Tramadol

[Cal66]

Has anyone been told that your Health authority is going to stop prescriptions Tramadol? My GP told me that everyone had to come off it, that they are not going to prescribe it anymore especially patients like myself who have been on it long term.

[Hidden]

Dear Cal66:

Google say this about Tramadol

[Narcotic

It can treat moderate to severe pain.

Controlled substance

High risk for addiction and dependence. Can cause respiratory distress and death when taken in high doses or when combined with other substances, especially alcohol.

More info

Brands: ConZip and Ultram

Availability: Prescription needed

Pregnancy: Consult a doctor

Alcohol: Avoid. Very serious interactions can occur

Drug class: Pain reliever]

Is this the reason why they are stopping it?

I hope they find a great alternative for you. 🙏

[NeuronerdDoaty]

Tramadol is not a narcotic. It reacts in the body like a synthetic opiate. It is not an opiate. The googler is wrong again. Now, they want to put it in that class because of the reactions and how ppl misuse it. If you snort it you’re going to get high like an opiate.

Pharmacy insert:

Even though Tramadol is not a narcotic, it can still be addictive although in a unique way to other drugs. Typically what happens is an individual's tolerance builds over time, which means to get the same degree of pain relief, a greater dose is required. Unless prescribed by a reputable doctor, the dose could continually increase to the point of the person now being dependent on Tramadol.

Because there is risk of someone becoming dependent on Tramadol, most doctors are keen to dosage and do not prescribe this medication long-term. Keep in mind that Tramadol is a better treatment option when compared to narcotic type drugs such as morphine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone but it too can be abused. Typically, a doctor will start a person on a very low dose and again, for a short period of time. If needed, the dose and duration can be increased but this is carefully monitored.

If it was a narcotic it wouldn’t have come individually wrapped as Ultram to give to patients for trial. We kept it in our drug closet.

Your GP is right. People have messed it up for others who need it. It’s relatively safe if taken responsibly.

[Hidden]

Ouch, Jacky, sorry to hear. Toothaches are awful!

With addictive narcotics it’s a bit worse. I agree that one can become mentally dependent on things. But, with an addictive narcotic, it takes you up, then when you’re s coming off it leaves you a bit lower each time, to the point you finally have to take them simply to feel as you did before ever taking them. So your body becomes completely dependent and trying to break yourself off them can be miserable, even deadly. But another case of the cure possibly being worse than the problem? Idk.

[NeuronerdDoaty in reply to Hidden]

Agreed

[NeuronerdDoaty]

When my mouth hurts my whole body hurts. I’m so sorry.

[Midnightkitty in reply to NeuronerdDoaty]

I agree. I have had a lot of mouth related pain and it just makes ur entire body hurt terrible. Pain is tough to deal with for sure.

[tugglez]

Not been told that at all.

[katidid]

Think we need to be VERY careful here. There are many people who benefit from pain medications and whose quality of life (or life) is threatened by the cessation of or lack of access to what is often described as life saving medication.

Also, terminology is important when discussing this matter. There is physical dependance and there is addiction. Physical dependance can result simply from the use of a drug over time and it is not limited to pain killers. However, physical dependence is not the same as addiction. Addiction is classified as both a physical dependance on the drug as well as usage of the drug when not needed or sought after and used for purposes unintended.

If a person is physically dependent it does not mean they are an addict. People often misuse and repeat the term " this drug is addictive". Sure, many can be. Medically, however, the warning is that some people may become **dependent** on the drug. This just means the body is used to it and that it will require proper tapering to take someone off it.

However, it is the minority of prescription users that *abuse* the medication and the majority of people who are prescribed pain mediators in the long term are physically dependent but NOT addicts.

