Addicted to Tramadol (Page 1)

I've been taking about 10-12 Tramadols a day for almost a year. I sometimes get nervous about taking that much cause its soo many. I got in a car accident a couple years ago and have constant back pain. Everytime I stop taking the Tramadols my back just flairs back up and I'm in constant pain. I'm not sure if I'm the right person to give you any helpfull info but just wanted you to know that your not the only one. Good Luck.

Hi, I too take Tramadol for chronic pain but only take one a day. I am a qualified addiction specialist/therapist and so researched this drug extensively before accepting the first script. I can tell you that this drug is a synthetic opiate in the sense that it triggers the opiate receptors in your brain. The larger the dose obviously, the harder any withdrawl. Besides all the things that go with addiction, your health may be at risk because of things like adrenal exhaustion to do with tramadol as it also triggers adrenal recepters etc and most on it know how it messes with your energy levels. One of the best health websites I have found in terms of being able to get an overview of your general health and therefore an indication into how the tramadol may be affecting you, is diagnose me .com where you do a very extensive questionairre which is evaluated and then reported back to you to keep. Everything is covered in this and you pay, but the cost is not huge and is really worth it.
Maybe try to pull back a little on the tramadol a little at a time and look into complimenting it with some pain management stuff to increase your tolerance to pain because as you rely soley on the drug, you will decrease your ability to cope on lesser doses. I know that chronic pain unseen by others is often hard to deal with I am in a similar boat. get emotional support from others who 'GET IT'.
regards, R

Does anyone have any problems with an irregular heart beat taking tramadol? I take two a day 50 mg for pain but I have a horrible time with skipped beats with my heart. I have been to a cardio doc & they can find nothing wrong with my heart.

Yes, I have actually, I take 6-8 50mg tramadol a day as needed for pain and I will get that "skipped" heartbeat once a day sometimes. It is very scary actually and thankful is gone in...well..a heartbeat. All seriousness though, yeah I have noticed that as well.

I have been taking tramadol now for 3 years. I have severe back pain and knee pain. I'm a waitress and this pain gets in the way when I need to make money. There have been times I stop taking them for a week or so and I experience pretty serious withdrawl symptoms. I feel vertigo and sick to my stomach. At night my legs will not relax and I am very snappy with the ones I love. I just want to feel normal again

3 more years and you may have more serious issues than just pain from knees and back - like liver and kidney problems. If I were you, I'd think about that first.
For me, I stopped smoking by simply acknowleging that I was hurting my lungs. I was a pre-mature baby, born 3 months early, the surfactin had not been built in my lungs - I nearly died, mu lungs tried sooo hard to keep my body alive, and vice versa...knowing this, I feel sorry for my lungs, and do not torment them with smoke anymore. But it took a very counsious decision to stop.
I do not know what you can do for the withdrawl symptoms, but they will subside, and they will only get worse the longer you stay on the pills.
Maybe seeking an accupuncturist for that pain?

i was taking 100 mg twice a day and ran out one night. It is difficult to experience just how horrendous you feel when you are withdrawing from this drug. I have never before experienced anything like these symptoms. My arms would not stay still, i had goosebumps, felt cold while also feeeling too hot (very wierd) and a feeling of being totally uncomfortable in your own skin. it was intense. however i really believe if you gradually reduce your dose the affects should not be too severe. i have reduced from 100mg 4* a day to 100mg once a day and feel i can now reduce this further. speak yo your doctor, they should advise you on how to reduce your dose. i am only 24 and there is no way i am going to let this drug get the better of me. i aim to be totally off it within one month. woop, woop!

Based on what you have posted, regarding your hypothyroidism, my mom is under that condition as well and I must say that she also have a low pain threshold that when i gently touch her arthritis, she feels it as if I was breaking her knee. I came to think that pain sensitivity is somehow related to the thyroid status.

