Tramadol
 

Hi all. I've been on Tramadol for a couple of years now, and would like to find out how others who use it, find it.
I realise that there are those who cannot take it at all because of bad reactions to it, so this is addressed to those who are able to take it.
I take 50mg, and find it gives very good pain relief after an hour or so, for most pain, but not the really bad lower skull bump pain. For this I have to take a muscle relaxant as well as it is more like a tension headache.
When I first went on it I reported back to the doctor that on several occasions it seemed to keep me awake. He said that it usually makes people sleepy. I didn't always take it at night so it was hard to see a pattern. But eventually I noticed it was affecting my sleep, so asked the doctor again, and still he denied any knowledge of this effect. I asked what he thought was causing my fuzzy thinking, and he said lack of sleep, which i think was right. He suggested taking Tramadol throughout the night. Did this on a bad period as well as a good dose of Restavit, and was awake but feeling good all night.
Asked the chemist if the two could have been working against each other, but didn't know.
Did some web searching and found many instances where Tramadol has caused sleeplessness. So I now take it only during the day, and take other things for the evening and night.
Has anybody had a similar reaction, or has anything else to report?
I think for those that can tolerate it, it is a good drug. I'm not concerned about any withdrawal problems that there may be as I'll be staying on it until something better comes along.

Hi Peter. Ive been taking tramadol for 3 years. It used to effect me
like that but the last year or so this side effect has gone away. Other
stronger narcotics effect me the same way. My pcp said I have the
same side effects as a child would, you know how some decongestants
are supposed to make you sleepy but kids run around like crazy.:D

It seems to have gone away for me, but it is not uncommon to have
this reaction so I am surprised your doc didnt mention it.:confused:

Good luck, I hope this goes away so you can use this med at night.

Soxmom

Tramadol
 

I take Tramadol 400 mg a day and I get along fine , like the other poster said I had that not being able to sleep at first but now I can really rest good.

Hi Peter, I take tramadol, or I should say use to. I took 50mg, every 4 to 6 hours. It did not have an effect on me. Before that I was on the fentanyl patch, 50mg and then a month later went to 75mg. I have Peripheral Neuropathy caused by diabetes. I was on that for a month and then withdrew myself from that drug because I had an elephant sitting on my chest and it was hard for me to breathe........ my pcp wants me to stop taking tramadol all together, actually she wants me to not take any narcotics. She said people with chronic pain do not do well with narcotics. Yea right, she doesn't know what pain is like......... Anyways since tramadol does nothing for me, I am waiting to go to a pain management specialist at the end of this month.

Good Luck to you Peter,

Michele

Thanks Soxmom, Michele and daisymay for sharing your Tramadol experience. I really appreciate it. I'll give it a while and then try it again at night.
What do any of you take to aid sleep?

Hi Peter~~ I take .50 mg Clonazepam (Klonipin) and 50 mg of Trazadone at bedtime. If I didn't, my legs & hips would ache all night long.

Hi Peter - I took it and had a severe allergic reaction to it. Ended up calling the Ambulance and spending the day in the ER. I was sick for a few days.... scary!

Hello Peter, I take Lunesta 3mg, that usually knocks me out for the night... which is a good thing because I wouldn't be able to sleep otherwise.

Michele

I also can't take it at night. I feel fine I just don't go to sleep. I take it earlier in the day but always try not to take it after about 4 pm.

Hi Michele. Have you found a dependency on it?

That's my reaction too. Feel great, just lie there for hours, and seem to have no repercussions, either.
I'm now taking 1/2 Restavit an hour or so before bed, and then another half when I first wake. I still wake every 2 hours or so, but I don't stay awake for long.

Peter, you know I don't know if I am dependent it on it or not. I didn't take any last night, but I did take Tylenol PM 3 of them because I ran out of the lunesta. If I didn't have something to put me to sleep, the pain creeps in on my feet and now it shoots down my back...... kind of uncomfortable, so I sleep alot on my sides. Have you thought about taking a tranqulizer? I hope you can find something that will let you sleep for longer than two hours.

Take Care,
Michele

Hi Michele, I suppose it's a case of do what you have to do to get by.
There isn't a perfect pain treatment available, so what do you do? If that's all you can take, then addiction is probably the least of your worries.
Personally, I'm going to avoid tranquilisers and such, at least for now. I think you get too groggy on them. Bad enough without!!

