense, you lose your ability to taste food, you also are really depressed and emotional for no reason. i was taking alot of tramadol, more than the 8 i was supposed to take!! tramadol can also be used to treat opiate w/d's, but just dont just quit taking tramadol all at once.tramadol raises the serotonin in your brain and when you quit taking it all at once you get depressed cause it;ll take a few weeks for the serotonin to come back to normal, even if you just go from 4 a day , down to 2 a day you'll be fine
Inactive
13 July 2011
I have a question. Are you taking Tramadol for chrontic pain ? I was switched from Vicodin to Methadone for chrontic pain, & it is very hard to get off of. Took me a year of lowering my dose of 120mg to just 10mg to get off the methadone, & back on Vicodin. I hated Methadone. I started at 5mg & had to keep increasing it over & over to get any relief. Made me very tired & sleepy all the time where I was afraid to drive. I would actually doze off at red lights. Now that is scary. That's why I was wondering why you are taking the meds in the first place. If it's addiction, talk with Laurie about it as she is our resident expert along with a few others. Just thought I'd give you my opinion of Methadone...
Inactive
13 July 2011
Sorry Laurie, your last comments weren't there when I posted this last comment! Mary
LaurieShay
13 July 2011
Hey matt,
The tramadol to methadone shouldn't be a problem as far as withdrawals. You should be ok to go straight to the methadone. I'm kinda surprised that the doctor went from tramadol at only 50mg to methadone as methadone is usually a last resort sort of medication. Keep in mind that the methadone is a narcotic and over time you will become dependent such that when you come off it, if you don't taper slowly, you will experience withdrawals.
Did the doctor put you on methadone as a means of getting off the tramadol or as a pain reliever? How long have you been taking tramadol?
Laurie
matt112
13 July 2011
hi Laurie thanks yes the meth is as a way to get of the trams iv been taking trams for 4 years now going up and down iv taken as high as 70 a day im on 55 now stableish iv always seen methadone as a no no, not me ,no way type thing and people tell me its harder than the trams to get off so i don't know whether id be better just cold turkey than going on the meth. trams are gone no way for me to get any more so its meth or rattle
LaurieShay
13 July 2011
I guess if it were me I would take the methadone for as little a time as possible. If you start at the 30mg dose and slowly taper off over the next month, you should be ok. What does the doctor want you to do as far as getting off the methadone? I would not go cold turkey off the tramadol as it can cause seizures, just to let you know.
matt112
14 July 2011
hi LaurieShay thanks the doc wants me to slowly reduce of the meth she pretty much told me no more trams but i can have as much meth as i like or i could have as much subutex as i like to be honest i didn't want any i would of prefer to stick with the tram reduction but that kept going wrong i took the meth yesterday im just praying i can get of asap i took the meth at 13:30 yesterday its 09:00 the next day and i can report i feel not to hot and have a full day of work ahead of me
LaurieShay
14 July 2011
I would take the methadone as prescribed so to avoid the withdrawals from the tramadol. Taking it for a short period of time should be ok. You can slowly taper off the methadone by reducing your dosage every week and be off this stuff soon.
Hopkins215
10 Oct 2018
I saw your post and had to comment, while I’m not a doctor or expert, I have personally been on methadone maintenance for 3 years, and have been addicted to it for a good 8 years, I know hundreds of people who are on it including family members. For a doctor to prescribe someone methadone to get off tramadol is completely ass backwards, this doctor either has no knowledge about methadone or is getting cut a nice check from the pharma company that supplies the methadone. That’s like giving someone OxyContin to get off Tylenol 3, it makes no sense Methadone is much worse to be dependent on than tramadol. Methadone is the strongest opioid out there with the exception of fentanyl, and it’s the hardest to come off of, the withdrawal can last for months.
As far as I know they only give people methadone for 2 reasons, 1) pain management when someone suffers a catastrophic injury and normal painkillers are not strong enough (and they are actually stopping that because it’s so addictive) and 2) for Methadone maintenance which is given to people to get off heroine because it’s the only thing strong enough to combat to heroine withdrawal. Methadone is basically synthetic heroine and for a doctor to prescribe that to someone to get off tramadol is totally negligent in my opinion.
Related topics
Further information
Similar questions
Search for questions
Still looking for answers? Try searching for what you seek or ask your own question.
