[Jeanniefan78]

I have read through one thread and skimmed through another on people who have had problems getting off tramadol and both threads are old and last posts were made more than a month ago.

Anywho, I haven't been taking near the amount that most people have been taking that posted in those threads. But yet I still need help. I was prescribed Tramadol back in April of 2008 because for nerve pain in my right arm. No one has been able to determine the cause of my nerve problem in my arm an I still have the problem with my arm today. I don't have as much pain as I used to with it, but yet anything can set it off and I have to be very careful. Anyways, back in April, I called my doctor's office in tears because I was hurting so badly. I had been taking ibuprofen as told to do so and alternated with Tylenol and Aleve. But that particular day, NOTHING was working----not even the muscle relaxer (Flexoril) I take from time to time that my doctor prescribed a few years ago when I started having lower back problems----- and my arm just kept on hurting. When I called my doctor's office, I asked the nurse if there was ANYTHING the doctor could prescribe to help me because I was in agony. So she talked to him and she called me back and told me that a prescription had been called in for me. I was also told to take Aleve still when I could (can't remember the exact dosage). So I got to the pharmacy and picked up my medicine and it was Tramadol. I didn't think too much about it. So I took it. My dosage read 50mg every 4-6 hours as needed. Well I took one as soon as I got home and another one before bed. And it did help. The pain in my arm subsided. So I continued the Aleve regimen and the Flexoril muscled relaxer as well and also Tylenol from time to time.

It is now 8 months later and I'm still taking Tramadol. I've gone for some days at a time without it, but thanks to my arm, I always wound up taking it. I'm fortunate enough not to have gone over 100 mg per day and then there's only been a few days within the last 8 months that I have taken 100 mg per day and that was only when i was hurting so badly I felt like I needed too. So I can honestly say that most everyday I've taken it, I've only taken one 50 mg pill. And the only time I can remember taking it during the day earlier than 6:00 pm in the evening was the very day I took any back in April when it was first prescribed to me. Since then, when I have taken it, I've always taken it the evening/night time of day. Reason being because of how dopey it makes me. Anywho, it has been over the last month and a half or so that my arm has especially acted up---maybe it's because of the cold temperatures who knows---but it's been since the beginning of November that I have taken it pretty regularly every single night. And even before November, I took it pretty regular, but not quite as regular as since the beginning of November.

Now this may seem like peanuts compared to some others taken the major high dosages and became addicted, but I am having trouble nonetheless. My arm is is doing okay right now so therefore I don't need a tramadol. It is now almost 6:00 in the morning and I've had maybe 2 hours sleep---although I have been having some major stress issue things going on at my house that could be a contributor to that, but I know Tramadol has to have something to do with it even if I've only been on a low dosage. Before I went to bed last night I did take two tylenol pm's because my muscles were achy and I flat refused to take a Tramadol for that---even though a few times over the last several months I did.

Once I laid down on my couch to watch some tv, yeah I was tired alright but I was fidgety and restless. And once I went to bed, I still had trouble getting comfortable. I did go off to sleep but woke back up at 1:55 or so this morning and was not able to go back to sleep.

So to sum it all up, I need some help and some advice here. I take a low dosage, so I'm not sure how a tapering dosage would work for me. So does anybody have like a home detox or so they could recommend or just any advice or help that could help me? I'm desperate as I don't want to continue taking this garbage if this is what it's going to do to me. Thanks in advance for any help.

[melinda7.5]

Originally Posted by Jeanniefan78

I have read through one thread and skimmed through another on people who have had problems getting off tramadol and both threads are old and last posts were made more than a month ago.

