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Tramadol addiction out of control

Posted , 20 users are following.

Lisa13167
Lisa13167

Please help me , I'm 44 live in the uk and I've been addicted to Tramadol for about 4 years I take about 20 50mg per day ! To say that's a lot is an understatement, if I run out I lie to different doctors and ask other users for some if there's , it's horrendous, I've not had any for 3 days and I'm in hell , I can't sleep , twitching , head aches , my muscles are in spasm , I'm literally sat here sobbing out of tiredness and desperation and needing the pills , I don't know what to do I'm in 2 minds to go to the docs and get them or tell the truth , I'm petrified the doctor won't give me any thing if I tell the truth , please help

2 likes, 47 replies

47 Replies

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  • jayne10080
    jayne10080 Lisa13167

    Posted

    Hi Lisa just a thought with u being in the UK there is a group called turning point, you dont need a referal it covers all kinds of addictions. I can honestly say they were a fantastic support when things got a bit rough they do not judge you. You decide what information if any that you want your G.P to know about..Have a look see if there is one in your area give them a call and just say I need to speak to somebody, they got me an appointment the following week..If you can give it a go jx
  • donna1960
    donna1960 Lisa13167

    Posted

    I totally can relate to your situation. Lisa! I am in my second day without the drug & I have the same sympoms as you! I have been on 50mgs of tramadol now for OVER 2 decades and I order them from India since I've burned all my bridges with docs. I want to quit, but I can't by myself! I can't function at work or anywhere else! The only way I can get off this is to go to treatment and be literally strapped down to a bed! I've been taking about half the amount you are, but it is still HELL & I can't do it alone! That's why I'm getting into a chat room like yourself to get some much needed feedback! I wish you the best of luck eith your journey to freedom from this drug!!??

    • molinda_-molly-
      molinda_-molly- donna1960

      Posted

      Where are you from? What kind of help do you need?

      Signed, another addicted to Tramadol! :-) Molly

    • Lisa13167
      Lisa13167 donna1960

      Posted

      I know how u feel Donna , my doctor did absolutely nothing for me but give me a weekly prescription instead of monthly and like u I cannot function without them , rather than write on here u can send me an email if u want Hun x

      Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the email address as we do not publish these in the forums. If users wish to exchange contact details please use the Private Message service.

  • donna1960
    donna1960 Lisa13167

    Posted

    How are you doing, Lisa? I see where you posted this comment 6 months ago so I was just wondering if you were "over" the Tramadol or still "chasing the dragon"?

  • richieboy22
    richieboy22 Lisa13167

    Posted

    Well, your going to have to get through it. I think the doctor should help you taper off them slowly...I was taking 800 msg a day for a couple years myself, it took me about 2 full months of slow taper to get off them completely. But it's really great not having that monkey on my back. It will be kinda tough cause you're on such a high dose , but it can be done. Make sure besides the doctor you confide to someone else that can help you not relapse. I told my wife when I decided to quit and she administered the daily doses, cutting me down about 50 mgs per week....you'll get the chills, feelings of sadness etc, yea this stuff works on your brain so just remember it'll pass. Good luck to you, keep me posted.

  • sally1234
    sally1234 Lisa13167

    Posted

    Hello, My name is sally. I have been addicted to tramadol for around 15 years. At my worst, I climaxed to an unreal amount of 30 tablets per day. I am most certainly still suffering, however. If there is anyone out there wanting advice I urge you all to visit your local recovery partnership and ask for Subutex to ween you off tramadol. From there you will be led on a course to reduce your intake and hopefully of them all together. Please if you need any more advice, message me and I will try my best to help.
    • patrick82
      patrick82 sally1234

      Posted

      Hi Sally,

      I am new on here and just wanted to see how you were getting on?

      Have you managed to stay pill free or like so many just had to get back on it to feel normal agai ?

      Patricm

    • sally1234
      sally1234 patrick82

      Posted

      Hi Patrick, in all honesty I have been slowly weaned onto subutex, still on a high dosage but my local recovery partnership are about to slowly lower my doseage and I'm terrified. What is your situation?

      Sally

    • patrick82
      patrick82 sally1234

      Posted

      Hi,

      Well i have been using tramadol for about 6 years upto 1500mg a day easy and i had planned to ween off over a period of time but as i dont have a prescription and the order i placed from india has been stopped in customs i have had to quit cold turkey on Tuesday and have not had one since its killing me both physically and mentally and came on herr to get some advice on what to expect and i suppose talk to people who can relate to me and not just think im over reacting or im not addicted coz the so called doctor said they are not addictive.......hmmmm yeh right!!!

