[SylviaVonnegut]

I was just prescribed Tramadol 50 mg for a back injury. It is just a one time script for 12 while I get through my physical therapy. I take half in the morning (25 mg) and half at night (with 800 mg of Motrin). I had never heard of the drug and did not know it was an opiate until I read the pharmacy literature when I got home. I was reluctant to take it as the few times I've had to take an opiate (wisdom teeth, kidney stone) they have made me very sick. I have tolerated the Tramadol very well these past two days, no side effects, however, after doing a little research, I'm concerned. Can I become physically addicted after taking the 12 that were prescribed (over several days of course)? The drug sounds more complicated than typical opiates, but interestingly it does not seem to have the unpleasant effects of them, at least for me. Thank you in advance for any advice.

[MaisieC]

Hi Sylvia,

Tramadol is indeed a complicated drug. You are on a very low dose, and I doubt very much that you will become dependent on such a low dose. Twelve days is plenty of time to build a dependency, but if you have no history of addiction and stay at the low dose, you should be fine. I hope all goes well with the physical therapy. Please check back in and let us know how you're doing.

Take care,
Maisie

[SylviaVonnegut]

Thank you for your reply Maisie. I might just try to stick to the Motrin. It is a shame, because, like I said, I've had no side effects with the Tramadol. Heck, the 800 mg Motrin makes me a little tired and upsets my stomach at times. But, I'm a bit paranoid now after reading up on it.

I go in for my first round of PT tomorrow. I've never had back problems, so I'm hoping the PT will resolve it. It really just feels like it needs to be 'popped' back in place. But apparently I have a knot and some swelling. I go to weekly yoga classes, on Fridays, so I will find out tomorrow if it is ok to continue with those.

[Dedalus]

Don't let all the hype from people with addiction problems scare you into not following your doctor's orders. I have been taking Tramadol for quite some time now (over a year), as directed, and get nothing but pain relief out it anymore. It is very effective for my chronic pain. My only complaint is that if I take it past about 4pm, I have a hard time getting to sleep. However, I can go days and days without taking it and have NO withdrawl issues at all.

Remember, to a large extent, the people poasting on forums are largely the people who have an issue or concern or problem. People who are taking the drug with no problems or concerns go about their life and don't bother coming to forums like this and posting... unless they are bored as I am.

If you find yourself hiding ANYTHING from your loved ones or using drugs more than prescribed or try to get more drugs than you are prescribed, those are HUGE warning signs that something is wrong.

[SylviaVonnegut]

Well, I took the Tramadol for about 10 days, still have a couple left. The PT helped dramatically. My back & neck are not 100% yet, but definitely much better. I have not needed the Tramadol for the past 4 days. I had no problems when I stopped taking them. I never increased the dose more than one a day.

Dedalus, as far as asking for an opinion on the medication here.....I googled Tramadol and came across this site and thought those with experience with the drug would provide the best 'real life' information.

[Dedalus]

Originally Posted by SylviaVonnegut

Dedalus, as far as asking for an opinion on the medication here.....I googled Tramadol and came across this site and thought those with experience with the drug would provide the best 'real life' information.

Oh, I didn't mean to criticize you for posting here. Sorry if it sounded that way. I just didn't want you to be scared off from Tramadol because of the horror stories you read here. Those horror stories are true, but they are not the only experiences people have. For many people, Tramadol is a useful alternative to traditional narcotics. For others it is just as bad as other narcotics. For me, the drug is a godsend. I get pain relief without feeling high or disoriented as I do on traditional narcotics. I'd prefer to not need anything, but for me, Tramadol is the most benign of the choices available to me. Personally, I am lucky enough to get about the same pain relief from Tramadol as I did from Percocets without the negative side effects of oxydodone. But hopefully, with therapy, exercise and weightloss, I will be able to stop all meds someday... at least that is my dream.