I have been mildly depressed all of my life but especially in the last 8 years or so the depression has got steadily worse to the point where I was becoming teary eyed at the drop of a hat especially when watching sad films or even overly happy ones for that matter I had all the typical symptoms but the constant tears were getting scary

However what I have found is that since I started taking Tramadol my depression has completely cleared up Its amazing how my mood has changed to the point I have stopped worrying a lot about PN. Actually nothing bothers me much anymore
Apparently a desirable side effect is that it is indeed an antidepressant and probably why its hard to ween off.

Anyway just thought I would share

Good to hear; thanks for sharing it! Were you aware of that potential when you started it?
I'd been pretty emotional for the last few years, and my doctor (and wife) kept telling me it was depression and tried to put me on anti-depressives. But I'd been on several anti-depressives before, and they all made me feel worse than before taking them. Since I've started taking pregnenolone, my tears and uncontrollable emotional swings have dried up too! (Not to mention other benefits, like less pain.)

There's no relation between Tramadol & pregnenolone that I'm aware of; Tramadol (as you know) is an opioid analgesic, while pregnenolone is one of the most common hormones in the body (that gets turned into many others).

Doc

Gday Doc

No I didnt know it at the time but I did come across several tramadol abuse forums whilst researching and the overall conclusion was that tramadol is a mood enhancer and provides an over all feeling of confidence. I found this to be very true and 200-250 a day really helps with the burn. I did try 150 mg at once and there was a very strong "buzz"

Good to see you have tackled your demon as well. we cant have grown men being teary eyed an emotional


Wiki.(thanks 4 the link)
"it has been suggested that tramadol could be effective for alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, and phobias[6] because of its action on the noradrenergic and serotonergic systems, such as its "atypical" opioid activity.[7] However, health professionals have not endorsed its use for these disorders,[8][9] claiming it may be used as a unique treatment (only when other treatments failed), and must be used under the control of a psychiatrist"

Are you kidding? To paraphase SHREK's Donkey, "Chicks LOVE that [emotional] crap!"

Doc

Is pregnenolone safe to take longterm? The wiki says its a steroid.

Yes, Tramadol has serotonin actions. Because of this people who are using it long term, and then decide to stop for whatever reason, should taper off slowly.

These actions also make it useful for people with fibromyalgia, and it is often used for that too.

There are different types of steroids, just as there are different types of proteins, amino acids, enzymes, etc. There is also a difference between using steroids therapeutically (for a legitimate medical reason, like insufficiency/suppression), and abusing them (taking more than what the body needs) for the purpose of "performance enhancement". It's the latter case that we usually hear/read about in the news.

Taking any steroid longterm has inherrent risks, but as with any other medications, the benefits must be weighed against the risks, especially when the risks of insufficiency outweigh the risks of taking it. That said, pregnenolone is, from everything I've read about it (including the negatives), one of the safer/safest hormones, because it is so common in the body, and produced in so many places. Pregneolone levels are known to decrease with age, but mine are (were?) too low. Even so, I am not doing this on my own, and I am not taking it continuously. I was tested before I began taking it, and what happens in the future will depend on regular testing and monitoring.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread156416.html

Doc

Tramadol evidently binds to some of the Serotonin receptors in the same way that the SSRIs (Paxil, et. al.) do. (So does Methadone) Either drug can give those of us with a mild depression from chronic pain (and let's face it, chronic pain wears down your coping mechanisms) often find ourselves feeling better once we start these medications. Be sure to have your Thyroid checked just in case.

The activity of the mu receptor (where opiates and tramadol bind)
and the serotonin transporter in cells, appears to be genetically
connected. This is very complex, and I'll give the link here.

http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v2.../1395737a.html

This may explain why some people get itching (thought to be a serotonin effect) from some synthetic opioids. It may also explain why some refractory depressions respond to opioids.

Also interesting is buprenorphine, which is a partial mu receptor agonist. This drug has been shown effective in refractory depressions as well:
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=...I6Fsq0QPBjFQKg

I am building a new thread for our SubForum here, and ran across this:

http://www.anesthesia-analgesia.org/.../1890.abstract

It mentions an idiosyncratic reaction that tramadol may cause in some people, BURNING! ( I have not noticed this myself).

I have been taking Tramadol 50 twice a day for 3 or 4 years with some relief of pain and just increased to three times a day. Seeing a note saying it could cause burning type pain is discouraging. I have not noticed much improvement in changing to three times a day.
I have EMG diagnosed radial sensory neuropathy and based on symptoms, I have neuropathy in my feet also.