Tramadol taper

Posted , 3 users are following.

i was prescribed Tramadol originally for abdominal pain but have continued to take it for back pain from a prolapsed disc. Over last 4 months I have reduced from 2x50 mg slow release ( breaking a 100 mg into two halves ) currently down to 25mg twice a day ( 2 X 1/4 of100 mg slow release ). Currently experiencing early withdrawl symptoms. Flu like symptoms, increased blood pressure and heart rate, muscle and joint pain, insomnia, mild head buzzing.

will continue at this level for 14 days and cut again. Whilst this drug is an effective pain killer why the hell did they sneak in an ssri ?, answer can only be to deliberately hook us in.

what p***es me off most is the complicity of prescribing doctors who surely have known about how addictive it is. Anyway will post again in 14 days, any suggestions to help with next cut will be appreciated .

3 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • Posted

    I would suggest slowing down taper if you can’t toler the withdrawals. I’m 23 months off and still suffering symptoms, although getting very slowly better

    Doctors have no idea about these drugs and are not trained on how to withdraw you from them! We are  Guinea pigs taking most pharmaceutical drugs and only time shows what these drugs do to our central nervous system altering our neurotransmitters which cause horrendous withdraws for so so many of us.

    and remember that it can take many years for the body/brain to return to  homeostasis.

    i wish you a speedy recovery

  • Posted

    Hi philip89495

    I can totally relate to your early withdrawal symptoms as i was abusing tramadol at more than 1,500mg a day and was admitted for 4 seizures in 3 hours. it has been 8 weeks now and my mind and body doesn't feel the same anymore. i have severe rebound insomnia, i go to bed erratic hours, sometimes 5am, 8am, 11pm. My back hurts like hell, during the earlier stages, i had to roll to the side of my bed and use both my hands to push myself up from the bed to get up. however, the attending neurologist had prescribed me a low dose of clonazepam to cope with the the blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety. tramadol cuts you off from reality and gives you ponies and unicorns.

    1) i then decided to take time off work to cope with this, if i can't sleep, i won't sleep. if i'm sleepy during the day, i'll take a nap. sleep when i am sleepy. 

    2) to manage the back pain, i'm seeing a chiropractor who also practices dry needling (acupuncture without any medication to relief pain ie. no steroids on the needle) and electro-therapy (basically runs low electric currents where it hurts to stimulate healing)

    3) read the Bible and pray

    4) stop the negative talk when in bed, if you're a Christian, listen to Joel Osteen's podcast. He's got a soothing hill song southern accent and great sermons to trust the Lord to bring your situation to pass.

    5) find holistic methods to cope

    6) simply help people in this forum by contributing. you might find that it can be therapeutic. you cannot keep what you have by not giving it away.

  • Posted

    Hi, now down to 30mg twice a day by breaking and shaving 100mg slow release tabs.

    muscle and joint pain increasing but bearable, have begun to experience itching and some nerve. Zaps. Started taking 15 drops of motherwort tincture 3 X per day and think it is helping. Because I take BP meds have upped the beta. Blocker to counter increase in. Heart rate and BP. Hoping. To finish taper in 6 weeks but that may be optimistic. God luck y'all. Phil.

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