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Tramadol

Posted , 9 users are following.

jules02268
jules02268

I have been taking 2 50mg Tramadol every night to take away pain so I might get sleep. I get them on repeat prescription. Is this normal? Is it likely I will become addicted? Are there any side effects I should look out for? I am so confused about Tramadol, any advise would be gratefully received. 

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • duracell_dave
    duracell_dave jules02268

    Posted

    Hi,I've taken tramadol for 17 years and they are very good for pain but side affects are constipation so eat more fibre, drink more water,and there are other side affects dry mouth etc but I found they go in time,you will get used to them and as they are an opiate you will over time become dependant on them,when reading online tramadol is a disliked drug due to you getting dependent on them,but if you need them then use them and your body will adapt,I take slow release for nerve pain and I do need them but that's fine as my pain has subsided,the big thing is try not to get caught up in the "I hate tramadol" train as it will make you worry, I don't use the word addicted as we're not addicts just tramadol dependent. Keep an open mind and talk to your Dr,partner, mother,here,it's good to talk 😀
    • Steve1953
      Steve1953 duracell_dave

      Posted

      Its like if your childs thick and your middle class the kids dyslexic, if your working class and your childs thick it's thick. Same thing with you choice of words between dependent and addict. The fact is tramadol binds to the same receptors as all other opiats so you could say we are all junkies.
    • ilewiz3
      ilewiz3 Steve1953

      Posted

      Yes Steve. Addict, dependant, etc. The point I was trying to make is take it as prescribed and when you get on the other side of your ailment, be sure to consult your doctor. As for me, I TOOK it for two years and now I don't. I say dependant versus addicted because I suddenly stopped taking it and my body reacted negatively. "Junky" would suggest abuse. I didn't seek out anyone to aquire Tramadol for recreational purposes. If that's your bag then carry it. But I'm no "junky".
  • steve_1
    steve_1 jules02268

    Posted

    I've been on 2 or 3 a day for a couple of years, been gettin 100 a time on repeat prescription and have had no problems so far and have even given them a miss for a few days every so often  to see if I can give them up. I'm OK with that. good for PHN and other nerve pains, not much cop for headaches and migrain though.
    • steve_1
      steve_1 thebird55

      Posted

      I was only stating a fact, I don't suffer with migrain and I very rarely get headaches, but I know people who do and what they tell me is Tramadol ain't a cure for either.
    • thebird55
      thebird55 steve_1

      Posted

      And you would be correct. I do get headaches and migraines, and I can tell you that no opioid will even touch a migraine, and aren't too good with regular headaches either.
  • ilewiz3
    ilewiz3 jules02268

    Posted

    Hello there,

    I believe the other response pretty much nailed it. I took Tramadol for two years for one bulging and one slipped disk. However, I did become dependant. Generally, anything abused can become a problem. That being said, take your medication as prescribed.

  • evergreen
    evergreen jules02268

    Posted

    Tramadol stopped me breathing when I tried to sleep. I also very quickly became dependent on them. They didn't really do much for my back pain, but they gave me more energy and drive so that my back pain no longer bothered me and I was able to get lots of work done. I thought they were marvelous. That was until the day I didn't take them because I was going to the specialist about my back. I didn't want to mask the pain. Anyway I became really lethargic, aching all over and very short tempered. So much so that the specialist wrote to my GP saying that I had some serious fatigue symptoms that required urgent investigation. I didn't think anything of it until I took my next dose of tramadol the following day and all my symptoms disappeared. That was when I realised I was addicted. I was determined to come off them because of this. One day I couldn't find my tramadol and I became paranoid that my husband was hiding them from me! I was a complete nutcase without them. I knew I had to get off them and so started a very slow taper. I have been free of them for several years now. I would warn anyone not to take them long term. Just use them for acute pain and for short periods only. Personally I can't take NSAIDs and so I am very limited what I can take, but I have cocodamol 30/500 which I find far less addictive and can take them as and when I need them. Again, I would not recommend taking them long term either as you can become addicted, but for me, they are far less habit forming than tramadol.
  • sarah87162
    sarah87162 jules02268

    Posted

    2GPs have said to me that Ibuprofen and Co codamol are more effective than Tramadol. I have only had Tramadol by injection twice not on a regular basis.
  • ceaman
    ceaman jules02268

    Posted

    What is all the fuss about being addicted. If you need to take Tramadol to sleep take it. I have been taking Tramadol slow release for the past 16 years for severe back pain, it works for me. Without it I could not function. If you are worried about being addicted your  pain is not severe enough. If I am addicted to Tramadol I couldn't care less it keeps my pain down to a dull ache that I can live with.

     

  • keith170458
    keith170458 jules02268

    Posted

    I have been taking Tramadol for 11 years after a laminectomy. It is the only thing that relieves the pain enough for me to function normally. I agree that it is more important to be able to function rather than worry about any addiction.

    A couple of points I found interesting were:

    1. In the UK Tramadol has been reclassified and is not on repeat prescription now. I was told I neededa GP appointment each month. My GP has fortunately doubled the dose so I only have to go every two months. She has also allowed me to order it online if I need to.

    2. I also have Sleep Apnoea and was interesting in the comment about not breathing when asleep. As I have a CPAP machine this should not be a danger for me.

    3. I also have depression and and have been told that mixing anti-depressants with tramadol can cause acute tiredness. I have got the dosage down to 50ml per day and it works fine. I cant decide if this mixture is the cause of my tiredness or its just old age!!

    Anyway, just wanted to say that my life since the operation would have been much more difficult without tramadol.

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