Tramadol - I was prescribed 100mg extended release tramadol for my herniated disc back pain. It will

Tapering off Tramadol is not possible with extended-release pills. (You can not cut the pills because you do not know with any certainty how much is in a half or a 3rd etc) The best way forward would be to ask your doctor for 50mg tramadol tablets and use them to taper off with. You need to first taper down to the lowest dose of the drug that you can and then extend the time between doses. For your situation, you can get a pill cutter and cut the 50 mg tablets in half and then in half again. If you can get 25mg tabs even better, (if your health insurance will cover, mine would not... go figure). You will then have a 12.5 mg tab of tramadol.( You can also cut that in half to 6 mg) Everyone is different, and you will have to listen to your own body. I started at 150 mg tabs every 8 hours ( I was on for 6 months for a traumatic bone bruising in my thoracic area of my back). You do need to be on a set schedule to Taper. I tried dropping 25mg right off the bat and had such severe withdrawals that I could not function. I backed off and started with 12.5 drops, and although uncomfortable, I could handle. You'd best to write down your dose, the hour taken, the amount and when to take the next dose. With withdrawal, thinking clearly is sometimes a challenge. It took a month for me to get down to 12.5 mg every 8 hours. Then you start to increase the time between doses by how much you are comfortable with. I started with 15 min increases and then went to 1/2 hour increases. I am currently at 12.5 mg every 31 hours. This comes out to 9.6 mg for a 24-hour period. The way I calculate is 24hr divided by the time interval (31hr) multiplied by the amount you are taking (12.5) = 9.6. I am also able to cut a 12.5mg into a 6mg and then a 3 mg so when I get to 9mg, I will go back to every 24 hrs and take a 6mg and a 3 mg. I will then start to increase the time intervals again. It sounds like a lot but if you really want to get off,(and continue to function) you just have to be persistent, and never updose. You can hold up to a week to stabilize if it gets bad. From my research, it says if you have taken Tramadol for over 6 months, one needs to taper by 10% a month and if less than 6 months, taper at 10% a week. Most doctors, from my experience, do not know how to safely and comfortably wean patients off drugs. Also, some people do not have any problems just quitting as your doctor suggested. I am not one of those people. I am a retired RN and luckily, my doctor told me to self-taper ( she admitted that she didn't know how to do it, except to do it slowly) but does provides the 50 mg tablets. I know how uncomfortable withdrawals can be and have great empathy for you. But there is a way forward. Also, research online how to taper Tramadol; there is a little bit out there, but not as detailed as above. (I will also take 12.5 mg of benadryl occasionally to help with the withdrawals). I hope this has helped.