Tramadol for Chronic Pain User Reviews (Page 5)

• Liz...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 17, 2017

"I was initially prescribed tramadol for chronic pain from rheumatoid arthritis about 8 years ago, specifically because the doc said it was non-narcotic. It worked for me and all was good until I forgot to call in a refill one day, and I had withdrawal symptoms worse than I have ever experienced from any stronger narcotic. I have been on the drug for the past 8 years, and now that they've realized it's incredibly addictive and often abused, they've made it a schedule 4. Now it's difficult for me to get my prescription if my doctor is out of town, or if I take one or two more than I'm supposed to due to increased pain, and I run out a day or two early. I'm a former opiate abuser and so angry that I was misled and am on this roller coaster again."

• Jwr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 19, 2016

"I suffer from chronic low back pain due to a bulging disc at L4-L5 and a degenerated disc at L5-S1. My doctor put me on 50 mg as needed. Tramadol did nothing for me. No pain relief whatsoever. I slowly increased my dose until I was taking 250 mg (5 pills) and still felt absolutely nothing. I am glad to see this medication worked for some people, but for me, this medication was worthless. This is like taking a sugar pill. If it makes any difference, my pills came from Sun Pharmaceuticals."

• stl...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 11, 2016

Tramadol "I took this drug for approximately 2 months, and while it helped a bit during the day, the multitude of side effects were much worse! My skin itched so bad I felt like I had bugs, and my joint pain was horrible. I have two herniated discs, and I'm in constant pain, but this was definitely not the pain medication for me."

• Mig...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 17, 2016

"I've taken tramadol for 6 years for severe migraines. I've used hydrocodone too, but I choose tramadol over hydrocodone as it works better than anything else I've tried. It also helps with my depression and restless leg syndrome, and knee pain-that's 4 symptoms of relief in tramadol for me. 100 mg twice a day. The only complaint I have is that tramadol is very addictive. If I stop using it, I have really bad withdrawals: hot/cold sweats, trembling, shaking, loss of sleep, no energy, nausea, and extremely painful headaches. When my doctor first told me to take them, he said they are not addictive, which is not true. Maybe for short small doses, but for long-term use, they are highly addictive. Use caution when using for a long period of time."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 22, 2013

"I have venous insufficiency in my legs. I take 50 mg twice a day. Tramadol makes it so I can be on my feet. Otherwise, my legs and feet ache so badly! If I miss a dose, I'm achy. This medicine is amazing. And you don't feel weird on it. I dread the thought of not having it, pain makes me feel so weary."

• Sev...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 12, 2015

"I take it for severe lower back pain. I have to take the maximum dose of 400 mg a day, and you must take it on a regular basis every four hours. You may not feel the full effect unless you've been taking it consistently. I am 50 years old, very active, and travel often. The only side effect that I have is constipation. If I don't take it on time, my body tells me because then the pain reoccurs. Within 10 minutes of taking tramadol, I feel fine."

• sij...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 24, 2014

"I have been taking Tramadol (50 mg) for several years. It was prescribed by my PCP for moderately severe osteoarthritis. Am unable to tolerate NSAIDs. I also have Norco (10/325 hydrocodone/acetaminophen) as a backup. I experience chronic low-level pain, which I deal with through exercise and acupuncture, and use Tramadol if it worsens - so I do not take it daily and have never experienced any withdrawal symptoms, as some people have mentioned. For what I use it for, it works fairly well, and I have no side effects. But the notion that it is not addictive is false, and as of August 2014, it has been reclassified as a Schedule IV. In terms of acute pain, I do not find it nearly as effective as Norco, but I only need that 1x or 2x a month."

