Ultram and Drowsiness: What Users Say

• Whi...
• April 7, 2013

For Chronic Pain "I've been taking tramadol for back and knee pain from a motorcycle accident for over a year. It is a great pain reliever that eliminates 90% of my pain issues without making me feel drowsy like hydrocodone or oxycodone. It controls my pain and I can still live my normal life."

• MMG...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 27, 2013

For Pain "I was prescribed tramadol for chronic lower back pain. It makes me drowsy, but the pain is still there. I can't really describe it, it's like a sensation of knowing the pain is there but not letting it affect you."

• myg...
• May 25, 2010

For Fibromyalgia "I have had fibromyalgia for 17 years, just diagnosed this year. I was prescribed Ultram for worst pain days. It almost completely takes the pain away with 100 mg. There are little to no side effects. The first couple of times I took it, I felt a little drowsy. I am very happy that my rheumatologist recommended this medication. To get some pain relief and still feel like myself is all I could have hoped for! I would recommend it."

• Anonymous
• July 23, 2009

For Pain "This medication worked very well to ease my ankle pain. However, it left me feeling a little forgetful after taking it for a few days. It also made me very drowsy. But I was not in the severe pain that I had been. The most negative reaction was when I stopped taking the medication. The following day, I felt nauseous, shaky, dizzy, and had cold sweats. The withdrawal symptoms were very unpleasant."

• Anonymous
• March 12, 2009

For Fibromyalgia "This is definitely my miracle drug. It allows me to continue working and even seems to have a slight mood elevator. I have suffered from fibromyalgia for years, and the only other pain relievers I have found to help also made me drowsy and unable to function mentally. The only thing I notice from tramadol is relief. I have a sister with fibromyalgia, and it doesn't help her in the least, so you just have to try it and see."

• Anonymous
• December 15, 2009

For Fibromyalgia "Ultram has helped me greatly, it doesn't always take all of my pain away (of course!), but it truly takes the edge off and helps me to function. I have not noticed any side effects besides sleepiness, especially when I take more than one tablet."

• Anonymous
• November 17, 2009

For Pain "Aside from occasional nausea if I don't take it with food, I find it takes the edge off my lower back and arthritis pain. Causes some drowsiness, so I don't take it when I need to drive. Works better for pain than pretty much anything else I have tried."

• SL ...
• October 12, 2010

For Pain "I was prescribed this medicine for moderate pain after surgery. My incisions bothered me, and I took 4 pills a day for the first 3 days, then usually 2 a day. However, the side effects: nausea, palpitations, dizziness, drowsiness and sleeplessness, constipation and mental vagueness were really too unpleasant to be rid of minor pain, so after a week I stopped taking it. It is annoying that after stopping it, I suffered nausea, palpitations, and weakness/drowsiness after large meals-possibly due to withdrawal."

• SL ...
• October 12, 2010

For Pain "I was prescribed this medicine for moderate pain after surgery. My incisions bothered me, and I took 4 pills a day for the first 3 days, then usually 2 a day. However, the side effects: nausea, palpitations, dizziness, drowsiness and sleeplessness, constipation and mental vagueness were really too unpleasant to be rid of minor pain, so after a week I stopped taking it. It is annoying that after stopping it, I suffered nausea, palpitations, and weakness/drowsiness after large meals-possibly due to withdrawal."

• Dav...
• January 4, 2011

For Pain "Ultram-50 relieved my neck pain (arthritis) and made me much more alert by removing the fog of pain, instead of the 'drowsy' side effect mentioned in the literature. However, when I was switched to generic Tramadol, I experienced severe itching all over."

• Anonymous
• November 12, 2009

For Pain "I have been taking Ultram for three months now for a compressed lumbar disc. I have had no problems with it like I did with narcotic pain relievers (serious withdrawals when I did not need the medicine for pain). It does cause some drowsiness and once made me feel nauseated, but all in all I like this medication much more than any codeine-based painkiller."

• Ade...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 1, 2016

For Pain "I was on this medication briefly for my arthritis pain. I would describe it as 'many side effects, no good effects.' It had the side effects generally associated with narcotics (sleepiness, dizziness, nausea), but it didn't help my pain at all."

• Anonymous
• June 1, 2011

For Pain "It sometimes works when I take 50 mg, and sometimes I have to take 100 mg. I am allergic to Tylenol, and there are not many options. This medication makes me feel like I have a buzz, and I can't drive when I take it. If I do drive, I feel hot, my heart starts racing, and I almost black out. So I take it in the evening when I am home. I also itch all over. No rash or hives, just itching. Sometimes it makes me sleepy, and other times I cannot sleep. To me, as long as it helps, I can deal with the itching and buzz feeling."

• Get...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 17, 2021

For Chronic Pain "I have been on Tramadol/Ultram for 13 years. It works on my pain 80% of the time. However, when I added Tizanidine (a muscle relaxer - not to be taken with Tramadol at the same time), I have been mostly pain-free. I take Tizanidine at night for back pain. It causes drowsiness, so do not take during the day. I take 100 mg Tramadol 3x a day for nerve pain. It works PERFECTLY for me. Unfortunately, I was forced to taper off and get off Tramadol to try Nortriptyline, which only worked 60% and made me so fatigued I was bed-bound. Now I am tapering off Nortriptyline and going to whatever plan B my neurologist has for me. My honest opinion - Tramadol works for moderate pain - not severe pain. I like it because it keeps me comfortable and does not have the loopy side effect of Hydrocodone. I can function well at least until 5 or 6 p.m. before the nerve pain hits. This, to me, is a win."

• Anonymous
• April 1, 2012

For Pain "Good medicine, it gets rid of your pain without that drowsy, sick feeling."