Anywho, I haven't been taking near the amount that most people have been taking that posted in those threads. But yet I still need help. I was prescribed Tramadol back in April of 2008 because for nerve pain in my right arm. No one has been able to determine the cause of my nerve problem in my arm an I still have the problem with my arm today. I don't have as much pain as I used to with it, but yet anything can set it off and I have to be very careful. Anyways, back in April, I called my doctor's office in tears because I was hurting so badly. I had been taking ibuprofen as told to do so and alternated with Tylenol and Aleve. But that particular day, NOTHING was working----not even the muscle relaxer (Flexoril) I take from time to time that my doctor prescribed a few years ago when I started having lower back problems----- and my arm just kept on hurting. When I called my doctor's office, I asked the nurse if there was ANYTHING the doctor could prescribe to help me because I was in agony. So she talked to him and she called me back and told me that a prescription had been called in for me. I was also told to take Aleve still when I could (can't remember the exact dosage). So I got to the pharmacy and picked up my medicine and it was Tramadol. I didn't think too much about it. So I took it. My dosage read 50mg every 4-6 hours as needed. Well I took one as soon as I got home and another one before bed. And it did help. The pain in my arm subsided. So I continued the Aleve regimen and the Flexoril muscled relaxer as well and also Tylenol from time to time.

It is now 8 months later and I'm still taking Tramadol. I've gone for some days at a time without it, but thanks to my arm, I always wound up taking it. I'm fortunate enough not to have gone over 100 mg per day and then there's only been a few days within the last 8 months that I have taken 100 mg per day and that was only when i was hurting so badly I felt like I needed too. So I can honestly say that most everyday I've taken it, I've only taken one 50 mg pill. And the only time I can remember taking it during the day earlier than 6:00 pm in the evening was the very day I took any back in April when it was first prescribed to me. Since then, when I have taken it, I've always taken it the evening/night time of day. Reason being because of how dopey it makes me. Anywho, it has been over the last month and a half or so that my arm has especially acted up---maybe it's because of the cold temperatures who knows---but it's been since the beginning of November that I have taken it pretty regularly every single night. And even before November, I took it pretty regular, but not quite as regular as since the beginning of November.

Now this may seem like peanuts compared to some others taken the major high dosages and became addicted, but I am having trouble nonetheless. My arm is is doing okay right now so therefore I don't need a tramadol. It is now almost 6:00 in the morning and I've had maybe 2 hours sleep---although I have been having some major stress issue things going on at my house that could be a contributor to that, but I know Tramadol has to have something to do with it even if I've only been on a low dosage. Before I went to bed last night I did take two tylenol pm's because my muscles were achy and I flat refused to take a Tramadol for that---even though a few times over the last several months I did.

Once I laid down on my couch to watch some tv, yeah I was tired alright but I was fidgety and restless. And once I went to bed, I still had trouble getting comfortable. I did go off to sleep but woke back up at 1:55 or so this morning and was not able to go back to sleep.

So to sum it all up, I need some help and some advice here. I take a low dosage, so I'm not sure how a tapering dosage would work for me. So does anybody have like a home detox or so they could recommend or just any advice or help that could help me? I'm desperate as I don't want to continue taking this garbage if this is what it's going to do to me. Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi jennie
If you can google the thomas recipe that will help you.If you need to taper we can help you with that too.
Let us know how you are doing.
Maybe we can help...

[Jeanniefan78]

Thanks Melinda. One thing though, where on earth would I get valium? Oh and just wondering, since I am just a real low dosage, how would I go about tapering since I have only been taking one 50mg per day?

[melinda7.5]

Originally Posted by Jeanniefan78

Thanks Melinda. One thing though, where on earth would I get valium? Oh and just wondering, since I am just a real low dosage, how would I go about tapering since I have only been taking one 50mg per day?

Hi Jeannie
LOL...Im glad to hear you don't know where to get the Valium most of us here know where to find anything,thats why we got into so much trouble.

On the tapering all you have to do is break the pill in half and take the half instead of the whole thing.you could even take 3/4 of a pill if you want to start.let me know how its going.
Talk to you soon

[lilbri]

Originally Posted by melinda7.5

Hi Jeannie
LOL...Im glad to hear you don't know where to get the Valium most of us here know where to find anything,thats why we got into so much trouble.

On the tapering all you have to do is break the pill in half and take the half instead of the whole thing.you could even take 3/4 of a pill if you want to start.let me know how its going.
Talk to you soon

JEANNIE why don't you just ask your doctor for the valium. Brian.

