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Coming off Tramadol

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fizzysoap
fizzysoap

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

387 Replies

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  • thebird55
    thebird55 fizzysoap

    Posted

    While reading you post I was suddenly struck with an idea. A lot of your symptoms sound like withdrawal from the psychoactive properties of the drug, as opposed to the opoid properties. Talk to your doctor about SSRI therapy. It might cut down on at least some of the symptoms, thus allowing you to more easily deal with the others.
  • fizzysoap
    fizzysoap

    Posted

    Hey all, apologies for not keeping this updated. WHAT a relief.

    I'm now "clean" from tramadol. I have been for nearly 3 weeks.

    I won't lie. It was horrific. I never want to experience the mental confusion and the upset it caused to my body again.

    Mentally I suffered the worst. If there had been a bridge, I felt I could've jumped off it. And that was with the support of family, friends and my boyfriend. I was a complete mess. Because my body felt so drained, aching, sleeplessness and in pain, it all added up to my head and I wanted to scream and cry and sleep and cry and be a child and just be hugged. I zoned out on almost everything, my concentration was gone.

    My internal organs... well. Things started moving on their own after so long of so-so and that was bad. My skin broke out in lots of spots, and I literally ate everything in sight.

    Three days of being off it completely, I had physio, then pilates.. got in to work and after an hour called someone to pick me up, got in the car and sobbed. no reason. I was hysterical. Three hours of crying, a good night's sleep and then after that.. I've felt AMAZING.

    I have my energy back, my head is clear, I'm enjoying my life again and back in control of it. Looking back I can't even remember, or understand WHY I was in that horrible horrible place and seems so long ago.

    Basically... it's not impossible, but it isn't easy. I'm prone to being very much of one thing.. I'm either super happy, super tired or, as it would seem, super depressed. It may not effect everyone in that way. Coming off the smaller dosers (50mg) meant I didn't get the sweats and aches and anxiety AS much as dropping 100mg. The doc also gave my 5mg tablets of diazepam when I came off completely to help with the anxiety and sleeplessness. I split them, and the first two evenings took 2,5 mg, and the third I was in such a bad way I took a whole one. After that experience, I got rid of the lot.

    To anyone who is reading this, or stumbles across it... you CAN do it. You just have to keep yourself busy, and have people who support you through it. The more you dwell on it, the harder it becomes.

    I feel like a much better person now, and I hope reading this lets you know it's doable, if you want it.

    Fizzy

  • stephanie89035
    stephanie89035 fizzysoap

    Posted

    I've been on trammadol for about 18 months for chronic hip pain. I started on 50 mg 3x daily but had to increase to 200mg slow release 2x daily. I've had surgery to fix my hip and no longer need trammadol for pain relief. I managed 24hrs before I couldn't stand it any longer. Chills, hot then cold, restless legs, restlessness, tearful and flu like. I've had swine flu and that was a walk in the park compared to this. I'm still suffering mild post op pain, it's only been 3 weeks since surgery and I'm expecting it to take about 12 weeks to recover fully. I really want to be off this drug but trying to deal with the post op difficulties and trammadol withdrawal is too much. I'm planning to go back to my GP as sonn as I'm allowed to be in a car to see what I can do. 

    It's comforting to know that I'm not alone with this problem and that I can eventually kick the dependency. I'm usually very healthy and rarely take any drugs. So this has been a real punch in the gut for me 😰. 

    I hope you've managed to get off the stuff and I hope I soon will too. 

    • Wobbly68
      Wobbly68 stephanie89035

      Posted

      Hello there,

      Sorry to hear your struggling with tramadol. I still am, its horrendous to get off.  You need to do it very slowly. Most of all listen to your body if the withdrawal symptoms become too much go back up and think of another way to withdraw like spreading the hours out so your body always has some of the drug present.  Afraid to say don't be surprised if after 4/5 weeks you get another load of symptoms it is the Opriate side of withdrawal kicking in.  I've learnt Not to reduce by another 50mg until about 8/9 weeks have passed.  As you are not on other drugs the withdrawal should be easier than what I'm experiencing, but all the same it is horrible.  You can do it though.  We can beat these drugs!

