Tramadol
 

Hubby is currently being switched over to Tramadol from Hydrocodone - It is a narcotic to help relieve pain but is WAY less addictive then some of the others.

Right now he is between both and is feeling a little "out of it" but he feels better taking the Tram due to the addiction deal - He hates meds to begin with and anything that could get him hooked scares the heck out of him.

I know some have mentioned meds and addiction being a scary thought for them as well so thought I should mention it. It seems to be working for him as far as pain relief goes - Nothing major - but helping...

Also - While I'm talking about meds - Hubby picked up script for ibuporpherine and pharmacist gave him some positive words - Told him to "watch out for his stomach" - OMG!!! It amazes me that they know how bad this stuff can be for you internally (long term) yet pass it out like no problem and the dr's perscribe it so often and such big doses.....amazing!!! Couldnt they think of something that wouldnt rot out your gut!!??

Hey

Ibuprofen is well know for upsetting the stomach. However, drugs can't be made without side effects - it is just not possible.

Doctors always try to weigh up the side effects against the probably impovements --> eg.. there is a risk of high blood pressure, vomiting and liver issues - BUT the tablets might reduce the level of pain that someone is in - thus increasing both their mental and physical health. Seems something that's worthwhile to me.

If you are concerned about side effects then you could always take Hubby to see an alternative medicine practioniner - though thre are often side effects with these tooo...

Take care and hope the tram helps - what dose is he on?

Love

FRxxxxxxx

Tramadol is addicting also.

When I was going cold turkey from all the pain meds, I went to an addiction forum for information. There was quite a few people there in withdrawals from tramadol also. It was also said that the tramadol had a different kind of feeling than the hydro's, or codein.

Some didnt like the way it made them feel. I was given some to help with the withdrawals from ms contin, but it didnt really help much at all.

Maybe he will like them, but tell him to study up on them just the same.

Hope it works for him :)

Yep
 

I take a pariot pill once a day to help protect my stomach from froben SR wich is a a long acting ibuprofen type pill, along with the various other pills, they both help alot more than some have.

Also I was put on tramacet I believe it has tramadol in it or is similar but I did not realy find it has helped to much.. All I want is something to take the edge off so I can feel like I am younger than 90 when I have to.. sory to whine hard day:o

hugs,
Sandra

Allen -->

from what I understand about pharmacology there will be a difference in feeling as tramadol works on a different set of neurotransmitters and pain gates - morphine etc are all based on a codiene type transmitter whereas tramadol is different - I can't remember the exact stuff - but, if you want more I can get it for you..

Take care and well done for coming off the MST

FRxxxxxx

Hi,

In recent years I have never been prescribed, by a doctor, either a Cox 11 inhibitor, or anything like ibuprophen/aspirin without also being prescribed a corresponding amount of stomach protection meds - proton-pump inhibitors like omeprazole, or others like Zantac, Tagomet or Cytotec.

These are all available OTC. If you're going to purchase an OTC medication then it's up to you to find out about what you're buying. If you're buying a med like ibuprophen, then the onus is on *you* to also purchase one of the stomach - protectors; it's not the pharmacist's fault if you decide to buy a drug with known side-effects, but not the drug to counteract the side-effect. The pharmacist properly told you about the dangers, it's up to you to heed them, and it's hardly his place to push drugs on you...

all the best.

Artist - Pharm was not trying to push it off - I was just suprised that they had never said anything before that about the stomach deal. Dr's here never say a word about possible side effects...We have to do all the research ourselves. It's suprising what we find to say the least....

What next??!??
 

Update....Out goes the Tramadol - Hubby had a severe reaction to it - the mix with the other meds (Lyrica, muscle relax, etc) was NOT a good one. It was a very scary day for us......Sooooooooooo onto another pain med - What that will be? Guess we see from here............

Hi there, I don't think addiction to Narcotics is something that people with Chronic pain should have to worry about. If it is working for your husband then that is fantastic, please tell him to not worry. I have been on Morphine for 9 years and do not consider myself addicted. I never have a euphoric feeling from taking it, I never crave it nor do I go into withdrawals if I take less than usual.
We may become tolerant to these drugs and may need ever increasing doses to relieve the same amount of pain but we do not get a psychological addiction if we have pain.
It is the last thing we need to be worried about:(
Cheers and good luck:hug:

withdrawals
 

I am not so sure about the addiction part. I know everyone is different, so reactions and withdrawals will not be the same for everyone.

That said, I just went through withdrawals from morphine last month. I also have high pain, and never felt a high, or buzz from my meds. I also didnt crave them, but they did reduce the pain.

Well one day my doctor decided not to accept my insurance anymore, gave me one refill and said CYA! I cut back on the meds and made them last 2 months. Slowly weening myself down.

