1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Tramadol

Tramadol for Ankylosing Spondylitis

Posted , 5 users are following.

Guest
Guest

Following a heart attack/bypass, I was changed from Voltarol to Tramadol for my Ankylosing Spondylitis back pain. It seemed to work ok. After a couple of years, I decided to stop taking the Tramadol to see if the AS pain was still there. This was a mistake.

I didn't realise that Tramadol acts as a kind of opiate, and as an anti depressant, and thus the stopping of this drug was horrendous. I had the 'skin crawlies' at night preventing meaningful sleep, and when I did sleep I had death-related dreams from which I would wake copiously sweating. By day my brain was extremely idle, I was very apathetic, everyday life generally ground to a halt. This started to improve after about a week.

It's about 4 weeks now, and I'm just starting to feel more normal. Nobody mentioned to me the possible dependency, or the anti-depressant properties of the drug so I had no idea that stopping the drug would have these effects. I would recommend that anybody wishing to cease this drug does so gradually over a period of some weeks.

And yes, my AS pain has gone away! Woo hoo!

2 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Ive been taking tramadol post op for pain.it is important to wean down very gradually off tramadol and get support.It has taken me six weeks so far but my pain troublesome so not quite off yet.read other sites about getting off tramadol.its not good to just stop it.as you have found out.
  • SarahSansom76
    SarahSansom76 Guest

    Posted

    wow, can't beleive nobody told you about the Tramadol depedancy.  The come-down must have been hideous after so long.  Well done for pushing through it, and great to hear the pains have gone.

     

  • Nebula
    Nebula Guest

    Posted

    How much tramadol are we talking about? I would like to ask the other commentators on this thread as well. I have been taking 2-3 (50mg) Tramadol caps per day for about three years. I take it on an as-needed basis only, and I wait until I really need it, which translates to about 2-3 per day. My pain persists, but I'm very worried about how addicted my body must be after years of constant daily dosing. And how hard it will be to go off gradually when my dose is so small to begin with. 
  • thebird55
    thebird55 Guest

    Posted

    I get those "crawlies" after only one dose. They are not really bad, but just bad enough to make good sleep impossible. One cannot get to sleep when every time they start to doze they have to scratch something.
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.