I was prescribed tramadol 6 weeks ago, but having read in the forum how addictive they are I am considering stopping them, although they do help with my back pain. Has anyone being given an alternative to these drugs, and if so are they effective.
View 27 RepliesI began tramadol in June 2014 after surgery. It subsided the pain and made me feel good. Like happy and optimistic about my recovery. I couldn't drive while recovering, so I walked everywhere, including to physical therapy appointments. That was all of last summer. I stayed on them until January to help with physical therapy discomfort. Then I suffered an elbow injury also in January, so stayed on them. My surgeon who originally prescribed them began cutting down on what he prescribed, so I found them elsewhere. This past spring, I began drinking alcoholic beverages after taking my last dose at around 5pm. Two months later was a disaster. Since, I have learned two very important things about Tramadol. One is that it's also an antidepressant and two, alcohol makes them even more addicting. This I learned through all the research I desperately sought. I am now 11 days without taking Tramadol and It's been hell. I spoke to a detox facility and they said that my insurance company would not pay for treatment for Tramadol because it is...wait for it... NOT ADDICTING. So here I am still trying to get this poison out of my system. It stinks because it is now I need something to calm my symptoms. Which is the lesser evil? I have no energy, depression, muscle weakness, no motivation and can cry at any given moment. Why me, why any of this? Doctors need to know what Tramadol truly is as do the insurance companies.
View 4 RepliesI had a problem about 13 days ago with my thyroid meds. Well my endo put me on .25 xanax twice a day. I know how addictive this can get. So I wan to get off it now. My PCP scared me to death when he said oh you've been on it for 9 days so your probably addicted. This just sent me over the edge. I can't stop thinking about it. So i started to taper some, i took a 1/2 for the past 2 nights and 1/2 today. I want to know, is this amount for 13 days going to cause seizures and all this bad stuff.
View 1 RepliesI have been taking paracetamol with codeine for sinus pain and toothache-more the form. I'm very worried about addiction so will take a single dose of an evening 2-3 days a week. Then I can have weeks and 2-3 months of none. I don't experience withdrawal or addictions when I do not take. Is it ok to use paracetamol & codeine sparingly like this and avoid addiction. Can I have balanced feedbacks please-well weighed up good and not so good experiences.
View 33 RepliesHaving read some of the experiences others have had withdrawing from Mirtazapine I thought I would post my own. I hope it may be of use to others. I recently was re-prescribed Mirtazapine,after three years of not taking it. I took one 15mg tablet, felt like I'd been hit over the head with a riot shield and fell out of bed with severe restless legs syndrome. I decided there and then "there is no way I am going through all this again", and stopped it right there.
Previously, I had been prescribed Mirtazapine for severe anxiety and depression. This medication caused restless leg syndrome, and caused me to put on 3 stones in weight. Despite being previously a fit and active person. I became lethargic, and fatigued easily, needing to rest after evey 20 minutes of moderate activity, not to mention the dreadful hangovers I would have all morning. I persisted in taking it for nearly 5 years because I looked forward to the sedative effect it has. I even looked forward to it at night, despite the dreadful side effects, because I felt it helped me escape the world into sleep. Personally I think Mirtazapine is addictive and I was addicted.
I eventually decided enough was enough and decided to get my life back.
My GP was of little use when it came to advice for tapered withdrawal, though damn quick to prescribe the stuff in the first place. I determined an action plan of my own. I was aware of the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms of suddenly stopping, as I had previously, on occasion, run out of money and couldn't afford my prescription. Dizziness, extreme anxiety, nausea, insomnia, sweating and flu like muscle and headaches are all in store for any one who stops this medication abruptly. I tapered Mirtazapine over approximately 3 months by, cutting up 30mg tablets. 1st week I took 3/4rs of a tablet, then 1/2 plus an 1/8th second week, then 1/2 plus 1/16th for the 3rd week and so on. Eventually I was taking 1/16th of 30 mg (or less) per night for the last 2 weeks after which I felt no withdrawal symptoms upon cessation. The doses are approximate as cutting these tablets is accurately is difficult.
All of this took a lot of focus and bloody-minded determination. I find it surprising that the manufacturers don't provide decreasing doses for people wishing to stop taking their product without discomfort. At the moment I have decided to cope with life without Mirtazapine, or any other chemical horror. It can be very difficult at times, but vastly better than being a Drs. corporate guinea pig/junkie. I would say though, that for people who are severely depressed, Mirtazapine or other medications could be helpful if used for the short term, but please be aware of the very real side effects and problems with these substances. Ask yourself very carefully if you think you need this, despite what your Dr. may say. These drugs should be a last resort, not first port of call. They most certainly are no magic cure, and have serious "side effects" that should not be underestimated.