I take 800 to 1000 mg of Tramadol per day, plus some Skelaxin, and I know I'm addicted to it. I already tried weaning myself off of it and it didn't work, so the only way is cold turkey. I am scared because I know I am going to feel like Hell but for me there is no other way out of this nightmare. Damn Tramadol to Hell. I hate it. I'd rather live with my pain than be addicted to this stuff.

I am a tru addict I take upwards of 1500 mg a day. I am fortunate enough not to have money problem and spend 240 to 300 a month for my habit. I kicked it once but have since come back. I have problems sleeping due to severe spinal pain. I boosted the dose and had a stroke a week ago . Full on grand mal with bleeding and now have neuro deficits in my rt hand and leg. I won''t tell the dr why it happened but I love this drug. It helped me lose 70 lbs. I just can''t stop . I suffered for two days and raced to fed ex to pick up my new 180ct today ....... I can feel it coursing through my veins as I write this.... I need help

I can relate. But I am 5 months pregnant. I tried to kick twice once by choice and once just cause I couldn't get any. It was HORRIBLE for over a week!! NO ENERGY and I could NOT sleep for nothing! Now I'm afraid of the bad effects it will have on my yet unborn baby. I am also scared of him having withdrawl symptoms once he's born and the authorities taking him from me. Totally scared!!

I just wanted to say I know where everyone is coming from. I found out I was pregnant a little over two years ago and was hooked on them. taking quite a few and having seizures from time to time from taking to many. Be very, very careful with this. If you have a hang over or havent had enough sleep you are at major risk for a seizure while taking them! Anyway, I reduced way down while I was pregnant and was scared to death of it hurting my baby. I got down to 6 a day and was taking 10 to 12 at a time 3 times a day... yeah, I know... stupid. So, 6 was tuff but I did it. As selfish as I felt for still taking them while pregnant everything turned out ok. I was so afraid she would be deformed or sickly and addicted, but she was perfect, healthy and had no signs that the tramadol even effected her. She is a beautiful smart 13 month old little girl walking around my house and she is so sweet and loving! If I had been on oxy's or some other narcotic she would have went thru withdrawal and I wouldn't be sitting here with her today. I don't recommend going thru withdrawal while pregnant, that is extremely dangerous, I am an RN and I have seen it. Anyway, since she came into the world I stayed at 6 a day for awhile and am now down to 4 a day with no problems. I want off of these pills but I don't have time for withdrawal or time to go away somewhere, so for now I am stuck on them. I hope everything turns out alright for you, just cut down as much as you can and over a period of about a month. Do not let yourself go into withdrawal. Try to get to at least 6 a day, 4 if possible and everything should be ok. I can't promise that, but it should be. Do alot of praying! That is what I did!

Hi I'm a 49 year old male and I was up to Tramadol at a rate of 35- Pills at 50mg Q as needed, Now at that rate the doctor finally backed off and I had started taking them when I ordered from the Internet, I will not post a long version but I can tell you get off of this drug it is a very dangerous drug and it has a very high addiction rate. Contact a Addiction for Prescription medicine in your area and get off of it now the coming down is a mess but it is only a few days.

Please take my advice everybody it is a eveil drug, go to wikipedia and research Tramadol you will see that in May 2009 the companies were hit from the FDA because that did not state all of the truth about it.

I have a mission to make this drug more diffcult than most to get and to run the 50 billion yes billion dollar business off the internet.

If I can be of any additional assistance I would be happy to tell you the medications and such they used to fix me.

To All Be Well

GAry

hEY I'M UP TO 20 PILLS A DAY AND I;M SCARED HOW DID THEY FIX YOU. pLEASE GIVE ME DETAILES SO i CAN DO THE SAME!

