Coming off Tramadol
Posted , 127 users are following.
Hello all,
I am after some friendly advice. 12 Jan I had a riding accident, hurt my shoulder. It was previously injured (dislocation/fracture of humerus) and it's been weak ever since. Doc put me on cocodamol as of 14th, and then on the 17th I was back at docs because they were making me sick. He put me on tramadol. 2x 50mg tablets three times a day.
I wasn't warned about any possible side effects, other than they may cause drowsiness.
11 weeks later, I can't kick it. I no longer require the tramadol for pain. They tried a weaning programme. I was given Tramadol SR tablets. I cut from 300mg a day to 200mg. One tablet morning, one tablet evening for a week. The week after I was cut down to 100mg tablet in the morning, then nothing.
I lasted a day before I used some left over regular tramadol.
The effects were horrific when I initially changed the dosage, but I thought it would be okay with cutting down and then coming off completely. I was ready for some side effects, but not what happened in reality.
Headaches, nosebleeds, sickness, sweats, freezing cold, aggressiveness, exhaustion, tearful, restless, insomnia.
I had some very very dark thoughts that I haven't had in years. I took the tramadol and felt ten times better.
I have a doctor's appointment today, but they tend to be as much use as a chocolate teapot. Any recommendations or information you think will be helpful to take with me is greatfully appreciated.
A nurse over the phone expressed she thought that the time frame for coming off them was too short, and the leap from 100mg to none was too much.
Please help.
I know I have a problem, but I'm scared to come off them and become the horrid, nasty person I was at the weekend. My rational thoughts tell me once I stop for good I'll be back to normal, but I don't have those rational thoughts when I try and come off them. I need them to cope with the most simple of tasks.
18 likes, 387 replies
tim45167 fizzysoap
Posted
Yes - it is so true - to be kind and supportive to folks who are going through this process - it is heartening to receive positive encouragement more than words can tell
Surfer fizzysoap
Posted
Hi everyone! This is my first post , I'll try to make it brief. I was in a serious head on collision last April, almost a year now. I had multiple injuries and broken bones. The most severe was my shattered Talus bone. It was too badly shattered for them to fix. They kind of just let it heal on its own. Almost a year later I'm still daily excruciating pain, and due to it can barely walk. I was prescribed meloxicam and 50mg of tramadol every six hours. I only take it 1 or 2 times a day just to take the edge off. My ortho has suddenly decided today that he doesn't want me to get dependent on it and won't refill it any longer. Even though he has acknowledged that I have none on bone due to the cartilage crushing, and set up surgery. I haven't taken any in 24 hours and of course I'm in pain, my ankle is killing me but luckily not experiencing any of the withdrawal symptoms anyone has described. Is it possible that I won't go through withdrawal?!
tim45167 Surfer
Posted
Surfer tim45167
Posted
You were right...I went completely off Tramadol without weening and am completely fine. No withdrawal symptoms whatsoever ... Just pain in my ankle where I shattered it. Reading everyone's stories is horrifying!! So sorry you are all going through what you are. Sending prayers to all of you!!
tim45167 Surfer
Posted
Heya - i am really pleased to hear that went so seamlessly for you!
..it seems first and early ones are the easiest to come back off, and the longer term and higher dose people are the ones who have more trouble with it ..thanks for your prayers for us all too!! : )
Mc6809e fizzysoap
Posted
I wanted to give a warning about the horrible withdrawals tramadol can produce. I took tramadol for about 2 years and no more than 150mg per day. Typically it was 100mg per day. I was then forced to go cold turkey.
So many horrible things happened over the course of about 6 months that I'm now unable to care for myself.
I'm not joking.
I'm now disabled. I went from being a whole man with dreams and confidence and a wonderful wife to being divorced, alone, and soon will be homeless.
I had never needed to see a psychiatrist in 45 years of life. Now I've been sectioned 8 times. Nothing they give me helps. I feel my brain is damaged.
The problem I encountered was like that of others: doctors just don't understand what the ssri and snri aspects of tramadol do to the brain. Withdrawing from ssris and snris is hell, and tramadol is no different.
I started by going to my doctor for the terrible insomnia. Twice he refused to give me anything to help with sleep, After about a month and a half, in desperation, I sectioned myself, hoping to quickly see a psychiatrist for help. I was given trazadone for sleep which did nothing. I let them know but they refused to give me anything else.
Months went by and still the insomnia remained. I really believed that eventually my body would just give up and I'd pass out. It didn't happen.
I had horrible insomnia. Then panics. Then anxiety to such an extent that I couldn't eat and lost about 30lbs over the course of three months. The stress of the withdrawal was so severe that I developed derealization and depersonalisation disorder. These are horrible conditions that for me didn't go away.
The horror caused my blood pressure to remain elevated and I wound up having a small stroke.
I'm a broken man now. I was smart and good looking. Now I'm essentially a bum and a mental case.
Now I admit that this is the worst case scenario, but it happened to me.
If you're going to stop tramadol taper slowly. It can take months for your brain to adjust. You'll need time and sleep to recover. Don't let the doctors and nurses tell you that teamadol is like strong Advil. That's what I was told.
It was a lie.
Gerrymoo Mc6809e
Posted
Hi,
So sorry to hear about your terrible experience with tramadol. Last year was a total write off for me due to this terrible drug. I fully understand what you went through as I have some similarities in my story but not as bad. I'm still trying to get my head around it all
Mc6809e Gerrymoo
Posted
So have you completely recovered from tramadol withdrawal? I have permanent damage now so I'll never be the same but I do wonder about others the have recovered and how long it took them to feel normal.
Do you feel normal?
Gerrymoo Mc6809e
Posted
That's a difficult one to answer. The thing that got me out of the hole was starting antidepressants to try and regulated my serotonin levels. It's been a long haul with dreadful side effects but I'm probably the best I've been since my back went over 1 year ago. That's what led to me taking tramadol in the first place. I didn't want to resort to more drugs but I was in a bad way.
Yes I'm back at work at long last and having some sense of normality back . I still feel vulnerable and am being careful with my back and my stress levels
Mc6809e Gerrymoo
Posted
I tried an antidepressant (citalopram) but it seemed to prolong the insomnia and I was deperate for sleep. I also tried Lexapro but it made me an angry, nasty person. That just isn't me.
I really believed the myth that tramadol was just a weak opioid. And I believed, mistakenly, that I would move through withdrawal like any other opioid (though I had no experience with other opioids or opiates). Everything seemed to suggest it would take mere weeks.
I now know, too late, that tramadol is a dirty drug.
I must confess that two tablets a day made me feel happy, happy like I had never felt before. That was the antidepressant ssri/snri aspect at work.
I didn't realize my brain was changing so profoundly.
No one should have to go on antidepressants just to handle withdrawal from what is described at a weak pain killer.
robert26046 Mc6809e
Posted
I can relate as far as the insomnia go's, I've been off Tramadol for about 3 months now and I still struggle to get to sleep. I've tried multiple supplements to no avail. It's difficult dealing with prolonged sleep deprivation cause it only exacerbates the PAW's. A restful nights sleep is pretty much a requirement in terms of recovery, but that's hard to achieve. Hope it gets better for all of us, good luck to all.
ynotrhyme Mc6809e
Posted
karen92752 Mc6809e
Posted
karen92752 robert26046
Posted
robert26046 karen92752
Posted
Hi Karen,
PAW's is just the acronym for Post Acute Withdrawal, which most unfortunately have to deal with after an addiction. Severity depends on amounts taken, duration of addiction, things like that. Hope you and everybody else is doing well and know that it does get better.