I'v smoked pot on and off for about 40 yrs, I've never had a pot withdrawal that I can ever remember or known anyone who has. but I do have hard times sleeping, eating etc. normally..
other than the occasional paranoia from "smoking too much" it has helped my appetite, stress levels etc. My cognitive skills are still the same as they've always been when I don't smoke.
I have a bunch of problems the pot helps to mask. If you want a clear mind, Then Don't Smoke it! or quit! other than that I smell a lot of possible psychological or physical problems that have been suddenly realized by people quitting? how can you have a withdrawal from a non-addictive substance?
I have been smoking cannabis for the past 35 years. I have spent most of that time resisting the idea that cannabis is addictive, even though I have tried giving up and cutting down many many times, always without success. I have found it much easier to resist tobacco addiction - and wouldn't smoke tobacco at all if it wasn't for needing it to roll a joint. I am more addicted to cannabis than any of my friends, even though many of them have also smoked cannabis, some for many years. Most drug addiction services are aimed at people with heroin, crack cocaine or alcohol addictions and, by comparison, cannabis addiction is seen as `soft' and not-terribly-problematic. But neither do NHS smoking cessation services include cannabis cessation. So it is not easy to access support for tackling this addiction. My ideal outcome would be for me to be able to smoke cannabis in a controlled way, on an occasional basis. But my reluctance to give up this ideal has meant that I have, in fact, remained addicted to regular,heavy use. Increasingly, I have been able to give up for a month at a time, but I am always sucked back in, especially in response to stress at work. So I have reluctantly come to recognise that there is only one answer - giving it up for the rest of my life. I have found that acupuncture (as practiced by SMART UK - normally used for the treatment of heroin addiction) has recently helped me to give up for weeks at a time. And I am going to go back for another boost in my slow journey towards saying good-bye forever to what has been a very good friend. But one with whom I have developed a very unhealthy obsession and dependence. I believe that Dr. Susan Blackmore has recently said that cannabis use has enabled her to think more creatively and, as an academic myself, I have also found that my thinking is better synthesised and I am able to see solutions to academic problems more easily when my brain has absorbed a dose of
cannabis. If cannabis wasn't such a mentally stimulating experience (hence all the chatting and laughing amongst a group of stoned friends), it would be so EASY to give up!
I totally agree- cannabis IS addictive. My 17 year old daughter has been using cannabis since she was 14. She was continually being suspended from school, lost her place at college, has been in trouble with the police for fraud/theft and is currently awaiting a court appearance for assault on members of her own family. Her behaviour when she is coming down from the drug, or can't get any is atrocious. She has been extremely aggressive and violent. She gets the shakes, sweats and is extremely volatile when she doesn't have the drug.She has stolen from her own family, money, jewellery, mobile phones, anything that can be sold to raise money to buy the drug. She is working at present and is having great difficulty hiding her craving for the drug while at work. Her physical appearance is awful, she is covered in spots and has lost quite a bit of weight. I have been asked many times if she is on anything else but have never found any evidence to support that. She is spending in excess of £300.00 per month on cannabis- apparently skunk- Can anyone tell me if this is a normal amount to be using? She has now left the family home due to the assaults on her family and is currently staying with her brother and his family. Her relationships with the rest of the family have broken down completely and she is fast losing her friends. I am now at a loss as to how to help her. She has tried several times to give up but it only lasts a few weeks at most and when she is back on the drug she insists she hasn't got a problem with it at all. I think the worst thing the government could do would be to legalise this drug. Youngsters have already got the impression that it is harmless and it is anything but.The effects of this drug on my family are breaking my heart and I suspect I am not the only parent in this position. I have seen my daughter, one of my sons and two of my brothers almost ruin their lives because of this drug.In my opinion the bigwigs that sit there making these decisions about cannabis need to live in the real world.
View 6 Repliesi want to know what is better to take first subo and after tramadol or first tramadol and after suboxone
View 2 RepliesLast Friday (16/Sep/11) I had an op to repair an umbilical hernia (overnight stay). On being discharged the nurse gave me a packet of 50 mg Tramadol capsules to ease the pain, although the pain wasn't that bad. I had been walking to the toilet (in hospital) within 4 hours of recovering from the op.
Anyway, I got home on Saturday and what with the fairly long walk from the hospital to the taxi, plus getting in and out of the car, I was starting to feel some twinges, so I took 2 Tramadol. Much later that evening I started to have really weird side effects. They are so difficult to describe. A combination of panic attack, dizziness, extreme fatigue, and difficulty nodding off to sleep. I'd nod off, like one does, then I'd immediately have these images in my head - people I'd seen on TV that day, cars, animals, all jumbled up.