• Deb...
• June 12, 2016

"Started taking tramadol in 2009 for back and hip pain. It worked awesome and made me somewhat hyper! Lost 10 pounds, which was good because with that kind of pain you don't want extra weight bearing down on you! Was up to 6/50 mg a day at one point, and they seemed to not work as well, so I dropped to 3/day for a few years with success. Pain is worse now, so I'm back up to 4/day. This is very addictive, I've had horrible withdrawal symptoms if I forget to take one before bedtime. Morning comes, and I'm in horrific pain and having withdrawals, not a pretty picture! Usually takes 5 or more hours to get back to normal and be a person again! Also, I am nauseous every time I take it, but only for about 5 minutes."

• Taz...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 7, 2019

"I’ve taken narcotics for fifteen years until I decided on a change because it affected my mood and long-term memory. Tramadol has allowed me to be free from the harsher pain pills, but it does not resolve my pain. It does help in other ways as well. I’ve never abused my prescriptions and take only what’s prescribed. The only side effects are sometimes I feel more anxious at times, but it goes away. I’m very happy with this medication, it works for what I wanted it to work for in alleviating some pain and allows me to be a little more mobile, and it got me free from the stronger narcotic prescriptions."

• Ano...
• April 4, 2015

"I have been taking all brands of tramadol over the past 16 months, and overall, my experience has been positive. I have gallstones and suffer from acute cholecystitis often. I manage my pain with tramadol and a dietary plan. The only bad side is tolerance builds quickly, and withdrawal can get nasty after a few days."

• Ray...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 12, 2022

Tramadol "I just started a 30-day regimen of 3 a day 50 mg, and so far I’m not feeling the pain relief! I have severe pain in my neck to my shoulder! Disc 2-7 in my neck are messed up! Doctor asked if I wanted to try 100 mg extended relief 2 times a day. I think I should have switched to something else! What do you all think?"

• Tra...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 22, 2016

"Stay away from this drug. Few doctors know how intense it is and what its effects are. I was prescribed much 'stronger' opiates before and after, up to oxycodone. Tramadol blew them out of the water. I have (had as of 1 month ago) been on tramadol for 7 years. I have 2 pars fractures in my low back, and this was what I relied on to alleviate any pain. I started with a single 50 mg daily and gradually worked up to 400 mg. I never abused the drug, I simply did what the doctor told me to do. The level of addiction and dependence on this drug is insane. The withdrawal is the worst thing I have ever experienced. Because of that and its negative effects on my life, relationships, work, and happiness, I checked into a detox program and am done."

• Jof...
• November 6, 2017

"Tramadol for musculoskeletal pain is fantastic. A rugged lifestyle over many years left me with extreme continual pain. Tramadol has allowed me to live a normal life over the five years I have been taking it. I have not had to increase the dose to maintain the pain relief."

• El...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 8, 2015

"I find Tramadol to be extremely effective for my chronic low- to medium-grade pain. I have chronic pain in my back, ankles, and shoulder due to osteoarthritis. For me, the big advantage with Tramadol, especially the low 37.5 mg with acetaminophen dose, is I don't feel slowed down at all. I use it PRN for days when I'm playing tennis or have work or extended walking to do. Now, I sometimes take another 37 mg after exercise. I have used 100 mg time release and 200 mg time release for special times like high-demand days for travel or moving, etc."

• jef...
• October 16, 2012

"Doctors are getting me prepped for a revision to a septic artificial knee (replacement). They have removed the damaged parts and sutured me back up, waiting for the antibiotics to clean the leg. The first week on Tramadol was effective for pain, but in the fourth week, 200 mg a day does almost nothing for the pain. To sleep, I have to return to 15 mg of Hydrocodone before bed."

• Joh...
• August 20, 2017

"Takes away all pain. I was told that this is a drug that works differently for people. I am one of the lucky ones. Very quickly takes away all pain. I was given it intravenously immediately after surgery, first for a hernia and second for a cat bite that had resulted in a septic joint. My partner will not take it because it made her feel nauseous. I have no nausea. Interestingly, morphine had no effect on me despite being supposedly the more effective medication for pain. The lesson is that different people's bodies respond differently."

