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Over 20 years on tramadol for low back pain help

Posted , 9 users are following.

mark1961
mark1961

I had failed back surgery over 20 years ago and was put on tramadol SR 150mg am and 100mg pm so I could go back to work, when I started taking them he told me they were not additive so for about 15 years my GP never contacted me about this until I asked him could I try something else as I discovered that they were additive. He gave me patches but the chemist contacted him and told him that I just could not come off one and start the other, so I reduced the tablets and started on a low patch which after about 3 days I became very very sick so I just went back to the tramadol again. I I forget to take my tablets on time after a few hours I start to sweat, twitch and strangely yawn a lot that's how I remember I didn't take my tramadol. I know I'm addicted to these but I still need them as I still work and still suffer from LBP. Has anyone else had problems like this or been on them this length of time and succeeded in changing things, by the way I'm 54.

Regards

1 like, 23 replies

23 Replies

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  • leeniepie
    leeniepie mark1961

    Posted

    Tramadol, whilst not an opioid has similar effects, hence the dependency. If they are the only thing that works for your pain, then you'll have to keep taking them. Otherwise you can do a gradual reduction program that will reduce the likely hood of withdrawal, and use something else for pain control. Have they ever looked into why your back hurts after the surgery?

    • mark1961
      mark1961 leeniepie

      Posted

      Cheers for the reply, I developed scar tissue shortly after the surgery and and another disc protrusion which I have to exercise for, so along with the tramadol and treatment it keeps it at bay. I just wondered if anyone else had had any thing similar and changed there drugs.
  • thebird55
    thebird55 mark1961

    Posted

    I don't know how much of the previous tramadol topics you may have read, so I'll repeat myself. One thing that can make tramadol so hard to quit is it effects on serotonin. It is a de facto SSRI, just like Prozac, Wellbutrin, Zoloft, or Paxil, to name a few. So, to quit, you must deal with unbalanced serotonin levels, and opioid withdrawal at the same time.
  • brian51858
    brian51858 mark1961

    Posted

    Yes. I've been on tramadol for three years for migraine headaches. I take it three times per day, and even before I take my first dose in the morning, I feel what can only be described accurately as flu symptoms. In truth, they're worse. And the stomach distress is the most troublesome, as I feel I could vomit but am not overly nauseous. I was also told when it prescribed to me that this drug was not addictive
    • mark1961
      mark1961 brian51858

      Posted

      I feel for you Brain, I hope you get it sorted out :-) 
  • jr10060
    jr10060 mark1961

    Posted

    Hello Mark! Yes, you were told the same thing as I. I took the Tramadol for about 18 years. It is amost as bad as getting off of heroin. Pretty bad.

    Mark, I have been off the tramadol for about 5 months. I am still adjusting.

    I stopped SLOWLY. I started by cutting back by 1/2 a tab for 4 weeks and so on. I still had the insomnia, itching, sweats, etc. It was tough but I am getting better. It takes your brain about 2 months to rewire itself but be prepared to deal with the s ches and pains. You need to get moving Mark. Walk walk walk!!!!!

    I also attend a weekly class for pain management techniques through Kaiser Permanente. If you can't quit on your own, don't be afraid to ask your doctor for help. They can give you medicine to help you to withdrawl easier.

    If it's time Mark, get busy and get your life back. You deserve to be happy. Good luck Sir.

    • mark1961
      mark1961 jr10060

      Posted

      Hi jr 

      thanks for the reply I really do appreciate it, my problem at the moment is I'm still working and that would make it a wee bit difficult as I need to be on the ball and concentrate as others depend on me at work and home, but I do plan to try it, 

       

    • jr10060
      jr10060 mark1961

      Posted

      Good morning. Mark, try cutting out 1/2 of a pill on your days off. If you notice your having problems ad it back.

      Good luck.

  • homo_dieticus
    homo_dieticus mark1961

    Posted

    Mark, I think that you are over-worrying about Tramadol. Your back is damaged and this is causing pain. If you cannot have an operation to solve the problem then to make your life easier and enable you to continue working and earn a living you need effective pain control. If Tramadol reduces the pain you experience then why stop taking it. The best reason would be that there is a more effective drug available. Why do you worry about addiction? The notion of addiction is an hypothesis. There is no single and universally accepted definition of addiction but we know what we mean. The reason why there is this panic over Tramadol is because it is also used as a  a street drug and the Government wants to reduce the amount of Tramadol in circulation. This is  part of an overall harm reduction strategy, the harm being mainly due to sharing needles,chaotic lives and crime.This experience of addiction does not apply to people who are taking prescribed Tramadol  where they are not breaking the law. Would you really want to swap the Tramadol for  the pain. The problem now is to persuade doctors to prescribe the drug because they are running scared. There is a lot of box-ticking going on and slavish obedience to" more than my job's worth rules". It's a pity that our MPs can't make more intelligent decisions.
    • mark1961
      mark1961 homo_dieticus

      Posted

      I really appreciate your reply thank you.

      I'm a deep thinker and I suppose I sometimes overthink things. I worry in case something happens to me and people don't know the drugs I take or when I get older I forget. I work in health care and know mistakes happen. I used to get my supply of tramadol every 3 months and had plenty of time until my next script needed. Then it was changed to once a month and I had a well know pharmacy get my order every month for me and contact me when it was ready until they started to forget and made promises it won't happen again. I thought if they can forget a person drugs then anyone could. So I suppose I only trust myself to get it right.

      Kind regards

    • thebird55
      thebird55 homo_dieticus

      Posted

      Personally, I would want to find something without the SSRI effects, but that's just me. I believe tramadol should only be used for short-term courses. Very short. It's ridiculous that it's so hard to get true opiates in the UK. (I know, it's also ridiculous how easy they are to get here in the US.) I was on hydrocodone (which, I understand, is not available in the UK) for two years, and had no problem putting them down when the time came. And at one point during that period I was still in a lot of pain from another injury (broken collarbone and 6 broken ribs, which was unrelated to the original problem). I mean, yeah, I missed them, but it wasn't a big deal.

      As you say, definitions of "addicted" vary. Some would say I was addicted. And, in a way, they'd be right. But I had managed my "addiction" and kept it "small". I mean that I did not escalate the dosage very much at all, and actually cut back on the frequency.

      The point I'm trying (and taking forever) to make is that, if one is careful, one need not fear long term opiate or opioid therapy.

    • krisztian15787
      krisztian15787 homo_dieticus

      Posted

      Yes you say true. I use very hi dose about my cancer. I wanted to kill my self I was shy and sad cause I'm addicted I wrote here as well longer time ago. It's a silly things. First it's not my fault I need something strong if I want live like another people, it is something normal. Just I have to chek I have always enough, it is a bit annoying I can ask if I want. Secondly, not only I don't have pain, I want to live about tramadol, it's really good for my blood pressure, my depression. I know that about the serotonin but if I don't take I gave morfine and antidepressant it's name seroxat, it is liquid serotonin. But morfine terrible. Morfine block your metabolism, nausea every second, and you always afraid you go to die cause you can't breading. So if I can I take tramadol. I know it's not a best option for our life but at the moment don't have better. I'm a young, if I don't work I can't eat I can't live. Unfortunately tramadol help at the moment. I hope you understand me. My English not that best smile
    • jr10060
      jr10060 krisztian15787

      Posted

      Hi Krisztian, I can relate to your situation. Everyones situation is different. If you need the Tramadol to keep you going then use it. Technology is always changing and they may be able to help you down the road with something else.

      Taking TRAMADOL may be your only alternative for your situation.

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