Then I must have fallen asleep for an hour or two only to come awake with a start after having this veritable nightmare of there being someone in the room and when I opened my eyes (in my sleep just before coming awake) there was this extremely tall guy, 9 feet tall, his head was literally brushing the ceiling. Then "he" walked across the room to another bed (my mind thought it was still in the 4-bed unit in the hospital ward) and disappeared! As if in a puff of smoke. And at that point I awoke feeling hot and sweaty.
So those were the last Tramadol *I* was ever going to take, I can tell you. And then, yesterday, Thursday I had severe itching at the surgical wound site. This had nothing to do with the Tramadol I'd taken on Saturday, which must have been out of my system by then. Anyway, apart from the itching there was still a bit of an ache, so I thought I'd take just a single Tramadol capsule.
The itching went; the dull ache went. But this morning, very early, about 04:00am, I awoke feeling anything but refreshed. I had some numb feelings in my hand and thigh, they kept coming and going. I got up at around 05:45 am, make a cup of tea, then suddenly felt very weak. Jittery, fast pulse, zonked. Since then I have just lain on my bed in between going for a short walk and am drinking glasses of water in an attempt to flush this [b:095f76e716]POISON[/b:095f76e716] out of my system and am starting to feel a little better.
Earlier in the week on doctor's recommendation I booked an appointment with the nurse for this afternoon to have the dressing changed and the incision checked (it's a long, vertical cut about 4 inches long; they found two hernias), and in order to save on taxi fares I booked one of the free pick-up buses to take me and bring me back. However, I've just cancelled them and have ordered a taxi instead as I cannot face the lengthy zig-zag route these buses often take as they have to pick up numerous other people. I'll talk to the nurse about Tramadol and see what she says. I don't need any pain killers now and if I still get one or two twinges in the next few days, I shall take only paracetamol if necessary. (Not allowed to take ibuprofen or similar NSAIDs as I have a tendency to gastritis and duodenal ulcer.)
So, I am never going to touch Tramadol ever again and this time I mean it. I would not recommend it to my worst enemy. If some people take it just to get "high" they must be stark, raving mad.
after using Tramadol for several months with limited success I have now been prescribed Amitriptyline also to aid sleep. I was constantly waking up at night in pain but this is seeming to work thankfully.
Is it a concern though that it does knock me out and I do work night shifts.....
Perhaps I need to change my shift pattern temporary?
one of the few meds I haven't tried yet. Anyone have good or bad reactions to it? Is there anything that actually works?
View 32 RepliesI had a laparoscopy yesterday (2nd December 2015) and have been given Tramadol painkillers which a working amazingly well!! They're incredible, not gonna lie! Helps with not only the surgical pain, but the stomach aches that i've had for 4 years now all day every day! I'm virtually pain free! It's amazing! Anyway, I've taken 100mg yesterday evening at about 7, 100mg at 11 last night, and 100 mg at 8.30 this morning. At about 8/9 last night I drank a whole bottle of Ribena. I put Ribena in a bottle so I don't have to keep leaning to pick up a glass. It's easier to have a bottle on the sofa. I never drink that much in one go! Ever! But I drank a whole bottle, and a cup of tea within about 15 minutes. I heard of! I was still so thirsty, so I drank another bottle later on! This morning I woke up and was dying for a drink. Drank a whole 2 bottles of Ribena before 9! No matter how much I drink, I'm still so thirsty. Is this a common side effect of Tramadol? Has anyone else experienced this?
View 1 RepliesI'm so ready to get off everything and I wish I could hit rewind. I want to try Suboxone. I have an appt on Tues to get a script. I am currently on 50mg Norco, 150-300 mg Tramadol (usually 150) and 1-2mg Xanax per day. I was on 450 mg Tramadol for 10 yrs (150 mg day previous five years). Norco escalated up but daily last two years (sporadic before that) hence why I dropped down Tramadol. Xanax for 3-4 years.
So..with those meds will the doctor give me Suboxone? Will he take me off both Norco and Tram at same time (my hope)?
Also..if all goes as planned and I start on Suboxone, how long before I can stop Sub? A friend was only on it two months and then just stopped. I do not want to be on anything. At this point the way I feel is worse than the pain..and actually Norco in increased doses makes me hurt more.
