Question posted by gwhoward0 on 6 May 2010
Last updated on 8 March 2018 by Call4backup
I'm a 49 year old male, I have a 30 year experience in the Paramedicine and multiple degrees in Emergency medicine, and became addicted to tramadol after a Back injury, I 'm trying to gain stories and information. I'm in the process of trying to get involved to get help to those so they will not have to do recovery alone.
I also am on a mission to limit the 50 billion dollar internet business that sells Tramadol and the loop hole it has caused.
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
I was injured in 2 car accidents "back to back"... (no intended pun there) in December 2017. The result of both caused a 4.5mm herniated disc in my Lumbar and Cervical. Ive been to the hospital 5 times since Dec 3rd, 3 of which were related to the pain in my lower spine and neck. I was first prescribed Tylenol 3s, which turned out to be not enough for the pain, which made way for the next hospital visit. The Doc prescribed me Hydrocodone and it was absolutely great! Once the Hydrocodone ran out, I was then prescribed Tramadol which was an absolute nightmare! I cant remember how many Milligrams they were but all I took was 3, and tapped out due to the affects I started to suddenly experience. It was like a nuke went off in my stomach and intestines. Gas would build up and cause sharp pains in my stomach and intestinal tract, and the pain was beyond belief. My stomach was always in an uproar and no gas could be released neither by burping or flatulence.
Everytime it felt like a burp was about to come up, it stopped and got trapped, and caused the most discomforting pain I have ever felt.
For a week these symptoms peristed and the entire time, eating or drinking was impossible. When i tried to eat, I could only get a few bites down that made me feel stuffed! By the 7th day when the affect began to subside, I tried to get a full meal down, but it was too late. A week without fluids and solids had compromised my Immune System which made me vulnerable to that nasty flu bug. When the flu hit me it definitely turned a week of not eating into 3 weeks without food but I was able to force fluids down. It was the most terrible experience Ive ever endured. My stool was black and tarry, and it always felt like I had to vomit or defecate, but all it resulted in was dry heaving and minimal to no stool produced. I thought I was going to die.
I was able to finally beat the flu and I literally ate like a pig until my body was back. I had lost almost 20 lbs during the event, and was able to recover some of my body weight back but due to the back and neck injury, working out was not happening and all activities were very low volume. Everyone I have told this story to, have told me similar stories about their experience with Tramadol, and even my Chiropractor told me the same. This drug, is by far the worse thing modern medicine has produced and in my opinion it needs to not be prescribed to anyone!
I see this post is several years old, but I wanted to share my experience with tramadol.
I started taking tramadol for chronic pain 5 years ago. I took as prescribed, actually took less. The max dosage I took was 150mg/ a day and I was prescribed 200mg/ daily.
My pain subsided and I no longer need them. I have been weaning off them for 3 months and it's HELL. I tried to go old turkey as advised by my doc. She said it wouldn't be an issue. By day three I was so sick I couldn't stand the smell of my laundry detergent on my clothes. I was huddled up in the fetal position crying. Nose was constantly running, watering eyes. AWFUL.
Since then I've been lowering only every two weeks by 12.5 mg and it's STILL hell. Not to the same degree, obviously but NOT fun. My sinuses hurt all the time, the fatigue is brutal. I feel depressed and unmotivated. Also very irritable. Really hard to push through a day. I haven't noticed an increase in pain, however.
I started taking Nuvigil to help with the withdrawal fatigue. I'm a bookkeeper and the fatigue is impacting my ability to think clearly. Nuvigil helps quite a bit. I took Nuvigil awhile back and never had any problems when I discontinued taking it, so that might be an option for those who struggle with the fatigue.
My heart goes out to all who are suffering with tramadol withdrawal. Stay strong! We'll get through it and NEVER touch another one of those nasty beasts again.