      Take care, and please feel free to message me.

      x

    • stephanie89035
      stephanie89035 Wobbly68

      Posted

      Thanks for your input. It helps to have as much knowledge and support from others who know the awful situation we're in. 

      You hang in there too. 

      Be well x

    • ann03972
      ann03972 Wobbly68

      Posted

      Hi, I am experiencing coming of dihydrocodeine I haven't been on them 

      this time for very long but wonder how I should taper down

      i am currently down to just three every day could you suggest how I move

      forward without too much withdrawal thanks if you can help take care 

    • stephanie89035
      stephanie89035 ann03972

      Posted

      Hi Ann , try a pill splitter. First split one pill into quarters so you can take 2 and 3/4 for a while. Then try 2 and 1/2 and so on until you're free of them. How long it takes will be up to you and your body. 

      Also I found something called the Thomas Recipe a cocktail of supplements etc. I don't know if its useful for you. 

      Good luck with your detox. I hope we can all be rid of these cursed drugs. 

      Stephanie x

    • ann03972
      ann03972 stephanie89035

      Posted

      Hi thanks for advice I can put up with a lot but hate the not

      sleeping still will be worth it in the end 

      take care  Ann x

    • stephanie89035
      stephanie89035 ann03972

      Posted

      YeahI find nights are miserable too. 

      We can do this. 

      Feel free to message me anytime. 

       

      Be well Ann 

      Stephanie x

    • susan86741
      susan86741 stephanie89035

      Posted

      Hi there...it's been a while since your post but I felt like sharing my horrible experience with Tramadol as well. I had no idea I would go through what I went through getting off it. I was on 50mg a day (considered a relatively small dose) and felt terrible even while on it! In the morning after I took it up til 1pm I felt a bit of extra energy then at 1pm and for the rest of the day I felt horrible....tired, achey and weak. I decided that having some back pain would be more bearable than how I felt on tramadol. I also felt numb and like I was floating while on it....as well as ear congestion and upset stomach accompanied by nausea.

      I tried to stop cold Turkey at 50mg. Had no idea how sick I would feel....flu like symptoms...restless legs....irregular heartbeat...panicked.....and painful electrical shock like bolts through out my body...also chronic eye pain coupled with dryness....chest pain....could not sleep....exhaustion and depression set in as well. So what I did was cut from 50 mg to 25 mg.....stayed on that for a week....then cut the 50 mg pill in 4 pieces...took 3 pieces for a week....then 2 pieces the next week and so on....all the way down to a tiny tiny sliver of a corner of the pill. I swear I've been on other opiodes and NONE EVER COMPARED TO THIS HORRIFIC MEDICATION! While on it and during detox off it! I've been free from it for 3 weeks and still am having electrical shock feelings.....headaches...and bouts of uncomfortabity....some days still getting the chills and flu like symptoms...but way better than I did feel at first...or while on it....

      These things helped me....

      1. Robitussin dry cough syrup at night and sometimes during the day too.

      2. Melatonin to sleep.

      3. Clonodine for restless legs.

      hope this helps some folks on here....

    • Reighton55
      Reighton55 susan86741

      Posted

      Hi i was at one point taking 0n average 12 tramadol tablets a day 50mg tablets. i have been doing this for 10 years. not always 12 i may add. yes i was addicted. every symptom you mention i had. Restless leg, palpitations, etc when i came off the tablets. i have been of for 12 days now cold turkey but i think what has helped me this time was to do with my blood pressure. The doctor put me on a low dose of Ramipril and this Ramipril has taken away a high percentage of the nasty withdrawl effects. Dont ask me why but they have.