I'm really disappointed in myself i'm 26 years old and suffer sciatica really bad in my buttocks nerves going down one leg and along my back. I recently changed my doctor to one closer to home. On my first appointment my doctor made it clear I needed weaned off the 400mg of tramadol and 400 mg I take a day I was prescribed them two years ago along with Sertraline 100mg a day for my anxiety. The doctor and I never discussed me becoming addicted ever, I haven't tried to stop taking them as it was never suggested before my current doctor told me I was most defiantly addicted I have to be considering the dosage I've been on every day and the length of time I've been on them.I have not had them for a few days once as I'd ran out and it was the weekend I wasn't too fused and knew I would get them on the Monday morning I felt fidgety and anxious didn't know ok w what to with myself all of Sunday and when I slept on Sunday night I had the sickest terrifying dream I woke up sweating and scared I don't know what I was scared of by I was for hours. Can this be withdrawal symptoms.
View 6 RepliesI am going to be getting myself off it immediately. Not to mention I am starting to get the 'brain zaps'.
I've been taking around 150mg/day for the last 4 months. I was on 200mg/day but a couple months ago, I cut myself back to 150mg/day.
I get a refill on my meds next week but I think I'm going to pass on it and just taper with my remaining supply. I have about 40 50mg pills left.
What's the best and SAFEST way to taper with these?
My initial plan:
100mg per day for 10 days
50mg per day for 10 days
25mg per day for 5 days (cut pills in half)
12.5mg per day for 5 days (cut pills in quarters)
... and then be done w/ a few left over for an emergency pain day. Will that prevent withdrawal? Is that a safe way to quit?
will tramadol help ease my methadone withdrawal
View 5 RepliesI'm taking clindamycin 300 mg every 6 hours and tramadol 50 mg every 6 hours (unless i'm a work it makes me sleepy) and the pain from my tooth abscess has gotten worse and now the swelling is spreading and my throat hurts. The pain from the tooth abscess has spread from the far left corner of my jaw to my ear and even under my chin. I can't see a dentist till next week and this is only getting worse. I already went to the er that is how i got these meds. The clindamycin is also making me very sick to my stomach. I ate some soup to take it last night and ended up hugging the trash can at my job for little over 20 min till nothing was left to come up. Please help this is getting out of control i can't even hardly help take care of my 2 month old baby because it hurts when she ends up touching the left side of my face!
View 2 RepliesHi I have just joined the forum and would like to know if anyone feels the same as myself or am I going mad. Was diagnosed with crohns in 2010 after doing the over 50 bowel screening ( I am 55) have been on several medications and had a very nasty abcess where you dont want one and had to stay in hospital 11 days. Last november I had been in infliximab for 2 years having infusion every 8 weeks and also taking mercaptopurine and tramadol for the pain, I now have infliximab every 10 weeks still taking mercaptopurine which I have been on for 4 years, the doctor asked me to try and stop tramadol but I only take 2 per day 4 on a very bad day, I have tried several times not to take these but when I stop the next day I feel bloated, very sick and its a struggle to get out of bed and as a full time carer for my disabled husband thats no good, it happened today so I took 2 tramadol and crawled back to bed and within an hour I felt a lot better, have explained this to 2 doctors and 1 wants me off tramadol and says symptoms are due to them and the other gives me a prescription and says if I need to take them to do that I am so confused. I take them because the option not to makes me feel so crap (pardon the pun ) has anybody got any advice please I hate this crohns
View 4 RepliesI would like to first off say i did not relapse on opiates. HOWEVER i ended up taking some tramadol after a few surgeries. I asked for NON OPIATE pain relief afterwards. That is what he gave me. I took them did not get high i thought that was great! However a few months later i found myself dependent on it without the high its a stupid drug. So i gradually cut back..i went back to my doc and told him it was not easy to come off of and could he help me. He gave me a taper plan to work so i started working it. I noticed as i reduced my dosage is was worse and worse like usual.. So i do smoke pot from time to time and the last time i got off subs Marijuana really helped me get off.
View 15 RepliesI have just been diagnosed with DD via a colonoscopy which comes as a surprise when your only 36. For the 3 months prior to this i had a stuck kidney stone in my ureter, this was eventually treated and fixed with lithotripsy, however for the 3 months i was waiting i was given Tramadol and diclofenac to dull the pain. I am a firm believer that it was the drugs that has caused the DD as i had no issues at all before this. I know it could have been there before and i didn't notice it but it all seems to be too much of a coincidence.
I have also seen on here that Tramadol is given to help people with DD pains, which i find strange as Tramadol doesn't exactly help your stools flow easily.
I am feeling a little bit lost since finding out about the DD (2 days ago) it's something i feel that is a lot bigger than i can take in right now. I have had no advice on diet so I've started by ordering some fiber supplements.