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Stay away from Tramadol!

Posted , 28 users are following.

LittleTyke
LittleTyke

Last Friday (16/Sep/11) I had an op to repair an umbilical hernia (overnight stay). On being discharged the nurse gave me a packet of 50mg Tramadol capsules to ease the pain, although the pain wasn't that bad. I had been walking to the toilet (in hospital) within 4 hours of recovering from the op.

Anyway, I got home on Saturday and what with the fairly long walk from the hospital to the taxi, plus getting in and out of the car, I was starting to feel some twinges, so I took 2 Tramadol. Much later that evening I started to have really weird side effects. They are so difficult to describe. A combination of panic attack, dizziness, extreme fatigue, and difficulty nodding off to sleep. I'd nod off, like one does, then I'd immediately have these images in my head - people I'd seen on TV that day, cars, animals, all jumbled up.

Then I must have fallen asleep for an hour or two only to come awake with a start after having this veritable nightmare of there being someone in the room and when I opened my eyes (in my sleep just before coming awake) there was this extremely tall guy, 9 feet tall, his head was literally brushing the ceiling. Then \"he\" walked across the room to another bed (my mind thought it was still in the 4-bed unit in the hospital ward) and disappeared! As if in a puff of smoke. And at that point I awoke feeling hot and sweaty.

So those were the last Tramadol *I* was ever going to take, I can tell you. And then, yesterday, Thursday I had severe itching at the surgical wound site. This had nothing to do with the Tramadol I'd taken on Saturday, which must have been out of my system by then. Anyway, apart from the itching there was still a bit of an ache, so I thought I'd take just a single Tramadol capsule.

The itching went; the dull ache went. But this morning, very early, about 04:00am, I awoke feeling anything but refreshed. I had some numb feelings in my hand and thigh, they kept coming and going. I got up at around 05:45am, make a cup of tea, then suddenly felt very weak. Jittery, fast pulse, zonked. Since then I have just lain on my bed in between going for a short walk and am drinking glasses of water in an attempt to flush this [b:095f76e716]POISON[/b:095f76e716] out of my system and am starting to feel a little better.

Earlier in the week on doctor's recommendation I booked an appointment with the nurse for this afternoon to have the dressing changed and the incision checked (it's a long, vertical cut about 4 inches long; they found

two hernias), and in order to save on taxi fares I booked one of the free pick-up buses to take me and bring me back. However, I've just cancelled them and have ordered a taxi instead as I cannot face the lengthy zig-zag route these buses often take as they have to pick up numerous other people. I'll talk to the nurse about Tramadol and see what she says. I don't need any pain killers now and if I still get one or two twinges in the next few days, I shall take only paracetamol if necessary. (Not allowed to take ibuprofen or similar NSAIDs as I have a tendency to gastritis and duodenal ulcer.)

So, I am never going to touch Tramadol ever again and this time I mean it. I would not recommend it to my worst enemy. If some people take it just to get \"high\" they must be stark, raving mad.

5 likes, 55 replies

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  • keith40
    keith40 LittleTyke

    Posted

    I injured my back in 2003 and after a scan i found out i was born with 2 fused vertabrae in my neck. I was prescribed 30/500mg co-codamol that i took until february this year. i informed my doctor that i had become very dependant on them and that i really need to get off them as they were ruling my life. he put me on tramadol because he said they were a synthetic opiat and contained no paracetamol that would harm my liver. i was having those same image flashes you described while i was trying to sleep. they also made me feel like i was panicking and i got into a bad depression. i was then prescribed anti depressants.

    then in may of this year another doctor told me that i should not be taking tramadol on anti depressants as it could cause serious heart problems, even a heart attack, and he stopped my tramadol prescription right away. i had to endure withdrawal symptoms which to be honest, drove me up the wall. i had nothing to help me through this and no support off my doctor who knew i had become dependant on painkillers as i told him. as of 3 weeks ago i have not taken any painkillers and have had no headaches, which i used to have every week. im still taking longer to drop off to sleep but im not having nightmares. i still feel week and my legs ache constantly and my bowels have been very loose for the past 3 weeks. i find it astonishing that a doctor wouldn't support someone who's had to go through this even if it was my own fault for getting addicted. i am hoping that my body will get back to normal very soon as i would like to get back into work. i wouldn't recommend tramadol and if you can get through what i went through, then you will feel a lot better in yourself. im not 100% yet but getting off painkillers for good has helped me mentally. 

  • mesusan
    mesusan LittleTyke

    Edited

    I don't get it. My hernia was done in my doctor's surgery room. Took awhile, but I was sent home with no pain meds. Mine was a bad ventral hernia. My upper intestines were being strangled. So, they even had to cut part of my intestines off.

    Went home. That was that!

    Where do you live? The doc, the hospital and pharma totally ripped you off.

    I don't know who said it, but ABSOLUTELY FALSE that tramadol is harder to get off than tranqs. Two different worlds!!!!

    Benzos are high on the DEA schedule, because you can have seizures going off them, because they stay in your system a lonnnng time. You can have rebound anxiety over and over for months!

    Tramadol is a cinch, because it's out of your system in about 3 days. Get me? It's LOW on the DEA schedule!

    What you feel after about 3 days is missing a kind of euphoria, but you are not addicted. You're just no longer high.

    1) taper for 3-4 days.

    2) get a saintly friend to sit with you for about 18 hours. I hired a nurse.

    3) Talk your bloody head off. It's a major distraction. Talk. Talk. Talk.

