Does Time Release Tramadol make addiction less severe, and make it easier to get off?

Point well taken. It seems that the psychological addiction part for me will not be a problem (since I can't even remember to take them until the pain gets so bad that it reminds me I have to do something in order to move on (sometimes I get nautious and breathless from the pain before I realize how painful it is), but that's not going to have much of an effect on the physical reaction my body will have when the plug is pulled. My strategy is that the more information I have, the more prepared I can be. I can plan for when and how I break the addiction better if I know what's in store and what has happened to other people. To that end, I hope pthers will write about their experiences so I can learn from them (even if it is only to realize it will be a horrific experience -- better to be prepared!)

Actually, your reply does reflect my actual personal circumstances in that I have often found that when I take the 100mg extended release tablet at bedtime (as prescribed, because my pain is far worse at night than in the daytime), I find that I often have to take a 50mg "fast hit" single dose in the middle of the night when severe pain descends anyway... because, exactly as you said, I have not achieved the dose necessary for the pain relief necessary, and so I end up having taken the equivalent of three 50mg caps instead of the two (one at bedtime and one when I wake up with pain) that might have carried me through the night. Which does mean I take more than necessary. So I'm pretty sure the Ex release is not reducing my dosing in terms of amount of tramadol I take (except it worries me, so I sometimes just let the pain keep me awake because I realize how much I am taking and am aware of its addiction potential). The point is, when I am ready to go off tramadol, will it be easier with the Ex release, and I guess the answer is yes (as with most drugs, I think -- the longer lasting ones are easier to wean from than the shorter, quicker acting ones)... but as long as I am NOT ready to go off of it, what's the point, really? I think I'll stick to the targetted dosing for now, and deal with the weaning offf the drug when I really am ready to do so (although I know it can be hell for a lot of people, even at realtively low doses (if taken daily over an extended period of time, as in my case -- I cannot get through a dau (or night) without at least 1 or 2 of the 50mg doses, and I've been on it for, actually more than several months... more like 2 years). My mother had an difficult time coming off just one 50mg dose a day, although I wouldn't characterize it as excruciating,,, but she is retired, and a few days of heightened anxiety were handlelblefor her, whereas my anxiety levels are already so high that I'm not sure I could function with a detoxing and my everyday life. PLUS, I don't think I should be treating a symptom for years when there is clearly an underlying cause that I'm not treating... ah, worries compounded by worries. Anyway, thank you for your answer, Benny B, it did recomfirm my experience and give me perspective.

Have you tried doing without during the day? Before I would try to quite "cold turkey" I would try to give my system some short clean periods. But that may be just me, as I find it much easier to abstain from something if I know I don't absolutely have to.

An example of that would be tobacco. I would try to see how long I could go each day before lighting up the first one. And after I had finally smoked my last one, I kept an unopened carton in my bedroom, and carried an unopened pack in my shirt pocket for a couple of months.

I do go without taking any pain reliever most days (during my waking and productive hours. An exception would be a long car ride, or having to sit for long periods of time. I work standing up with my computer on a stand on the kitchen counter, and change my position frequently, as well as take frequent breaks to stretch my back and limbs, so the pain is mostly bearable during the daytime.

The thing is, I don't get any kind of pleasureable feeling from tramadol, I  only take it when the pain is unbearable, and even then, it only takes the edge off the pain. I don't crave it in any way and I don't notice anything immediate from taking it, so after I've taken it I just sort of forget about the pain for a while because I know it will slowly ease and stop impinging as much as it does on my ability to function. So some of the classical signs of addiction don't seem to apply here (no craving, no "high", no thoughts about it until complete desperation (pain making it impossible for me to do essential tasks) reminds me I have to do something and that something is to take a pill I'm afraid of getting addicted to and that doesn't even help all that much. If you see what I mean.

In fact, what if I never get rid of the pain and have to continue with this dose of tramadol for the rest of my life... would that be such a horrific thing (I mean if tolerance didn't cause me to have to continually increase dosage, which it hasn't for months, anyway, partly because of my fear of additicion)?

Am I somehow compounding my pain with all this worry about addiction to something that is necessary to function and is not affecting me negatively in any other way (no sleepiness or impairment of thought -- the biggest side effect for me being constipation, which I am able to control naturally (no drugs), so it isn't really a major side effect).

 

You are already doing the most important things in the management of a dangerous drug: Taking it only as needed, and taking the smallest effective dose.

I hesitate to get off the subject of the drug itself, but I want to tell you what helps my back. (My problem is mostly in my upper back/neck.) After all, as you said, solving the problem is favorable to masking it. It may sound crazy, but regular bicycle riding helps me. It seems to be just the right amount of excercise to keep my back in good enough shape to support itself. I still hurt a lot, but I can function much better, and with fewer episodes of complete debilitation. Finding the right bike and setting it up so that I could ride in the first place took a little time. You may find  that you can't do the bike thing but, if you can't, just keep looking for some activity that you can do.

I beg to differ on your opinion that longer acting ones will be easier to wean yourself off of but it's what you think that is right for you that is important 

Tramadol with Paracetamol (1 x 50 mg + 2 x 500 mg) works far better than Tramadol on it's own, in deed I'd heartily recommend soluble Paracetamol with Tramadol, so if it works better you'll need less and that's cool  Also you can take Ibuprofen on top as well so again you'll need less of the good stuff 

Anyway (so theoreticallly) by combining these 3 medicines it'll be possible for you to find the optimum mix for optimum pain relief 

Benny, it was not really my opinion that longer acting ones are easier to wean yourself off of. I don't have any experience in it. That's just what I read about weaning from benzos (I was once prescribed benzos and was too paranoid to take them, but that's what I read, anyway), and what my doctor told me about the time release tramadol. Thank you for the other advice about combining. I stay away from acetominophen because of its toxicity to the liver and general bad rep, but I have heard doctors advise to take paracet and ibuprofen eery other hour, or some such combination because they target different pain receptors (or something like that). I have been thinking about the ibuprofen combo with tramadol to dose down on the trama, so this was a good reminder. I wonder if others here have heard of (or experience in) combining different pain relievers to get pain relief with the least addictive potential.

If you keep to the recommended dose of Paracetamol a day (8 x 500 mg) it is completely and utterly harmless  In my humble opinion it is Ibuprofen that's the riskier of the two substances 

Here's some useful leaflets :

patient.info/doctor/pain-and-pain-relief

patient.info/doctor/neuropathic-pain-and-its-management

But surely you can't be on pills forever, get your Doctor to find out what's wrong with your Spine and then get it fixed 

Essentially correct about the doasage. I'd add that the total daily intake is a more critical factor than any individual dose, and that alcohol completely changes the game. If you drink, stay away from acetominophen (or whatever you call it there across the pond).

And NSAIDs are really rough on the stomach. I MIGHT get away with a dose or two, I generally avoid them. Acetominophen is definitely the lesser of these two evils.

The effects are going to be virtually the same as any opiate. Although tramadol is synthetic, its metabolites bind the same way, and to the same receptors, as morphine (or any opiate). Therefore, any information you can find regarding opiate addiction will apply here.

I know this is rather harsh news, but you need to be aware of what you are up against. I have one thing that I like to say to anyone facing addiction: It will never get any easier to stop than it is right now.