    • sally1234
      sally1234 patrick82

      Posted

      Patrick, 

      I urge you to get to your local recovery partnership. Like you I was ordering my tramadol from online either from India or Thailand and customs also stopped mine. Going cold turkey is the worst possible thing you can do! Also if you get the chance to talk to your doctor show him this chat group to prove that many people are suffering just like me and you. The BBC news said they should be considered a class A drug. You need to seek professional help. You should ask for a Subutex reduction course personally I see it as the only way to get free from them safely and effectively. 

  • cathy17098
    cathy17098 Lisa13167

    Posted

    I am currently weaning myself off Tramadol 😖 It's hard but I am making progress! My background is that I was prescribed Tramadol 9 years ago for prolapsed and herniated discs. For about the first 4 years I was on 800mg per day then managed to reduce to 400mg which is what I remained on until I was diagnosed recently with epilepsy-yes, probably caused by the Tramadol as it lowers seizure thresholds. I I was advised last month to come off it 😱 You can imagine my horror at the thought! Anyway I am down to 150mg per day just now and have and still am doing it by reducing by 50mg at a time-so for example for the first week I will alternate daily taking 3 one day and 4 pills then next day and so on for about a week and at the end of the week I should be able to level off on just the 3 tablets. Then give my body a chance to get used to 3 and recover from the drop for about a week then I will start the same method for reducing to 2 pills (hopefully at the end of this week). Things that I have found that are helping and wish I tried years ago are 1. I talked to my GP openly about being afraid of the 'coming off Tramadol journey' and he sees me every 2 weeks to keep up with my progress so I feel obliged to keep going-a bit like being more likely to loose weight if you have to get weighed by someone at weight watchers!

    2. Keep an HONEST diary about what pills youve taken and how you've been feeling. Being honest is important because it's good to look back on times that you've struggled especially if there's been progress afterwards-a few nights ago when I had just started dropping to 3 pills I ended up taking 3 EXTRA just to stop the pain and shakes but looking back I've only had good days since which is my focus!

    3. Take paracetamol! I space my Tramadol and paracetamol out so that when my body is going to be struggling without the Tramadol it has the paracetamol to take the edge off. I set alarm reminders on my phone so I am taking the Tramadol and paracetamol at set times, otherwise there's the danger of waiting too long for one and that's when the withdrawals get a proper grip.

    Anyway that's where I am at-still struggling on but determined that these pills are coming out of my system and won't mess up my brain anymore!! Good luck x

    • tony15730
      tony15730 cathy17098

      Posted

      I agree with all of this. Spreading the doses before lowering the dose is important in reducing those horrible morning withdrawals which can lead to taking more pills than needed. It's worth noting that soreading the dose can lead to withdrawal even before reducing the total daily dose if you are used to taking most of the pills close together. I read a lady say she took all 8 in one go in the morning. In these cases it may be better to move one or two pills to take at a different time until you adjust and then shift another one or two until they are evenly spread.

  • Lisa13167
    Lisa13167

    Posted

    Hi guys I'm really happy that so many people have committed on this post , I hope U all find it useful and can support each other , it's defo supporting me 😊 Well my issue hasn't changed only that I was honest with my GP and he put me on weekly pickup so I can only have 8 a day he also said I could refer myself to drug support systems or go on methadone for withdrawal ! 😳 So I'm on my 8 a day oh recently been diagnosed with epilepsy and it's prob the pills that have caused it xxx

    • cathy17098
      cathy17098 Lisa13167

      Posted

      Hi Lisa, I am glad to read that you are doing so well.  Coming down from 20 a day to just 8 is a huge achievement!  I was on 8 a day at my worst so can only imagine the struggle you must have endured to get to where you are - well done!  I am still slowly reducing and am on 2 or 3 pills a day, sometimes having to take an extra one (I also have some that I have halved if I feel I can do with a bit less that a whole 50mg)depending on how Im feeling but generally manageing to reduce slowly.  I do find, as I said before, it helps to keep a daily note of what Ive taken and how Ive felt.  I am really interested in hearing about your recent epilepsy diagnosis as I too have just been diagnosed with Frontal Lobe Epilepsy  at the beginning of September after having a seizure at the beginning of August. I also had a seizure 2 years ago but becasue it was my first I wasnt referred to a Nurologist.  This is the kick Ive needed to get off Tramadol and I am determind that however long it takes me I am getting it out of my system!  Keep up the great work you have done and remember we all have bad days when we cave in and take 1 or 2 too maany but as long as on the whole we are reucing the intake, however long it takes us, we will be Tramadol free!  Take care x
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