I'm in the process of quitting. I have been taking 10-30/per day for 10 years. My wife has to hide the bottle and divide them out. I kept finding them. When she asked our son to help hide them that is when I realized I had to stop. I'm down to 2 per day and hope in 2 weeks to be totally off. It's the sleeping and trying to crawl outta your skin that I hate when not taking them. However it only last for a day or 2 when you step down... Fool your body take lass and less. It's worth it. I have lost short term memory because of this drug. I can't find proof..... but when you walk into a room and forget why that can't be good

my husband is addict to it he takes four a day every day from mon-sun and I'm trying to hide it but he is always asking and he gets mad when I don't give it to him. I don't know what to do anymore? will anything happen to him hes 24 years old.

Hi everyone,
This site proved to be so useful and i had no idea that some people could go that high in the dose.
Unlike all of you, I donlt even have pain and I am taking 1 tablet a day (100mg). This is so bad to say but it has improved my quality of life. I have been in so many problems in my life non of which I will mention here however without tramadol I couldnlt have made it.

I am a very healthy person in general and refuse to kneel down to anything but exercise and healthy food and a good attitude but people who have been in life problems know that when you have children you have to immediatley stand up on your feet again after any blow in life.

I used to take (and still do ) a pill and day and it saves me from screaming my head of with my twins. I also am a better person to be with in my work and as a result better results come up. HOWEVER, what is the bad side. The bad side is what happens if sometime they are cut out. It's an awful feeling being addicted to something and if you only think that you may not get them some time is a terrible feeling. I don't want to ever think what will happen if i donlt have them on my purse at anytime. where i live i need a prescription and I am goign around lying about why I need the prescription. Let alone saving some of the money that shuld be for the kids for those pills.

Any advice???
Mother of twins

well if your only taking 1 pill a day and it improves your life then your fine. The problem with this drug is at first at a low dose it gives you energy and you wondered how you ever lived without it. Then you increase your dose little by little and then your taking way more then you ever wanted to. This medicine above all relieves depression and anxiety and instantly lifts your mood. You don't feel "high" just a happier you. Unlike other natural opiots it lasts longer and no crash. I have been on this med for 5 years and I take a lot. I'm a social worker and have a family I'm ashamed of becoming an addict because I never did drugs or drank even as a teenager but it only took 2 pills to get hooked emotionally!!1

Haliwave
I can so relate! I was given Tramadol for R.A. & Fibro. I was told it was safer then Hydrocodone (which I took 1/2 to one a day) They had me taking 200 mgs. a day. I started to realize it was effeting my life I stoped CT and threw them out. After three months my head still would spin if I turned it from side to side. I would wake up 2 to 3 times a night with RAS and basically want to crawl out of my skin. And I had NO energy. I am a wife, a monther of two and work full time. It was so impossible to go on with my life so I went backon them. It took three days to feel normal again. I thought after three months of what I thought was WD there must be something wrong that I needed to be on them. I didnt. I was never educated about what it does to the brain. If I was I would have never EVER taken them. PLEASE go to the section here on the website about the use of 5-HTP. You can type it in the search bar. 5-HTP & addiction recovery. You may find that helping your body replenish its natural supply of seratonin will help you stop taking the Tramadol. I know it works for alot of people. Just a suggestion. There are a few good books that talk about the use of this supplement and others and why it works. Hope this helps.My thoughts are with you. Its a hard road but your a mom and already have a great reason to get through it! Good luck and stay strong!

Thank you Vallygrr,

I will check that 5-HTP out. I never heard about it. I like it whn soeone gives me an alternative and not just tells me it is wrong becuse I ALREADY KNOW IT IS WRONG. Not that the alternative will fill the place 100% but at least it will help me get out of the addiction.

Chapeaux bas to all yee mothers....i Say sometimes that one of my twins running and coming to me with a bear hug at the end of the day is the best seratonin anyone could ever have.