Peter,

I tried Tramadol once and not for long. But only because it wasn't touching my pain. When I went back to my PM and told his as much, he said he was having a lot of patients complain that it just wasn't working for them..so he understood. But, anyway, I take ONE .5 of Klonopin a day but I cut it in half. Once in the am and then again right before I go to bed. And it does just lull me to sleep. And then I take just ONE Vicodin too; cutting it in half was well. I know it doesn't sound like much but it works for me.

Hi Kathie, I think you have done very well to work out the minimum medication that you need. I envy you!

Peter,

LOL! Please don't envy me. I STILL have some pain but I choose to ignore it. I know that sounds odd because my Vicodin script is written for one every 4-6 hours. And trust me, when it gets bad, I will usually up it or do whatever it takes; heat, ice, meds, PT, shots, etc. For the most part having distractions helps. At other times, yes, I need more.

The thing is; I was on handfuls of meds a few years ago before any fusions. I was soooooo sick from all of them. For some reason, or so they say, I am just hypersensitive to a lot of them. And my stomach is or was so ripped up from years of various meds that I just don't want to revisit that again. I was so happy to finally find a combo that worked and at low doses. However, I have to say injections are what really keeps the doses down. And I don't get them all the time...just when warranted or when something new pops up.

There may come a time when I will have to switch up or go to something stronger. But for now I just take the two. I see my PM today btw and have my long list of questions ready too. :)

Pain Management Dr.
 

Kristin, I saw the pain management doctor for my back, because I have a bulging disk and a degenerative disk, back on the 13th for a cortisone shot. That shot landed me in the hospital on the 18th of March. I was in their for 5 days. 12 other people got sick from the same shot. The health dept. is investigating. I heard the medicine was bad. Anyways I go back to the pain management doctor on the 9th of this month also. This time I am going to see him for my neuropathy in my feet. I just can't stand when my lyrica and cymbalta doesn't work, because then the burning stabbing pains really hurt my feet. Whatever I get I hope it works. Let me know how your appointment goes.

Michele :D

The thing with drugs is that they usually have effects on the body, sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes both.
If a drug has the ability to affect you in a good way, then it must also have the potential to affect you in a bad way. They can be very powerful agents.
And we all differ in our reactions to them, so there is no clear cut method for doctors to follow to alleviate pain in all patients.
A lot of trial and error, unfortunately.
Whoever designs an effective pain relief with minimal downsides will make a fortune. It is so sorely needed.
A lot of people also refuse to take any drugs, and try to battle on as if that was the 'right' thing to do. I'm sure they wouldn't deny proper treatment to their child or other loved one, but for themselves it's a no. Can't really understand it.
Some like us though have realised that to live we have to have some relief.
Now you have to find the drug and concentration that works for you. Hopefully you are almost there.
My daughter also has extreme drug sensitivity, and tries them at about 1/6 strength or so.
How did you get on with the pain doc, Kathie?

Peter,

First I should clarify that before I had any fusions I was on all kinds of medications and that was all with a different pain management group that was NOT a SPINE group. Anyway, name the med and I have pretty much tried it; mostly anti-convulsant and anti-depressants at that time. Glad I finally found a GOOD spine group.

Anyway, the appointment the other day mainly had to do with my shoulder and coccyx troubles. I need to get an xray of my right shoulder tomorrow. And I could kick myself for telling him that I didn't need the coccyx shot. Sooo...in about two or three weeks I see him again and I am just going to have him shoot up the coccyx and the shoulder IF he will do both. I guess it just depends on what the xray shows. And, yes I know, this is mainly an ortho thing with the shoulder. But he says not to use an ortho for the shot for two reasons; one they normally don't use enough numbing medication (found that to be true) and two, they don't normally use flouroscopy either. So, he volunteered to take care of this for me thank goodness!

He DOES want me to try the 12mcg Fentanyl patch to avoid or bypass some GI issues. But he is also leaving that up to me. He knows I am a chicken about it since I have issues with so many medications. But he said to just try it for 24 hours. If I feel overly sedated, strange...whatever...just to take it off and clean the area. But I want to try it when my husband is going to be home all day for the whole weekend. And he did say it is an "old lady" dose LOL! So, we shall see. :)

So far all of the pain meds I've tried made me feel like I drank too much coffee, including tramadol. I can't sleep and it doesn't help my pain at all. plus it messes with my stomach, constipates me and makes me grumpy. I only wish I could find a pain med that helped the pain and helped me sleep.

jerry

I too am hyper from Tramadol/ Ultracet. I take anti-convulsants like Lyrica for to combat neural tension for my TOS. The combination makes me wide awake and dumb as a doornail. It usually doens't even occurs to me to get into bed!! Instead, I'lll be up until I can't keep my eyes open. And the Lyrica keeps me in bed. There's no way I could wake up with less than 9 hours sleep. .... and then I am groggy for at least 3 more hours!!

