I take the extended release Ultram and I find it extremely helpful for the atypical pain that I have. A couple of times I was told to stop taking it for medical reasons, and my atypical pain shot off the charts. If you are able to, I'd suggest that you talk to your doctor about getting the extended release since I found a big difference in the pain relief I got from it as opposed to the short acting one. Take care and I hope this continues to work for you.