Well the withdrawals came on full force about 4 days after I ran out, and ran about 15 days. The first 4 days I thought I was gonna die, no sleep, and restless legs that drove me almost out of my mind. I am still gaining strength back day by day. Dont ever want to go through that again! :eek:

I was not mentally addicted, but my body had learned to rely on these pain meds, and revolted when they stopped. My mind is now recreating pain receptors that will accept my natural endorphins to fight pain. It takes a while for this to happen, so the pain is back with a vengeance.

A doctor that I found recently, and even fell asleep on me. Gave me tramadol, and it really didnt help the pain so much as make me feel weird. I am still lookin for a doctor to help me out.

Just remember, anything can happen, and our bodies will react to stopping pain medications. :winky:

I have a brother in law who told him a horrible story of his uncle (who had a neck/back injury) and this uncle became addicted and had to go to rehab, became an alchololic and has just had a horrible time after his Dr cut him off of his meds....nightmare story and it scared the heck out of both of us.

Your right it should not be something he worries about, he has enough to deal with already.

See this is more what I ment - Not necessarly that he would have to worry about "addiction" but didnt know how to word it. We/He's worried that his body would become dependent on something and then the Dr would pull the rug out from under him after taking it for months or years then where would he be? Thats what happened to brother in laws uncle (story mentioned above) and then we've heard other stories - (yours included) - Hubby hates even taking asprin for a headache and with all these meds they have him on he's really unsure about all of it. PLUS throw into the fact that W/C up and cut him off out of the blue in the middle of PT and other treatment, THEN throw into the fact that state insurance has not wanted to give him the meds the dr perscribed (wanted him to take Neurontin instead of Lyrica...things like that) and we've had to fight with them to get the exact perscription....it really scares a person.

Hi again, there is a wonderful informative article regarding addiction to narcotics in people with chronic pain in this web site:-
http://nationalpainfoundation.org/My Treatment/MyTreatment_Information_About_Addicton.asp:)

It is a very informative and reassuring article.

HubbyWithRSD,
I just wanted to mention the herb "Milk Thistle" to you... it aids in cleansing the liver while taking medications. Maybe your hubby can take it. :)

Hey! Thanks so much! We'll pick up some of that. :)

Re: Tramadol
 

I just started Tramadol tonight (then found this forum!) ...wondering what type of reaction Hubbywith RSD had....? hope he's o-k. I'm only 2 hours into this medication and I am hoping for the best. Anyone else have comments on success with it? Thanx so much! :)

Hello: I have taken tramadol for about 3 years. It does not stop the pain but takes enough of the edge off for me to be functional. I was switched to tramadol because I did not like the effects of MS contin (morphine). When I was on the MS contin, constipation was a problem. I don't have side effects from the tramadol and I do not get that "drugged" feeling.

I take just the straight tramadol and, rarely, take Tylenol in addition. There is a pill with both tramadol and Tylenol in it available. However, too much Tylenol can be hard on your liver.

I was recenly prescribed Cymbalta. I always read the printouts that come with medicines. Also, I look up the Rx in "The Pill Book" and at Drug Interactions on the internet. I live alone and if there was a reaction, then what? :eek: It turns out Cymbalta and tramadol together can have serious consequences, so I didn't take any Cymbalta.

We are on so many different medications, vitamins, etc. we need to be very vigilant to protect ourselves. My pharmacy did not call the possible reactions to my attention. I assumed all prescriptions were monitored, but it seems I was wrong.

I am sorry to get off subject here, but thought best to warn others regarding multiple prescriptions.

Wishing a pleasant, pain-free day to all, Lil

Thanks Lil, for your input! My first night on this (Tremadol) was certainly interesting. As with you , it didn't completely get rid of the pain - but sure made me not care as much. I was a little hyper because of the excitement over some relief I think! Had some wakefulness and crazy dreams in between. Can't really judge by only one day tho - right? It's interesting what you said about the Cymbalta - I was given a prescription for that as well - prior to this, but never took it due to my research about it.

Glad you mentioned the drug interaction info. I, too, look everything up regardless of info provided my my pharmacy. It is usually quite eye-opening! Thanks again -

Some of the side effects hubby had was glazed over eyes, (he looked like he was stoned), then he would fall asleep at the drop of a hat - sometimes right in the middle of a conversation....those were the first problems I noticed.

He had only been on it for about 12 days and was planning on talking with doc about it when "it" happened.

What Hubby had was an anxiety attack and "brain disfunction" due to the tramadol and also/in combination with the stress of the IME he had on Tuesday - He was wondering around clinic for over an hour before he "came to" and was able to call me and make it to his Docs office - he was very disorientated and his speach was slurred. He was falling asleep and 1/2 out of the chair before they put him into a room and because his heart was racing, blood pressure up, ringing in his ears, etc and just plain out acting wierd - they brought him to the emergency room.

Since "coming off" the Tramadol he has not had any of these symptoms - Did have one big headache that night but he's been fine since.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL with the Tramadol some of the other side effects that are not listed on any website (not one that I found anyways...) but the doc was able to dig them up were bladder/control issues and anxiety....who knows what else It could do...I'm just glad he's off of it.