I was also curious to see how many people this affected on the boards so I made a poll here: http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh....php?p=258408#
feel free to vote :D

What Were Reactions??
 

I am very allergic to many medications so I am sitting here with tranadol to see if anyone has had any.I am terified and I am alone.:confused:

My pain dr just added this to my oxycontin. I take 20 mg of oxy every 8 hours and also tramadol 50 mg with it I also have zanaflex as needed. I have to say I was scared of the tramadol at first but I think it is helping some. Does anyone know what this med is? I mean is it a narcotic?

Sorry peoples.

Bad reaction here to Tramadol ....

Terrible hallucinations!

Hello, Peter.

My mother takes tramadol and I took it for awhile, until I started some anti-depressants. I can't take it anymore because the combination could cause serious, if not fatal, side-effects. It worked quite well for me and exceptionally well for my mother. It made me sleepy, at first, but after awhile, it kept me awake. My mother has always been kept wide awake from it. There are many days when I really miss it because it dulled the pain enough for me to be functional. I hope you can take it at night soon and that otherwise it is working well for you.

Hi mennayriu, it's one of those drugs that is really good if you can tolerate it. There's a trial in australia on pain medication from centipedes-a walking chemical laboratory. Said to have no side effects, so would be a winner. Fingers crossed.
i won't take Tramadol after 6pm. Trying valerian tablets, Vitamin B12 tabs too.
going to see a phsio today as my trapezius muscle causes me a lot of neck pain.

Peter,

I took Tramadol for quite a while and it was a huge blessing for me. It really helped control the pain. However, I started having some issues with depression and I needed to go back on my Wellbutrin. Well, Wellbutrin and Tramadol apparently don't mix due to the risk of seizures. So my doctor said I had to come off the Tramadol in order to take the Wellbutrin. Let me tell you, I had THE worst withdrawal symptoms of my life! I had withdrawn from narcotics before and it wasn't pleasant but this was 100X worse than anything I have ever withdrawn from before. I went into the worst depression I've ever experienced and even had thoughts of suicide. I've never felt like that before, or since, in my life. There was also significant physical pain, not just in the areas where I generally have pain.

Tramadol is touted as being a non-narcotic pain reliever. I have worked in family medicine for many years and I have seen it given out like candy because of that fact. But I am here to tell you that it is dangerous stuff...in some cases. I understand that some people can take it and stop it without any problems and I am very glad that it works well for some. But I just want to caution you about it. I never took more than the recommended dosage. In fact, I never took more than 50mg twice a day. I weaned off of it like my doctor instructed me to, but I still experienced significant w/d symptoms.

So, I just encourage you to be careful with how you take it and be prepared if you decide to stop it. Good luck to you.

That is very scary my dr has added it to my oxy three x aday 50 to 100 mg!! I have been taking it because i'm in so much pain and it has helped some with the oxy. Now I'm a little scared to keep taking it. Were you taking any other opiod with the ultram? I'm just wondering if you quit all of the pain meds when you had the w/d from the ultram.

No, I was not taking any other pain med at the time. My doctor had my stop the Tramadol due to the seizure risk associated with taking it with Wellbutrin, which is the only antidepressant the works well for me....and I needed to start back on it after being off it for a couple of years. He tried giving me Darvocet to help with my pain and the withdrawals but it did not help. I eventually just suffered through the withdrawals. It was a very horrible experience.

Then in July, I had an infection around my heart and was eventually diagnosed with a rare illness. (It is a long story and a I won't bore you with the long details!) This illness causes a lot of pain and I'm now on Oxycontin 20mg 3X daily. I'm also on Topamax 200 mg daily. We're still trying to get all of my pain issues figured out because I have some pain that is neuropathic and some that is not. The neuropathic pain does not respond well to narcotics. I tried Lyrica but it makes me feel like I am extremely drunk. So, we are still working on it.

I have learned that Tramadol does not affect everyone the same but I would hate for anyone to experience what I did. If you are going to continue your Oxy, then it probably wouldn't affect you negatively since you will continue to have a pretty high dose of narcotics in your system. But I can't tell you that with absolute certainty. Just be careful! Do your research and know the facts. (Google Tramadol and/or Ultram and read about it.) A lot of doctors do not even know there is a problem with dependence and withdrawal from this medication. Just be educated. Good luck and I hope you get your pain under control.

