Tramadol is very dependent on the individual person's reaction to taking it. It did nothing for me, other people swear by it.

I am a fan of gabapentin/neurotin for my TOS also lidocaine patches, trigger point injections and massage personally.

Warning to all...tramadol and certain antidepressants lead to a dangerous serotonin reactions...heads up when mixing meds. Bad experience for me.

Ginnie, I'm sorry - that sounds awful! Out of curiosity what did you take right after surgery? I'm new to pain meds and I'm worried that someday I'll need something stronger.

Yes, the second fusion I had was awful. I had reversed the curve of my cervical spine..
What happened is the staff at the hospital didn't look at my records. I was already on Morphine, and a high dose at that. They didn't consider what I had been taking, and didn't up the dose to account for what I was already on. So I didn't actually get enough to stay in control. The night nurse the second night of agony, found the error, contacted the doctor, and I finally got some relief. I stayed another day, to make sure I could stay on top of it.
I was very unhappy that they didn't really pay attention to my medical chart, and the list of medications I was on. I sent a thank you card to that night nurse.
It is important I guess when anyone gets surgery, to advise the staff verbally what you have been taking for pain. I don't exactly know why my chart was not looked at, nor was the absolutely horrible pain I was in ignored. They all thought I should be OK with what I was given. Morphine has an accumulative effect, and you do grow tolerant of it after years of the medication. It was a hard lesson to learn, but one I will never forget.
A patient must be their own best advocate.
Another lesson...don't just let the nurses tell you what you should be feeling. If you are not in control, yell till you get someone to listen. There is a time for justified anger.
Be your own advocate and have someone with you too, someone who can speak up for you in the case where you are not being heard. ginnie

The post above it really to answer you. I am not quite awake yet! ginnie

Hi Kellysf,

Same experience here with Tramadol - tolerance develops over time. Only way it works for me is if I take time off from the med. But that can be hard on the body.

I just sent you a PM and hope you have a chance to respond.