I Am so happy i just read all these horror stories.my Dr put me on tram about 2 Weeks ago.it barely helps so i rarely take it. I believe i will keep it this way.even tho i was on high amounts of narcotics i have been weining Down and this was to help me but it sounds like its just going to hurt Mr in the long run.so i thank you all foot your comments on how bad the withdraw is. i know enough to know its a narcotic no matter what the classification i just didn't the withdraw was so bad.
I'll stick to my daily regimen of coming down slowly, the dr way sucks and i mid as well be doing it with nothing but i'm not going to go thru torture when i am truly sick, have more then enough documentation to prove it but like Sarcasm says its the junkies out there who make it impossible for ppl like us to get help when we need need it! do i applauded you ask who use to get u thru your tough day of having to use to live a normal life,NOT! because i can't get through a day without pain medication because i an so sick but can't get what i need anymore because of ppl like you!! that's all i hear when i go in a Dr office these days. their all afraid to write because of abuse and i have never abused, i need my medication & take it right. so all you going thru withdraw because you just bought it on the internet our some just keeps on giving it to you & now you want off, good luck, those who stopped for now and are going back when they can..your a idiot!! & the mother with the kids Abe having another one who will go back soon as the baby is both. try staying clean for your kids you don't need pills to get u thru a day.if you duo then u shouldn't b having another kid let alone the ones you have now if you have to be on drugs to get you through taking care if them, and i bet s fine job it is!
those of you who didn't no good bless and good luck thru the withdraw I'll pray for you all.
I started tramadol about 5 years ago and it gave me back quite a bit of my life. I was up to the max dose, 400mg for some time. As I felt my pain get a bit better I decreased to 300mg, then to 200mg. Eventually I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and had to stop the tramadol to start Cymbalta. I was told about withdrawal from my doctor so she weaned me slowly, I wanted off quicker so I weaned quicker than recommended. Probably not the best decision since I had more withdrawal than I probably would have had if I stuck to her recommendation. The worst was the first 3 days, lasted about a week, but was bearable. For me I've never taken more than I should have, never craved it & was never addicted. For sure my body depended on it, hence the withdrawal. I hear a lot of horror stories with this drug but I really think it still comes down to the individual person & how they'll tolerate it, perhaps abuse it, or like me, just take as prescribed and find it very helpful.
I was taking tramadol for the past 4 years for back problems, now that I think about it I dont know how effective it was for the pain, it is just they made me so much more happy and effective in my daily routine, I found out I was pregnant 5 weeks ago, I decided to taper over 2 weeks, I dropped 2 pills every 2 days, the last 2 days were really bad, I then decided to go cold turkey, it was really the most revolting thing I have ever gone through seriuosly was a mad narcotic taker in my younger years,( and nothing compared to this, the RLS, depression, pain everywhere, I seriuolsy would of quit if I was not pregnant, It has been 3 weeks now, I can finally sleep, and have no real pain, just have no energy to do anything, never been so lazy in all my life, at least my hubby understands, and I already have 2 toddlers so this has not been easy, I dont know what to say but to be honest and say I miss them very badly and when this baby is born I will go back on them,
It helped with my ADHD and made everything in my life easier, it made me a more effective human being, I was taking on average 10 a day for the 1st 2 years and then got down to 4-6 a day over the last 2 years, some of the posts where people are taking 15 and 30 a day, I wonder are they not scared they will OD, anyway, still feeling crap, hoping it is only the pregnancy and at 12 weeks hopefully will feel better.
I feel the same way as you do gahoward0 - I took Ultram as prescribed by my doctor and still went through a living hell of a nightmare to get off the stuff. I am on day 8 and feeling so much better, but fact of the matter is that I cannot and will not ever understand how a trained medical professional would give a drug such as this, say it's safe then neglect to tell you how badly the withdrawal symptoms are going to be. I took 4 pills a day that's 200 mg of the stuff for two months and that's IT- I never bought anything online I never supplemented and that's because I didn't need to. I do not have an ADDICTION to this drug, I have a dependency to this drug.