[Hidden in reply to katidid]

I understand what you are saying. Unfortunately the use and over prescribing of addictive narcotics has become a crisis. The last three consecutive years I have done our nations federal homeless country, called ‘A Point in Time’. I can’t tell you how many homeless addicts have become such because a doctor over prescribed pain meds. The user becomes addicted and the need for the drug is the only thing they see in life; the next fix. It’s heart breaking. The cops that go with us for safety, also tell these stories because they run into this day after day while on the job. Big pharmaceuticals are interested in making money. That’s all. The more drugs used, the more money they make. I understand that pain meds seem and are sometimes necessary. But, they impede the body’s own natural healing. I would just warn to be careful in their usage.study up all you can from many sources. Ask questions. Don’t rely on anyone because it’s your life, your body. Do the research and make the decision of what you trust to be true. Weigh everything out in your mind. I would also encourage prayer.

[AgedCrone in reply to Hidden]

Agree 100% .......unfortunately we are going the same way in the UK.

[Midnightkitty in reply to Hidden]

I do agree with you about pain medications impeding any healing process overall. They just mess with so many different normal body processes.

Pharmaceuticals want them prescribed to make money. That is why they are in business and their advertising is so misleading to the public and people are so misinformed about the dangers. Plus most addictive behaviors within an individual have deep psychological reasons that beed to be addressed that that complicates the situation even more.

I am from the US and can remember way back when Pharmaceuticals were first allowed to advertise in the media . It created even more of a mind set in the general public that there is a magic pill to "cure" all ailments .

I am living in chronic pain right now and if it doesn't stop i will cave and ask for medication help also. I have been down that road before and gotten off so much medication - including antidepressants - and felt so much better for several years but not my degenerative bone back disease is causing me nerve pinch pain and on and on,

All the doctors have to offer is medication and the physical therapy that could help is either too expensive so methods are unavailable or just not available in my area period. My future is looking negative and depressing to me right this minute - i admit .

Guess i got off topic here .. sorry

[Cal66 in reply to Midnightkitty]

Hi

I think that you have congratualations in comming off antidepressants and other medications but when your pain is so bad, that you can't move, stand or sleep then you really need to take pain medication

[Midnightkitty in reply to Cal66]

I guess i haven't gotten that far yet.

Once i give in, i wont be able to "think" anymore and i will lose " my real self ". There will be no second recovery.

Antidepressants do not change the way a person thinks about their various situations , they just numb ur senses and your memories - which is what u r left with in your lifetime. So it is goodbye to your past which is part of what makes up the entire person.

The trade off with pain med side effects that are cumulative and longer lasting than the amount of time of the pain relief can be almost more difficult to deal with than the pain after awhile.

[Lily77 in reply to katidid]

Very well said Katidid! With my best regards, Lily

[TM1970 in reply to katidid]

Well said, I am in horrendous pain from my neck which needs pinned but I have to wait 3 years 6 months to see someone, if the stop it in meantime I’m in big trouble. I also take DHC although not as often, obviously the pain is horrendous. X

[Lupiknits]

I’m pretty sure you’re in the UK where there has been a recent NHS edict to GPs to cut down on addictive painkillers. Antidepressants too, especially where they are handed out like sweeties, if asked for, in some places: I can’t imagine anyone getting pleasure from some of the satanic brews I’ve been given over the years, but they are hard to withdraw from.

The painkillers in particular are being targeted. My GP has a dedicated pharmacist attached to the practice to go through the patient list of those on the opoid type, and anything that has a street value (I understand some get a good buzz from Tramadol). I think this is a reasonable idea, and helps GP time in dealing with distress. I had a special interview about my BuTrans patches. We agreed I needed the BuTrans to stay, but I wasn’t to have anything else. For the moment I have a small stash of co codamol as I rarely use it, but when I do, you bet your boots I do!

I won’t be surprised to get a kind invitation to start cutting down the BuTrans eventually. The best thing about the 20 mins with the pharmacist was not that she was there to say “no more ever” but to discuss need and perhaps experimenting with cutting down the dose in the future.

To be told outright a prescription is to stop cold like that is just cruel in my opinion.

[PMRpro]

In 2014 the classification of various drugs was changed - making Tramadol a Schedule 3 Controlled drug.

rpharms.com/about-us/news/d...