• 4ch...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 5, 2016

"After examining my MRI, my doctor diagnosed me with a herniated cervical disk, where the hernia is pinching a nerve. I had an excruciating pain that shot through my left shoulder blade all the way down my arm. The pain is akin to being bashed on my upper arm several times with a baseball bat. Until my diagnosis, I was laid up flat on my back in bed for about a week, like in paralysis. My doctor prescribed a combination of Lyrica (pregabalin) and tramacet (tramadol). It has been a miracle for me. I've been experimenting with the dosages. I'm currently on extended release tramacet (100mg) and Lyrica (75mg) 4 times a day. I sometimes take an extra tramacet IR (37mg) for breakthrough pain. This seems to be the bare minimum which works for me."

• Nen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 26, 2019

"My GP prescribed Tramadol for the severe pain I suffer. I took it for a while, it neither relieved my pain nor made me happy. Till now, I cannot understand how this medicine makes people happy. This medicine was very bad and had side effects. It made me dizzy, feel nauseous, and gave me a headache. It was really bad medicine."

• Bug...
• April 7, 2017

"Tramadol does work wonders. Some people don't like it because it is not your typical pain medication. I have been taking two 50 mg every 12 hours for the past year or so, and without a doubt, it does work on a continued basis. It seems to not work well for acute pain and only dosing this way, but for chronic pain, it does work."

• yog...
• March 9, 2015

"I have a 35-year-old whiplash, so the pain is fairly chronic and settles in my neck but moves into my shoulders and mid-back. My pain seems to be skeletal and muscular. Tramadol is excellent at handling the pain. I want it to always work, so I never take it until after the pain has started. Sometimes I can go 2 days without taking a pill; other days, I have to take 2 pills in one day."

• ter...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 23, 2017

"This works great for me for migraines, neck pain, and in the past for severe menstrual cramping. However, I find that I need to take about half the dose. Instead of 50 mg every 6 hours, I have to take less (25 mg), maxing out at 225 mg per day. I rarely have to take that much anymore. I tend to take Dramamine with it now or meclizine to avoid nausea (although it doesn't always cause me to have nausea). I did have one episode of respiratory depression after taking the normal dosage of 50 mg every six hours for menstrual cramps. About an hour after the third dose, I started feeling like I couldn't remember how to breathe. It was a very scary feeling. My husband watched me carefully, and I probably should have gone to the emergency room."

• Bar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 9, 2016

Tramadol "First of all, just wanted to mention this website's words really did make me laugh, that's our comments are: '...not a substitute for the expertise, skill, knowledge, and judgment of healthcare practitioners in patient care.' I have been on tramadol now for five months, and I have never had so much hassle from incompetent medical professional people. Anyhow, throughout the time I have taken generic Tramadol, I've been put on two other brands, and this generic is by far the best. Of the medical professionals, all but one have been able to realize that there are differences with different brands. I find this by far the strongest and most powerful. There again, everyone is individual, so this may not apply with all people."

• Bev...
• April 26, 2019

"Tramadol did nothing for my pain. It could be because I've been in pain management for 15 years and taking Roxicodone 30 for ten years, and my body has a high tolerance for pain meds. The only thing tramadol did do is make me nauseous, vomit, and have extreme heartburn. No recommendations from me!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 23, 2015

"Dangerously addicting drug with strong side effects on and coming off. Just because it's synthetic does not mean it's like an opiate! It affects serotonin and will cause problems getting off it in terms of mood and nervous system reactions, as well as increased muscle pain when coming off."

• Har...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 23, 2018

"Many people believe just because tramadol is low on the pain ladder that it won’t help with severe pain. They are wrong. It all depends on what kind of pain you have. My pain seems to be a mixture of nerve and joint pain in my spine. I need 60 mg of OxyContin in the morning, but it’s still not enough! I take 300 mg of tramadol on top, and I’m covered. I’ve recently used the EX 200 mg, and it was even better."