    4) Get him/her to rub your feet (whatever) the whole time, as you keep forcing your body to feel as if it's dropping through the mattress.

    5) The drug is gone. Sure, like someone's who's quit drinking or smoking you'll remember that euphoria every so often and get an urge. That's not tramadol. That's you.

    That urge passes in less than 3 minutes.

    6) It's up to you, not the drug, to figure out how to feel okay, or to have the courage to cry or rage. Something is troubling you. That's life. Fixing it is what you do. That's life, too.

    Where does it say, "post'?

    • evergreen
      evergreen mesusan

      Edited

      As someone who has come off both tramadol and benzodiazapines, tramadol was MUCH harder to come off. The physical side was much greater. However, many people have a harder time coming off benzodiazapines. It depends on the person. Everyone is different. I don't think it is a 'cinch' as you put it. That shows very little understanding of what some people go through with tramadol. 
  • Tuscani
    Tuscani LittleTyke

    Posted

    "Stay away from Tramadol!" ?? 

    Based on what, your personal experience alone? It is not appropriate that one make broad sweeping generalisations about any drug and create undue concerns and doubts in other who may be considering or have started a medication and received trememendous benefit. 

    I see all too often people on forums going on and on recounting their own experience (fregquently sounding more like whining and whinging) and casuing more harm than good. Modern medicinces are not perfect, but each indivudual experience of a drug is very personal. WHen starting a new drug, I read about it to inform myself and hear of others experience in feedback, but I will only passing attention to long winded witherings of someone going on about bus routes and describing people as "stark, raving mad."

    You also  say, "although the pain wasn't that bad. I had been walking to the toilet", hspital) within 4 hours of recovering from the op." So why did you bother taking them? And they were only 50mg anyway. 

    I take Tramadol 150SR twice a day without any unude side effects to date, but that is my personal experience andgood fortune. But others experience may well differ. Think.

  • Gigachick
    Gigachick LittleTyke

    Posted

    I have been on them on and off for 2 years. I have fibro and it's a godsend due to the heavy regulations on most pain meds. Tylenol with Codine gave me horrible rebound migraines so I was happy to have something that worked.

    Please everyone's body is different! Don't run away from this med when there's a big chance you can get your life back! I went from barely able to walk even with a cain..to hiking again..something I never thought I'd do.

  • kevin48538
    kevin48538 LittleTyke

    Posted

    Even though your post was 6 years ago, I currently feel the need to vent. I'm recovering from 2 surgeries on a tibial plateau fracture. Tramadol is absolutely the worst drug I've ever taken, and I have experience with hard street substances. The first night I took Tramadol, my lungs got very heavy. I kept waking up in the night seeing men walking out of my closet and into my bedroom door. I had conversations with them for a couple minutes before I realized they weren't real. Every day after got worse. I got extreme nausea, minimal pain relief, disorientation, extreme nervous energy that wouldn't let me rest. I developed bouts of extreme agitation where I shouted profanity at family and friends and flung furniture around my room, destroying some things. This drug is nearly making me lose my mind. If it works for some people, then great. But be very cautious. You do not want to experience these side effects. It's hell. The excruciating pain I felt from the initial fracture (9.5 on the scale) is almost preferable to the constant shaking.

  • ronanwil
    ronanwil LittleTyke

    Posted

    Don't stay away from Tramadol but just be careful when you are on Tramadol medication. I am a health expert and i have a really good knowledge about this medication. Tramadol is a really powerful pain killer and if you are on tramadol medication you have to really be careful and follow the proper guidelines which are usually gives by doctor during its prescription. The dosage of tramadol vary in several ways and if you are not taking it according then you may have to suffer but as a pain killer it is one of the best pain reliever.

    Visit my profile to know more in case you have nay doubt.

  • morgen0366
    morgen0366 LittleTyke

    Edited

    My Dr. just. put me on tramadol for pain. Today I went to work and almost blacked out and passed out. All day i felt flushed and my anxiety was out of control. This is my experience with Tramadol. I dumped the bottle in the toilet. THIS STUFF IS S**T!

  • chloeforbes
    chloeforbes LittleTyke

    Posted

    I suffer anxiety and have difficulty taking medication. Last night I had crippling period pains that I have never suffered with before and it was so bad it woke me from my sleep and nearly caused me to call an ambulance because it was ongoing without any break for over an hour. I was almost in tears just tossing and turning in bed. I would only feel comfortable taking paracetamol for pain relief but I knew it would not be strong enough for the intense pain I was in so I limped my way into my medicine cabinet and found some 50mg Tramadol that someone had left at mine and although I had anxiety about taking it (because it was not prescribed to me) I just could not withstand the pain any longer and felt like I would pass out if I didn't. Well within 5 minutes of taking one tramadol the pain subsided dramatically. After being in that much pain for so long I was too worn out to even worry about what I just did and to feel that relief almost instantly was heavenly. I did feel a bit nauseous and dizzy after taking it and my hands felt a little numb and fuzzy. I also recall suddenly feeling cold and extreme dry mouth but I can honestly say that those side effects were way better than that pain I had just experienced so I didn't panic about it like I usually would. I put a hot water bottle on my stomach, drank a glass of water and turned the heating on and fell asleep instantly. The next day I woke up and about 4 hours into the day I could feel the pain creeping up on me again so I took two paracetamols and the pain just mildly lingered but was bearable. I thank whoever left the Tramadol in my house and whoever created them and will be saving the rest for the next time I am in extreme unbearable pain. I hope never again but I would definitely recommend them to anyone suffering in pain. I have read they are addictive but I would just say try not to abuse them.

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