No idea what to do I'm in so much pain

That's the thing I only took tablets for a buzz there is literally nothing wrong with me. It's withdrawals. I get back pain and just in general feel like crap. That's probably the only reason why I can't get off him the pains are terrible. I haven't suffered depression or anything as of yet. But I don't think cold turkey is an option. With work Xmas and I wouldn't have a week 2 let myself come off them. Such a pain all this over bloody tablets.

I got aches & pains all over during the 2nd week, but they are gradually going, another week or two should tell me more. Tramadol will also cause erectile disfuction, tinnitus along with a truck load of things. 

If I haven't had any tablets 12 hours plus the aches and pains are literally terrible. No sleep nothing. Very stubborn like yourself and strong minded. But jesus this is terrible. I'm going for the cold turkey. And I'll try and work. If it's to much I'll try a weaning programme. Why did I ever start these things. Terrible.

Dave, please don't go cold turkey. I did without appreciating the impact of withdrawals and I was only taking 50mg - 100mg per day. After 3-4 weeks I was hit with the most terrible rebound anxiety. I am still recovering 6mths later and been on antidepressants for last 3mths. I didn't know what was happening at first but I've gone through hell.

Do yourself a favour and start a structured weaning programme which is supervised by a medical professional. They can then prescribe any supportive medication you might need during the weaning process.

Good luck and keep us posted and be strong!

It`s all down to what you feel you can & need to do. Cold turkey is not for everyone. It worked for me. Might be best for Dave to come off slowly.

It is not east Dave, but like I said if you  do cold turkey you will not be able to work for a week at least, ie if all goes well. Don`t even try & drive a car. You could get your Doc to sign you off, at least that way you should be  able to get something from tthe social & also maybe rent paid if you are renting. Look into it before making a decision, but don`t drive .

Thanks for the advice gerry. I think I'll phone my doctor today and reviel all and try the weaning programme. I will.most Deff. I hope this helps others in my situation.

OK bud. Thank u. I think weaning is Deff the better option means. I can work and try and get off them at the same time.

Yip, might be a better option for you. Best of luck Dave

Hi pam

Best thing is to get off them. I have been off tramadol for 2 weeks now. I am 56

Done it cold turkey, no adverse effects and i am not taking any substitute. Only thing is sleep is a bit up and down but that will come right. Other than that all good. As they say where there is a will there is a way.

All the best

Hey pam.. thank u for message. I also thought I was alone. But it seems to be popular. I actually have to take tramodol to function and drive. If I don't take them I get bad pains I couldn't drive with out them. It's crazy. I've booked an appointment with my Doctor for Monday and I'm going to reviel all to him. To see what solutions I have. So I will keep everyone posted. It is so easy to dish out tramodol let's see how easy it is to help u off them! Thanks for message pam. David

Hi Peter, well I'm not going to say well done for coming off Tramadol, as it was so easy for you.  Believe me having no side effects is rare.  If it were that easy to come off them there would be no addicts.  I'm happy to hear you're no longer taking them Peter.

Dave I'm really happy for you that you have taken the plunge and going to reveal all to your doctor. Hopefully he is a good man and will help you.  Good luck.

I did have a hard time for a week; sonot all good. I put a daily post for 7 days.

Sorry Peter if I sounded a bit glib. I've only just joined this forum so I missed your posts. Well done for fighting the withdrawals. I hope you manage to stay off the terrible tabs.

Hi pam, no problem at all. Glad you saw my posts. I will never be taking these tabs again. At present i am coping without anything except a couple of paracetamol, but not everyday. Got a few aches and pains but i reckon they will sort themselves out. Just glad about this forum as it was a great help to me. Thr things i posted hopefully will be a help to others.

Peter I didn't see your posts as I've just joined. That's why I sounded so glib. What you are supposed to do for the pain though is a serious problem. I am in agony with arthritis, if I could get something else to control the pain I would. I'm not strong enough to take the pain without help. I guess all analgesics are addictive. What are we to do? I've heard there are pain relief, control clinics in some areas, but I've no idea if they're any good.

I have used naproxen for arthritis. It is non addictive and is less dangerous and better than ibuprofen. At present like i said instead of taking anything i am giving it a week to see how i go, then see what decision to take.

Hi Dave, hopefully your doctor is as supportive as mine has been! I've been taking Tramadol for 9 years for back trouble and have tried a few times to come off them and failed. However in August after a second seizure I was diagnosed with epilepsy and told by my neurologist that it has probably been caused by the Tramadol 😕 So since then I have VERY slowly been weaning myself off and am now 4 days clear of any Tramadol! Your body will create pain to trick you into thinking you need the pills but perseve and it will pass. I don't know what I am going to do for pain relievers when my back flares up again but I will cross that bridge with my GP when it happens-for sure the answer won't be to take Tramadol! The most helpful things I found were this site and in particular Peter! Also keep a daily diary (a very honest one) of how you are doing. Even if I had a bad day and took more than I should have I wrote it down. It's surprising when you are in the throes of withdrawals and thinking you are doing rubbish tolook at your diary and see actually how far you've progressed-it all helps keep focused. My GP sees me every 2 weeks for an update which is good as I feel accountable to someone else. I just wish I had done it years ago rather than just go along with mindlessly taking these pills because now I have epilepsy and that is a whole new discussion 🙄 Good luck, you can do it!

Good to see you are doing well Cathy. Sleep for me at present is still difficult. I eventually get to sleep at about 2.30am but have to get up at 6am for work. The weekend is a life saver. Sleep as much as I can. Tramadol has so many side affects I am surprised it is still on the market. My doc said it should only be for short term use. You know the rest.

Thanks for the kind word. Glad i can help ☺

Unfortunately I can't take anti inflametories as I suffer from serious reflux. The docs won't prescribe them for me. Yet they will prescribe addictive substances...?

Hi Cathy, reading your report has really alarmed me. Are you saying that Tramadol has given you Epilepsy? If that is the case surely this needs reporting, or made public to stop people being given this med for the first time. It should also be a strong enough reason for quiting. I'm so sorry you've been made to suffer even more than the pain you're in.

What they say is Tramadol has lowered my seizure threshold which is on the leaflet as a side effect but when you are in hospital paralysed from the waist down I didn't care too much about the side effects, I just wanted the pain to stop. Looking back my epilepsy symptoms started after beginning Tramadol but I had so much other stuff going on at the time I blamed stress and grief.

Hi Peter, I am now 11 day Tramadol free-wow it feels good to be rid of the monkey!!! Well worth the sleepless nights and aches 😄

Hi Cathy

Good to hear. I think most of the bad stuff is out the way. I get a bit of aching muscles but all good. Things are better. Even starting to sleep better. All the best.