[savannah]

I took very low doses of tramadol for probably ten years. I cannot take narcotics because I have some GI motility issues and narcotics quickly effect my GI system.
I have been reluctant to post this but feel I should share this experience with all of you.
I was taking tramadol for pain due to a chronic orthopedic injury.
About 18 months ago I developed PN , very painful and rapidly progressing. I had extensive testing with the final diagnosis of idiopathic small fiber PN. In other words no one knew why I had PN, luckily it was not large fiber PN and all my test except skin biopsy were normal.
This summer was very bad, lots of pain, exhaustion,sick . I was changing from a very active women to a couch potato solely focused on not increasing my pain.At first I thought it was my inactivity making the PN stop hurting.
I have a medical background and refused to take neurotin,lyrica or anti-depressant but used xanax for sleep and ultram for pain, never more than 150-mg a day as it made me feel very strange, agitated then incredibly irritable. A real joy to live with me.
So I decided to go cold turkey. I stopped the Ultram and felt awful withdrawal symptoms. I looked so ill strangers would ask me if I needed help. Strangers! I became exhausted , could not function. At the time through on line research I read that these symptoms were possibly from quitting the Ultam but I found it hard to believe that being so very sick was all from stopping Ultram. Remember I didn't take very much but then I had used it for years PRN.
So here's the punch line!
My PN is 90% better. I can walk , hike without pain!! I have some pins and needles sensation but not painful hardly noticeable. Yes my feet get real cold on cold days and temperature sensation is still dysfunctional but ALMOST NO PAIN.
I've had several months with very little pain, no longer use the patches and am slowly returning to prior levels of activity.Yesterday I walked 4 miles without having any pain in my feet. Incredible!
The only change that I made is stopping the Tramadol/ultam.
I know this is not a valid study but for those of you taking tramadol I felt i had to share this with you just in case.
I researched Ultram and neuropathy is a side effect.
My neurologist thinks I must have had a exposure to some toxin but nothing else is different in my life but the change in drug use.
As usual doctors find it hard to believe the problems a drug can cause some patients. You know the rolled eye slight smile look you get.
So for what its worth you may want to rethink Ultam if its part of your pain control.
Meanwhile I still wait for the symptoms to return but so far I'm steadily improving. Hopefully my energy will also return to normal but even thats better.
I rode my horse this weekend. first time in 8 months. I was afraid I'd be in agony the next day as that's what happened last time I tried to ride. well I had NO increase in pain.
Fingers crossed.........

[mrsD]

People always vary in response to drugs.

Ultram (tramadol) has typically been a difficult drug.
It works for many, others cannot stand it.
Some like it so much they will even forge Rxs for it, and cannot discontinue it.

It works on mu receptors and has some SSRI SSNI reuptake functions.

Sometimes it is the metabolites from the drug that cause the problems. I looked around tonight and could not find much
in the way of nerve toxicity. I did find some side effects reported as paresthesias however. But many drugs have those.

Whatever was bothering you is real however. I am glad for you that you discovered this. Many people get on drugs for chronic conditions and fail to notice negative side effects when they occur. Your experience is a heads up for others here.

I'll give you this personal example:
About a year or so ago, my liver functions started to change. This was puzzling. You know
what it was? Claritin !! Good old Claritin for allergies! I stopped it when I quit my job, and
bingo, the liver functions came back down. They were never really high, just beginning to go up.
I looked everywhere for confirmation and couldn't find it. But I remember a forum member from
BT had a severe liver response to it and posted once about it. So drugs always have
a potential to be difficult for some.

[savannah]

Many people have reactions to OTC Claritin. One patient was taking it everyday for allergies per his doctors advice. After a year he began to have horrible itching in his hands. He said he felt like red ants were biting him. He just stopped taking it after his pharmacists suggested Claritin could be a problem. In a month the sensations had ceased.
Most drugs are tested on 2500 people before coming to market. 2500 can't believe it but its true. Some people become "professional drug testers". In other words they make a living be a drug test "patients". some of these people are ex-cons, ex-drug addicts, homeless people. It becomes a lifestyle, decent food and shelter and they know how to play the game. There was a article on this process in last year New Yorker magazine. These days some drug trials are even done in other countries!
Anyway "The People Pharmacy" is a good NPR program and web site about the risk we take with new drugs.
with Ultram there is some question of how it even works. It become popular due to heavy marketing that its not addictive. Yes not psychologically very addictive but definitely now proven to be physically addictive with concurrent withdrawal effects when trying to stop.
One great pharmacist stated that as soon as you take more than four drugs ( includes OTC, herbs, vitamins) that we have little idea of what that chemical soup is doing to the body.
Ultram is well known to lower the seizure level and especially dangerous when combined with any SSRI or older anti-depressant meds. Combining it with other pain meds is exceptionally dangerous for seizures.

[Brian]

It's good that you have posted this and i am glad that your doing so well since stopping the Tramadol, just proves we aren't all the same in our reactions to differant meds.

I use to take 300 mg Slow Release Tramadol twice a day for a couple of years then was able to reduce it to 200 mg x 2 times a day with 150 mg of Endep at night & 25 mg endep in the mornings, tramadol was a wonder drug for me and when i decided to stop taking it, i had no side affects at all, but that's just me.

I hope you continue to improve & thanks for sharing your experience.

all the best
Brian

[nide44]

I take Tramadol 4xday (100mgs ea), and have been taking it for 7 years.
I take it along with Lyrica, and it definitely keeps my pain levels down,
as a combination- & works better than either, alone.
I definitely am dependent on one or the other of these two
(cannot say which, as they are taken together).
For me, its a fact of life.
No need to stop either, as when I miss a dose time,
I really can feel it. I know it!
I'm satisfied with my pain control, and am an advocate of:
"If it ain't broke.....don't fix it!"
(don't mess around with it!)

[sallymander]

as when I miss a dose time,
I really can feel it. I know it!

I hear you, I feel it just a couple hours late. Seems like if I'm late it takes a day or so to get back up to the same pain relief level.

I've been on the maximum dosage of Tramadol plus Lyrica for two years now, couldn't tolerate without it. I've cut down several times with no adverse effects except increased pain.
There are some real horror stories about Tramadol withdrawal though but you have to remember that the people who have no problems usually don't say anything.

One thing that surprised me recently was the Tramadol prescription my friend's dog received.
It was the same as mine, two 50mg tabs up to four times a day!
This was for a 50 lb dog!
Tabs looked exactly the same as mine, wonder if they're cheaper from the vet?