Blessings,

Hi addyson, I was aware of some of the problems experienced by Tramadol users, and thought it would be a good idea to let others know of their experiences with it, so I started this thread.
Sometimes I take none, then 2 or 3 or more, then back to one, and I don't seem to have any adverse effects from this daily variation.
My wife took one and had hallucinations, and as a nurse she has seen many bad reactions to it, especially with older patients.

Hi Peter,

Thanks so much for your response. I'm so glad you are one that can take Tramadol without any problems. I wish I were one as well. It truly is wonderful for pain.

So your wife had hallucinations? Wow, I had those with Ambien and it scared my husband to death! It just goes to show we are all different and react differently to various medications.

Thanks for starting this thread so others can be well informed.

Blessings,

I was just browsing, and wanted to say that I also take tramadol. When I first started taking it, I was in so much pain that I wasn't sure if it worked. Now after almost 2 yrs, I guess it helps. When I did try to wean myself off, my pain was so extreme, I felt like jumping off a bridge. I'm wondering (after reading the thread), if the withdrawl symptoms caused the severe pain. I am so glad to have found this site, because I now see I am not the only one battling chronic pain. Do any of you know the long term affects? :confused:

I wish I could answer your question but unfortunately I can't, as didn't take them long enough before the hallucinations cut in to know about any of the other side effects!

Were the pains worse after stopping the Tramadol than before you started taking it? I was just trying to work out what you said here......


From what you've written, it sounds like your pain was actually worse after you stopped than before you started taking them. Have you spoken to the doctor who ordered them about this? Maybe you could ask your pharmacist if you haven't asked your doctor, but I think you'd be better off checking with the person who started you on them.

Something doesn't sound right to me!

prn
 

I take it as a PRN with advil. I recently weaned myself off of oxycontin. I cant stand living in a fog. Its been two weeks off the oxy and am still in a fog plus limb,back pain.

paula

Uncomfortable one, YES! One of the withdrawal symptoms is increased pain. I think this is true when you are withdrawing from most any narcotic pain medication but, in my experience Tramadol was far worse than any other medication. As I described before, it was a terrible feeling and I thought I was going to die! That is why I want to get the word out to people about it. While I understand and believe that a lot of people use this medication and do absolutely fine, there are others who suffer in misery from taking it. I was one of the latter. :(

Hi Addyson, do you have drug sensitivity in general?
As regards tramadol, I would suggest that anyone going to try it starts with a quarter tablet to see what happens. Then if OK, gradually increase the dosage. Not sure that this can always be done, as my 50mgs are in capsule form which cannot be divided easily, whereas the 100 and 150mg are plain tablets. Wonder if the 50s are available as tablets too?

I do have the 50 MG tablets.
My Tramadol is not for my PN.
I take a small dosage of generic Neurontin for my PN.

My Tramadol was prescribed for osteoarthritis in my foot.

Oh yes it worked for that pain very nicely but it defiantly made me want to nap.
I loved it cuz the pain relief was so great.
But I sure could never take it and drive.
I started with half a 50MG tablet for a few days and once I decided I was not gonna be in trouble I went to the whole tablet.
But only one and at night before bed.
Slept wonderfully painlessly.

Upsetting side effects for me...
Slept like a log and when I woke with the need to go to the restroom I found both legs solid pins and needles. Apparently it make me sleep so soundly that I don't move at all and so my limbs fall asleep (normal "falling asleep", not from the PN)
I also find myself rather "groggy" the following morning.

So after the first couple weeks, when the foot arthritis flair up was under control, swelling and redness abated and I stopped taking the Tramadol.

But I still take half or even a whole one once in a blue moon to get some relief from the arthritis. More often I simply take Tylenol Arthritis.

I do not notice any diff in my PN with the Tramadol, but that is probably because my Neurontin does an acceptable enough job most of the time.

Hi Peter,

Yes, I would say that I am sensitive to many drugs in general. However, I have not had many problems with narcotics/opioids, except for Tramadol and Dilaudid, and I have been taking them a very long time. :(

My problem wasn't with 'taking' Tramadol, I did fine with it and it did wonders for my pain. It was the withdrawal from it that made me feel like I was going to die! It was awful!! That is my whole point in warning people about it. Just be cautious about taking it and be prepared if you must stop taking it. That's all I wanted to say.

And, yes, it does come in 50 mg tablets.

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,