I am angry and hurt but mostly at my own stupidity for actually not doing more research on this before i started taking it. It's SHOULD be taken off the market, It's NOT effective and its NOT easy to come off of, the risks far outweigh the rewards.
And for all the people who complain about how you shouldn't be doing what you are doing, I say you should find yourself a good detox program.. For that day when.. Ya just can't get your fix.. *Nod* Good Luck!
Well I am a 26 year old mother of 2 kids and feel like a lost cause. I started taking Ultram ( the drug from hell) about 6 years ago. I used to take about 9 to 10 a day. But now I am down to about 4 a day. I hate that it has taking over my life and I have know control over it. I have tried a few time to get my self off of them but the withdraws were the worse thing ever. I also have a mother that is addicted to pain pills. So ever time I was in some kind of pain from not taking them she would justified a reason for me to just take one. Then it was all over from there. I feel like she is a enabler. The one person that should be there for me and help me is also the one who started me on them. She give them to me and told me about them and said that they would help my pain. But never told me about being an addicted pain pill. I wish so bad that I could get off them but I don't know how. Not very many people know about what I do so I can't really talk to anyone about this.
So if anyone has suggests I am more then willing to try them. Thanks for listen and to all those people that have take them self off from them I take my hat off to you. I know it is not easy and I hope one day I be were you are.
I completely understand beyond belief where you are coming from!
i hear the horror stories about tramadol and i guess i'm one of the lucky ones !of course i don't take them every day just when my narco's aren't enough to control my chronic pain ! i'm on soma 3 x a day for fibro and to me these make me feel drunk !the tramadol doesn't give me the drunk feeling !
i'm afraid i will get addicted to my meds ,so i don't take them like i should !but i just found out that i have got to have back surgery again on lumbar 5 ,hoping to relieve a pinched nerve ! so i have been taking more of my meds !and i've been getting more headaches !so does this mean i'm addicted to my meds !
sorry to answer you with my own questions !and i wish you the best ! if you are on day 4 you are doing great ! keep up the good work! praying for the best for you !
I had a low dose addiction and the withdraw from it when i went c/t was worse than any other withdraws because of the seratonin effect. It gave me energy which i liked (unlike other narcotics), and is too easy to get hooked on and get. After I got off that I swore I would never be prescribed that crap again. I just got off a 6-8 norco habit after i herniated my disk, and even though that was a high level it was only 4 days of tolderable withdraw, not weeks!!
to all people wanting to ban tramadol
THAT IS STUPID yes it can be addictive but ive been on all kinds of stuff most "narcotic" pain relievers are worse to come off of and this medicicne helps alot of people that cant get help from anything else so wanting to ban it would be hurting alot of people
If I may? Tramadol, in helping pain, is about the equivalent of taking 3 or 4 Asprin at 4X the Price, + you get a free addiction. Isn't that just "ducky"! Sacosam I AM
I was on tram for 5 years, it did help the pain but I became so depressed I almost could not function. In May I went cold turkey and it was hell for about 2 weeks, still had some symptons until about 3 weeks ago. Feel much better mentally and physically now. Do have pain from my neuropathy but take gabapentin which helps some. Will never go back on Tramadol. Does anyone have an alternative rx that helps with neuropathy pain and is non addictive??
do you know anything tramadol is about as effective as tylenol 3 not "3 or 4" aspirins know your shit man
drugs.com
FDA MedWatch Alert
New Warnings for Ultram and Ultracet
May 25, 2010
Audience: Pain management health care professionals.
I have tried tramadol for apporximately two weeks and did not feel it's effects at all. However, tramadol is a derivative/synthetic analogue of codeine, so it has narcotic-like properties and can be habit forming. Prior to my experimentation with tramadol, I was taking opiates such as hydrocodone, oxycontin, methadone, and morphine, so I think that's why the effects of tramadol were minimal. In my opinion, tramadol, ultram, and ultracet are very weak pain relievers when compared to methadone, oxycontin, hydrocodone, or even darvon. That's just my experience. I've worked with a girl who was prescribed 50mg of tramadol and she was addicted to it. It is definitely considered habit forming.