Have a great day

I've been taking tramadol for appx 8-9 yrs. At first I would take 3-50mg tabs p/d. I kept increasing the mg on my own because it seems I became immune to the benefits and needed more for diabetic neuropathy. I loved this drug at first because it gave me a euphoric high and I was in such a good mood with no pain. After years of use I no longer get that euphoric feeling but they do allow me to sleep and cut my pain down. I know its psyhcological but just this week I've wanted to cut down to 2 tabs p/d. Yesterday I was able to take only 3 for the whole day. I was able to sleep from pure exhuastion. I feel horrible this morning. course the pain in my feet. I tried not to take them at all once because I feel i am a strong person emotionally and psychological but this drug has me whipped. The day I tried to quit I was anxiety ridden, no sleep, twitching, and of course the pain in my feet. The DR has never asked me if I'm addicted after so many yrs. He keeps ok'ing the script. Its awful to be dependent on a drug to feel half way alive. I just want to cut down to 2 a day . Like I said I do need it legitamately for my pain but I do admit I over-drugged for the high at first gave me. Now no more high but out of habit or addiction I want 6-7 a day. Just wanted to share my story.

is it possible to go cold turkey and if so, how long do the withdrawl symptoms last? I have been taking a total of 8 - 50 mg. a day for about a year. I just starting seeing a pain mgt. doc., and he told me to completely stop taking them, just substitute 3 vicadine a day, until he can do an injection of kenalog in my back. I've gone coldturkey for 48 hrs, now, but the vicodine is only lasting 4hrs. instead of 8. I don't know how long i can hold out.

Tramadol is an opiate agonist which means that it works by changing the way the body senses pain. It is prescribed for the treatment of moderate to moderately severe pain, making it an easy out for a number of people. Once a tramadol addiction has started, it is best to seek professional assistance in breaking the addiction. The chances of success are better than going 'cold turkey', trying it solo or trying to ween yourself off of it.

I have just gone cold turkey reducing the dosage from 400mg-100mg and then nothing, I think the doctor didnt quite realise what a nasty pain killer this is to come off, tho I followed his advice. I am also a recovering alcoholic that has been sober for just over 2 years, I have never ever felt such an awful withdrawal like this, the physical and mental pain, Insomnia, restless leg and the cravings where nothing like I have ever felt before and the 24/7 stomach cramps. I would suggest with proper medical advice and a little knowledge to explain your fears to your doctor. This drug even though is synthetic (your body and mind doesnt know its man-made) nearly cost me my sobriety.

With love and support from my friends in AA to scream at down the phone I dont know where I`d be, keep busy to occupy your mind, even if you have to polish your shoes a 1000 times do it.

To everyone struggling with a Tramadol Addiction--I feel your pain and it is NOT worth staying on this medication. I was mis-diagnosed with severe PCOS, Androgenic Alopecia, and chronic back pain combined with hypertension..at 17 years old. Now the Tramadol, being a synthetic opiate is easy to be drawn to as opposed to Vicodin, or other medications that are derived from Opium itself. Do not be fooled--When taking this medication for a prolonged period of time, the serotonin your brain produces is now produced using the synthetic particles in this medicine, which disables the brain from creating these chemicals naturally.
Months and possibly years depending on your dosage, will be needed to repair the body. I was taking the medication for four weeks possibly less, before it became a serious problem. I took the medicine only at night usually 3-4 50mg pills, and I loved the feeling this medicine provided. I no longer suffered depression, was able to move freely and convinced myself this medicine was the best anti-depression/anti-anxiety medication on the market. Before I knew it, the three to four tabs nightly became a morning ritual combined with another five tabs in the evening when my tolerance was built. That would put me up to ten or so tabs a day. I had manipulated every doctor and Pharmacist to the point of their promotind Tramadol as an anti-depression medicine; Until I ran out. I quit cold turkey, and have been clean of Tramadol for five months. It's possible to do, and you will have to do it yourself. Mark my words guys, you will die from this--I do not have children nor a fiance' anymore (whom only added to my problem with his abusive tendencies) so if not quit for yourself, do it for your children.