A study published in March this year

bmj.com/content/365/bmj.l1849

concluded "People receiving tramadol alone after surgery had similar to somewhat higher risks of prolonged opioid use compared with those receiving other short acting opioids. Federal governing bodies should consider reclassifying tramadol, and providers should use as much caution when prescribing tramadol in the setting of acute pain as for other short acting opioids."

It is possible that various Health Authorities are tightening up on adherence to those guidelines - and that some doctors either got hold of the wrong end of the stick or are using it as an opportunity to force patients to stop using it as much. But I would query the absolute truth of what they said - they have probably been told to restrict its use in new cases and they decided that meant everybody.

I googled "2019 use of tramadol" and got links to several studies published this year - too many for me to list. There is a move to encourage making it Schedule 4 - but even that doesn't stop it being used for chronic pain.

[milkwoman]

Tooth pain is the worst! When I had my tooth issues (deep infection ultimately requiring root canal by an endodontist followed by crown) I was stunned to learn from my dentist that due to tooth pain being a specific kind of pain, not all otc pain relievers work to alleve it. For example, acetaminophen works well but ibuprofen is generally ineffective. I can attest to this as, at the time, I was a big ibuprofen user and it didn’t make a dent in my tooth pain but when I switched to acetaminophen, I found relief.

[milkwoman]

Sounds like you are on a good treatment plan. If you require a root canal. I’d also get a crown - esp if your issue is in a molar as they take a lot of pressure and regular fillings/caps can crack/fail.

I had all my amalgam fillings removed/replaced about 15-20 years ago. I didn’t have that many (perhaps 6?) and I preferred the look of the white fillings. Who wants all that silver? Dentists here in the states haven’t used amalgam fillings in over a decade. I believe there are a few kinds of white fillings - I’m glad that my dentist uses the porcelain kind.

You may need antibiotics after your filling esp if it’s a root canal. When they dig around it def stirs things up. If you are in so much pain then your infection is significant. Whether it is deep or not well that remains to be seen.

Good luck! Tooth health is critical! Since I have Sjogrens, I see my dentist twice a year and we stay on top of any issues that arise. People don’t realize just how much a tooth infection can affect your life - spreading to other areas.

I think your brain is safe..... 😉

Good luck!

[milkwoman]

Oh that is so sad to read. I’d hate to think you had cavities filled unnecessarily as a child! How awful! I can totally understand your mistrust of dentists. I’ve certainly have had my woes with them and am happy to be in a better spot today.

Do you have any endodontists in the UK? They have a different mindset from dentists (at least they do here in the US). They are about saving teeth. I found out about them during the tooth issue I wrote about. My dentist at the time was convinced I had a cracked tooth so she sent me to an oral surgeon who, without EVER looking in my mouth, scheduled an extraction. Since I would not have wanted a missing tooth, I would then have had to go though the very expensive and very long process of getting an implant.

My gut told me there was another option so I started researching and that’s when I discovered endodontists. I canceled my extraction with the oral surgeon and booked an appt with the endodontist.

The endodontist did a thorough exam and said my tooth was NOT cracked and that he felt it could be saved. He performed the root canal and installed temporary crown. I then went to a NEW dentist (that he recommended) who installed the permanent crown and is now my current dentist (she’s wonderful).

I’ve used the endodontist a second time for a root canal in a molar that had a composite white filling (it was a tooth that had one of my replacement fillings for amalgam that SHOULD have been porcelain. Composite was installed by the same dentist who thought I had a cracked tooth! All the years wasted with that dentist who probably has caused many of my issues. Sigh. So glad that it is the past as I have a wonderful dentist now and good dental health).

Sorry for the ramblings. Just giving you things to think about. The past is the past but it doesn’t mean you cannot correct things now. I did not find the process to switch out amalgam fillings to porcelain to be horrible. I didn’t do it all at once due to cost but overall, it was quite simple and not painful in my case.

I hope your infection is under control and that you get the proper treatment by a reputable professional. Your health is number 1 priority and if you think the mercury fillings are causing harm (which, they most likely are), you owe it to yourself to look into what options are available to having them replaced.

Good luck!