It's the devil. It got me hooked, had a seizure and still used. Its the worst drug I can think of and in all honestly doesn't do much for real pain. its just a substance that is easy to get hooked on.
Pfcpremosgirl,
Sorry to hear about all of this, I agree it is a stupid drug.
I'm on a mission to have it relcassified and or removed and or shut down the Internet access. also If you need assistance I will help, I do not wish this crap on anybody. Thank you for shareing your story.
gary
Its so easy to get too. Thats the real danger. When my doctors would suggest hydrocodone, I'd say "oh I really don't want to take anything that strong. Something like tramadol would be better right?" and every single time it was YES, they ate right out of my hand! I once got a script for 270 count! For a month! Then buying them when I couldn't get a script... I never ran out. By saying I didn't want to take the "strong" drugs, it was so easy to score! The drs saw me declining narcotics, which I believe trams are, and they'd just dispense tramadol to me like pez candy, I kid you not. In part the drs should be ashamed of themselves for enabling addiction to this drug by not KNOWING about it! In the end, the blame ultimately lies with myself. But after the hell of withdrawal I went thru, I had been up to 25-30 every day, some days MORE... well, lets say the withdrawal was THE worst experience of my life.
I've been on long term vicodin and coming off it was NOTHING compared to my tramadol hell. I pray no one will have to go thru that ever again!
PFC
You are right I played Collehe and a couple of years pro football and well needless to say and had some knee issue's, I was on the Tylenol#3/4 for long term it was norhing to get off. I have been doing some massive research and reading and this is the next coming of the devil, and it is just this huge loophole, I'm on a mission to start a foundation to get a addiction unit at the local detox house and rehab center that i received help from to dedicate it just to Prescription Medications.
I posted this yesterday and I can not believe the stuff I have learned, I wish i ad been able to research like I know to do and not took the crap, but chronic pain is a very strong drug in it's self.
Pfc If you know of any additional forum's you can post to let me know.
Gary
This is the primary forum I use. There is another one, I can't remember the link for it right off. If I find it, though, I'll let you know:)
I wish you good luck on closing that loophole with the online drug game. tramadol? What a joke. Why the FDA approved it as a non narcotic is beyond me. I would loved to have been a fly on the wall in the meetings between the FDA and the pharmaceutical Co. If it's an "opiate-like" pain med, it's an opiate in my book. Highly addicting and people think it's ok because it's a non narcotic. Doctors are finally realizing this medication is very addicting yet continue to prescribe it by the truck load. My 82 year old mother was prescribed tramadol 50mg 4X daily. Not only did it not help her arthritis, she couldn't understand why she felt so bad when she didn't take it. Flu-like symptoms. Sweats, chills, diarrhea, etc. She is prescribed a lot of medication for various age related ailments.
I'm not blaming her "flu-like" symptoms solely on tramadol, but the likely hood of it being tramadol related is too obvious to ignore. This is one drug that never should have been given to her. 4 years ago, she was on the pain patch. It did control her pain but left her feeling too tired and groggy. Doctor introduces her to this new "non narcotic" wonder drug! What a joke. The only reason she takes it is to NOT go through the pain of withdrawals. I know she's taking more than 4 per day. How do you tell your 82 year old mother she's addicted to tramadol? Very upsetting to say the least!
yes i got addicted was taking really high doses and then i started having seizures.and after a hellish withdrawl i finally stopped taking them..but guess what the seizures still havent stopped and its a year later,so now i see a neurologist and have to take seizure meds everyday and i still average 1to 2 a month.so you may want to think twice about abusing them,
ultram, pain, restless legs syndrome, tramadol, vulvodynia
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