fed up of taking tramadol

I assume 8 a day is 400 mg a day? I am not a doctor. If you can see your GP and get referred to rehab, they can help. To come off tramadol you need to want to stop enough to seriously suffer. If you are willing to do that, and you hate being a slave enough, you can do it. Two ways. Cold turkey - if you have to work this might be best as you can take a week off sick and get it over with. If you have to work while coming off, tapering down is the other way. Doctors will have you taper. It works well for some, but just prolongs the suffering for others. To taper really slowly, get some kiddie vitamin syrup, some syringes and your tramadol. Do some serious math and work out how much tramadol to add to the syrup so you can get your dose by increments with a syringe. This way you can taper down by taking a tiny bit less every few days (in each dose every 6 hours). But do not do this if you can't work out the amount of tramadol in an increment on your syringe. If you can cut down by taking fewer pills, then go two weekly down by 50mg. Many say to go faster but it messes with sleep too much. If you can do cold turkey, try to cut down by tapering to 200mg a day if possible first. Then prepare to feel like the flu hit you, your guts are being tortured, your head is exploding, and all your friends and loved ones are gone. You can know that it is all just something to be lived through. I would suggest that you do not stop tramadol and the sleeping tablet at the same time. I definitely encourage you to get a doc to help, if you can. If not, believe me, you can do it. I have done it and it is dire, but there is always a part of your mind that can spur you on and remind you it will pass.  The anguish is really bad, and the lack of sleep makes it worse. Support, back rubs, someone making tea and toast helps. 

Ok David, I am sorry you are struggling with tramadol.  I've had major withdrawal symptoms from it and I'm still on 3 tablets but I use to be on 8 per day.  You need to do it one tablet at a time.  It can up to 8weeks for symptoms to subside before you may be able to reduce another, BUT everyone is different you may do it quicker.  Depends on what other meds you are taking or reducing. You May experience the usual withdrawal symptoms,  sweats, headache, diarrhoea etc then after they settle you may experience emotional symptoms. You can get through this I won't deny it is hard but many of us have survived and you will too.  I'm still battling myself so I totally understand. I find the operiate withdrawal symptoms which is the emotional ones the hardest to get thru.  I've had no support from any medical professionals, it sounds like you are not getting any support either.  Well I believe you will get through this difficult time.  TAKE care xx 

sympathy......lots of it. 

i am on the same thing and i have exces sleeping during the day time sleeping at night with sleeping pills otherwise i can not sleep if i was not retired i would have lost my job for sure. one lady i heard of did same symtons . falling asleep during the day on her computer at work i am 68 My DR not  much help but they have booked me into the respratory and sleep clinic here which is in about 3 weeks time i may post the results here .DR said tramadole suits me etc

so try the hospital through your DR best of luck peter

Sleeping tablets (diazepam, I assume) are very very addictive. Get off them. You will not be able to sleep without them for a while, but still, get off them! If you have tramadol to come off of, get off the tramadol first. 

When you can't sleep, do something. Get up, potter about, get some kind of hobby that is absorbing and makes you focus - I knit. Anything....building a house of cards, a puzzle...crosswords...something repetative and that interests you and is satisfying as it progresses. If you can, take time off work and focus on the 24 hour 'job' of getting drug free.

There is a life after tramadol. Equally there is a life after diazepam. But to get to that life, you need to go through the dark tunnel of withdrawal. Once through, I can promise you, life has sunshine! Yes, there are still clouds as the brain adjusts. There are still waking hours. But life is very very good, at times, and those times get more frequent. The important thing is to get off addictive drugs. 

Be careful who you share with. I find people are harsh about addictions - in our case not addiction, but drug dependency. If you do share to get much needed support, tell them it is a build up drug dependency and that you need support and no judgement to come off, and some slack as you will be grumpy with tiredness and low mood. 

I am 13 days off of tramadol. I wanted to tell you how exactly I did it. Might help... I was at 6 per day or 300mg for 8 years. I started going down by 1 or 50mg per week. The first day of each taper I felt kind of rough but not too bad, I was still able to function/work. Once I got to one tablet I took that for a week and then flushed the rest of them, which was probably one of the scariest things I've ever done, but I knew if I had them I would take them. So day one wasnt so bad but by night one I could really tell...didn't sleep at all and got very aggravated. Day 2 I felt pretty bad but it wasn't intolerable. My best advice is find something that takes your mind off of everything such as a game, hobby, etc. If you don't find something to do you will drive yourself insane by watching the clock. At least that's exactly what I did. Night 2 was rough but better than the first night. Day 3 I was starting to feel better still didn't have a whole lot of energy but this was the day I noticed things were improving and not getting worse. Your mind plays some crazy tricks on you and makes you think you can't do it. Night 3 I slept all night long, I think my body was so exhausted it had no choice but to sleep lol. Everyday after day 3 was better and better. I am not on day 13 today. This is the part I want to share with you the most....even after all the bad and hell you go through it is worth it SO worth it. I feel so good now!!! I feel like a new person! I was so depressed and upset when this started for me and now I have so many things I am looking forward to. You really do start all over in a sense. My best advice for quitting or what helped me is FIND SUPPORT family/significant other/friends,etc. The more support you have the easier it will be. I had my husband and once I got through the worst of it I appreciated him so much more than I ever had!! He helped me stay positive I don't know what I would have done without that!! I started taking viatmins the moment I started tapering and then once I quit I took potassium pills. I forced and believe me when I say forced myself to eat breakfast lunch and dinner. That was hard becasuse I had absolutely no appetite. But I knew I wouldn't get my energy back unless I ate and ate right. I bought some Gatorade and stayed hydrated. I cut out my cokes because I felt like it made sleeping harder. I used a heating pad for my legs. I think for me RLS was the absolute worst part of it all. Also, no matter what make yourself get up and move around DONT lay in bed non stop Im telling you walking to the mailbox will help so much. This is the first time I have ever decided to quit but I have ran out before and my personal opinion, the tapering was so much more tolerable than cold turkey, but again that was for me. I have learned reading these forums that everyone is different and you have to find what works best for you. I hope this helps you and I want you to know that you can do it !! I know right now it seems impossible but I promise there is a light at the end of the tunnel and once you reach it it's the best feeling in the world. I am in no way out of the woods and I still have a few (minor) w/d sypmtoms BUT I am proud of myself and feel I am allowed to be. Hopefully if nothing else I encouraged you a little!! Goodluck!!!!