[Jeanniefan78]

If valium isn't good then why is it in the recipe?

[MaisieC]

Hi Jeannie,

Tramadol is a beastly drug. I think I understand what you're going through. I tapered down to 50 mg per day and still had withdrawal symptoms and am still having them now eight days later. I think it must depend on your individual body chemistry, but even at a low dose you can be addicted and have trouble.

You can get a pill cutter at the pharmacy for about 3 bucks, if you want to start cutting the pills into halves and quarters. That might help you. For me, I got down to 50 mg a day and ran out, so I couldn't taper any more. Honestly, I think that was a blessing for me, because if I had pills now I know I'd still be taking them and rationalizing that it was OK to continue doing so. Jumping off at that point hasn't been too bad, but I've still had withdrawal, including restless legs, insomnia, weeping, endless sneezing, etc.

Valium is good because it can help you sleep and can relieve detox-related anxiety. It's potentially bad because it can be abused. If you can use it properly and avoid abusing it, it can help you. Any benzo would be helpful in this regard...klonopin, lorazepam, etc.

Good luck and hang in!

[Sue13]

I wish I had some advice, but I have had an almost unlimited prescription for Tramadol, which I have barely used, as it seems NOT to help, and in fact, makes me feel awful. So I guess in that sense I am lucky.

The habit I am trying to break is Hydrocodone. Currrently I am on (at the Dr's orders) an extended "taper", but I just picked up my new prescription, which includes: "up to 6 pills/day". Must be a message in there.

But this is off-topic for you, so I will just wish you well, let you know that we pill addicts (quite often innocently started) are d**med hard to get rid of.

Hugs, Sue

[Jeanniefan78]

Thanks Maisie and Sue.

Maisie, that does sound like me. Maybe I'll try a pil cutter. I don't know. At this point I really don't know what to do. I would like to try that Thomas Recipe, but I can't get the valium for it.

Sue, thanks for the wishes. And you wanna know something weird. I've been on Hydrocodone several times in the past---painrelief for a ruptured ovarian cyst, for pain after sinus surgery, and then both times I had wisdom teeth pulled. The weird part? I never had trouble with it. Never. I've had more trouble with this Tramadol than with Hydrocodone--which I didn't have trouble with and I'm still scratching my head on that one.

Anyways, I'm not really sure what to do.

[MaisieC]

Tramadol is especially difficult because it's not just a pain reliever. It can make you high like an opiate, but it also acts on serotonin levels in the brain, touching the same receptors that Prozac and many other anti-depressants touch. So it's kind of a complex drug, otherwise known as something that can seriously mess you up. I have really serious doubts about whether this drug should be prescribed at all, because it does have so many different effects on the body, but the FDA never consulted me!

Here's my suggestion, for what it's worth. If you are able to taper down even more--if you trust yourself to do that and not mess around like I always did, taking "just one more"--it's probably a good idea to do that. If you can cut your dose down for five days, then cut it down again for another five days, you'll probably have a much easier time with the final detox.

Then throw the pills out. You can still use the Thomas recipe even if you don't have access to valium: you'll just have to use the parts of it you have access to. It's optimal to have the valium or other benzo, but even if you don't the other elements of the recipe will help you a lot.

The valium is good for anxiety, which can occur during detox, and for insomnia, which you've already had the pleasure of. If you can't get the valium, is there any way you can get a few Ambiens or other sleep aids from your doctor? This helped me during my detox. I called my doctor and told him that I was trying to change my sleep cycle because I'd been staying up all night, and could he please send me just 5 Ambiens? It was totally true that I had been staying up all night. (I omitted to tell him about my Tramadol problem because I know my doctor and I know his approach to drug dependency is to yell at patients and tell them they're stupid. I feel plenty stupid enough already. ) So he did send me the Ambiens, and they helped me get through the first five nights, which was tremendous.

If you can't get a pharmaceutical sleeping med, you could try melatonin or some other "natural" remedy to promote sleep.

Good luck and let us know how you are!