      I guess anyone with blood pressure problems who feel light headed etc take extra tramadol as they feel they want to get rid of a certain feeling. Again i guess where i am coming from is check your blood pressures as if its raised you might be more persuaded to go for the tramadol.

  • c61202
    c61202 fizzysoap

    Posted

    Hi There, I notice that you posted this 2 months ago but I see some of the replies are more recent so I thought I would add my 'bit'.  

    I feel for you, I really do.   I've been on Tramadol for 4 years - I was put on it for chronic pain after becoming tolerant to codiene, dihrydrocodeiene etc etc you name it - I've been prescribed it.  Not once was I told - this is for 'short-term use only' or 'be careful with this drug'.  Nothing.  It was more like "here you go, try this" and every month I went for my precription for the next 3 years and no one said a thing.  In that time my usage increased from 100mg/day to over 600mg.  I was always honest with the GPs and to my surprise they never seemed to bat an eyelid when I said that I was taking 200mg more than they had prescribed.  

    Anyway, enough about me.  Personally from my experience and from what I've been reading online GPs or  bvery few of them actually understand tramadol.  Today (10th June) marks the day that tramamdol is now a sched. 3 controlled substance but I can't see this causing anyone to be more vigilient in their prescribing, in fact I've just been reading a GP magazine and I am shocked by some of the comments that GPs have made: http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/gps-face-tighter-prescribing-rules-on-tramadol-and-temazepam/20006086.article#.U5cfy5WxG0s  - it would seem that to some the whole thing is a joke. 

    The problem is a lack of understanding - firstly they do not understand chronic pain (for which the tramadol is precribed in the first place), secondly they do not seem to take in the addictiveness of tramadol (many see it as a 'safe choice and prescribe it much like paracetamol) and thirdly they do not understand the difficulty of additiction/withdrawal.  

    I don't really know how this is helpful, really it's my rant as I feel I need to rant somewhere!  But I do feel your pain and your frustration.  I myself have had good and bad times of cutting down and got down to about 150mg/day but due to pain I have never stayed at that level for long.  As far as I know or can find not much clear guidance is available to GPs on tramadol withdrawal or even the dangers associated with LT use.  Maybe this new classifcation will make them think twice about prescribing it ?  

    We plod on...

    • stephanie89035
      stephanie89035 c61202

      Posted

      I'm going to my GP today to try to get a managed tapering regime sorted to get off the trammadol and buprenorphine patches. I tried reducing over the weekend but was in such a state I had to whack everything back up to where they were. So frustrated😓
    • ann03972
      ann03972 stephanie89035

      Posted

      Hi hope you get on ok, let us know what they say or recommend .

      its so hard sometimes on a good day I think it's all going to be ok

      then next day back to taking more . Sometimes I think it would be

      Easier to just maybe be able to stay on low dose but would that work?

      take care Ann x

  • stephanie89035
    stephanie89035 fizzysoap

    Posted

    Hi all. Well I've been on tramadol and buprenorphine for around 18 months for chronic hip pain. I had a total hip replacement 3 weeks ago and I'm weaning off my drugs as we speak. I was on 400mg of tramadol but I cut that  to 200mg on Saturday ( night time dose long acting) it's been great. I take 200mg at 6pm and don't need any more until 24 hrs later. I sometime feel a bit odd and slightly flu like but a couple of paracetamol see to that and I try to keep really busy. I walk a lot which is not easy given my early stage of recovery fro surgery. I tried coming of Tramadol before but I did it too fast this time slow and steady is working. You have to be very very patient with your body. It took a long time to become dependent it will take time to reduce and clear that dependency. Get yourself a good support network, keep active this makes your brain produce its own endorphin, take extra care of yourself. Vitamins, minerals, extra b6, potassium and lots of fluids. Above all don't be too hard on yourself , you can do it however long it may take. See your GP and work together. I did and up to now I'm doing just fine. Hope you can all find a way off this drug. Be well 😸
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