Tramadol 🤔

[Moomin8]

Hi peeps, I was prescribed tramadol this morning by my gp to help with the pain I'm suffering atm. Has anyone been prescribed this? I was told to continue with paracetamol and etoricoxib - along with mtx and sulfasalazine obviously.

[Crusee]

Hi moomin,

Can only speak for myself as I know that many folks use this drug and get along fine with it.

Personally I found it made me dizzy and very sick and I mean vomitting not just nausea.I had to stop taking it.

But I think as with a lot of our meds you have to try it to see if it's suitable for you.You may be fine you may have a reaction.

Sorry if that's not the answer you were looking for.

Hope it works for you.

Crusee

XX

[medway-lady]

I had this not for RA but a broken elbow, made me tired but stopped the worst of the pain. No other side effects I can remember.

[moomie]

I have always had side effects form analgesics. Was prescribed Tramadol SR 50mg last year on Nurse Specialist advice. It works really well for me. I take one in a morning and one before bed. Can up it to two if needed and take paracetamol in between. I was worried about taking it all the time. My Nurse said I need to take it. I get no side effects untill I need to up my dose and take paracetamol, then I get sleepy. No nausea like other analgesics.

Oh when I first started taking them I got a bit of a headache but that wore off.

Works well for me. I also take Mtx szz hydroxy and naproxen aswell as other stuff.

I am struggling at themoment with tiredness. Falling asleep as soon as I have finished work. Last week I didn't take two morning doses to see if it was the tramadol. I still got the tiredness and the pain kicked it too.

Hope you get good results and it works well for you.

[Moomin8 in reply to moomie]

Thanks for your reply moomie- it's always helpful to hear how others cope with similar meds ☺

[moomie in reply to Moomin8]

We all react differently but I think it helps to share good experience too. Then you can have different views.

[PFKAAde]

Yes, like all opiates it can cause constipation, drowsiness (both common), nausea (usually subsides after short time) and can be tricky to get off when you've been taking it for some time (for me not as bad as say, prednisolone though YMMV).

There are other side-effects (like all drugs) but these are more common with long-term use.

It does help with pain / sleep - for most.

Ade

[Moomin8 in reply to PFKAAde]

Help with sleep would be a great relief Ade as painful and throbbing joints keep me from any useful length of sleep atm 😴

[PFKAAde in reply to Moomin8]

Definitely one plus of most opiates. 😀

I kind of feel that they don't 'kill' the pain as such, just make you care less about it. If that makes sense. Mind you nothing really kills pain and anything that makes it more bearable is a valuable tool in the kit. Just a shame they have so many, erm, issues attached.

I find opiates a difficult area, I have been down the slippery slope of starting off on something only for the pain to increase so need something stronger etc. At the time I would have taken anything that helped me deal with my responsibilities (looking after 2 small children with a badly deformed knee), but once the pain subsides you are faced with a long slog reducing them (and if your doctor is a pain, a short and horrible slog). They start to affect your hormones after a while too. Not trying to frighten you, a few tramadol are not the same as the massive dose of morphine I ended up on.

Having said all that Pregabalin has been the worst one for me to get off (and if I forget a dose) by some distance. I've been reducing it for two years now and have still got a (relatively minuscule) bit to go.

Anyway enough rambling on. 🙂

[JacquiThomas999]

I call Tramadol, wacky tablets. They leave me stoned the next day. I only take them when desperate.

[sylvi]

I find it makes me depressed.xxxx

[earthwitch]

I tried it. I would advise just starting very slowly with it (one tablet at a time) and only increasing it if you really have to. I found it did make me feel quite zonked out and not quite there, and unless I took exactly the same amount every day I would end up quite nauseous and headachy (withdrawal effects even on very low doses). I ended up going back to codeine plus paracetamol (prescribed separately so I could adjust the codeine dose without taking too much paracetamol) and that worked better for me in that I could function at work on the codeine much better than on the tramadol.

Its definitely worth a try though as it is a strong painkiller.

[Moomin8]

Such an assortment of replies! We are a mixed bunch aren't we lol...but it helps me to read all of your opinions- thank you 😊

[moomie]

Crikey now I am a bit worried. Been on it almost a year now. Did have to up it early this year for a bad flare but as soon as the steroids kicked in I dropped down the dose.

[Amy_Lee]

I was given that too. However, my rheumatologist reminded me that the most I could take one in the morning and one at night, ONE WHEN NECESSARY. He said if I could tolerate the pain, just avoid taking it.

I took only a few times during my peak of suffering but I did not find it helped to reduce the pain. I was still in great pain hence I decided not to take it to avoid any damage to my stomach or kidney. However, I did not feel any side effect though.

[Martinilady]

At the beginning (3years or do ago) Doc gave me Tramadol to take 2pills 4 times a day ! Didnt help with the pain so when I nxt saw him he strugged his shoulder as much to say "I dont know what else yo do" but then he had a brain wave !! Prescribed prolong release Tramadol - 2 in morning & 2 at nite. They worked but I still pushed to take it further to find out what was causing all the pain in my hands wrists & fingers. Finally I got to see the Rheumatoid consultant.

I still take the prolong release Tramadol but trying to cut down - when I asked another Doc if that eas OK he said"its your call, its up to you, give it a ho and see how you get on".

I also take Gabapetin & Paracetmol. However I have just had my 3rd week of Mtx injection & I was ill (on holiday in Greece) spent 2 days in bed & nxt 2 days trying to get a little bit of food & fresh air/sunshine. It was only the ladt 2 days I felt normal. Luckily I was with family to support me but I have a holiday booked nxt month to Rhodes on my own for 11 days. Im gonna have to cancell or rearange it if Trsvel Agents will let me. So I guess its back to the Docs /Hospital/Rheumy nurse for me to see what can be done.

I tried the Mtx pills before injections & I was really ill on those - pains in stomach etc.

[Leonwp]

An unfortunate welcome to my world of pain in technocolour. Yep i take 8 of these a day plus slow release morphine on top twice a day, neither work completely and now 18 months since i had more than 3 hours sleep, still have a lot of pain with the meds even with very limited movement each day, but without them i would be a complete and total wreck unable to do anything.

[LaLa67]

Hi, yes I'm on Tramadol & have been for several years. My consultant did prescribe them & I can take 2 four times a day, this'd ones make me feel bad so I take only 2 at lunch time & the rest just 1 morning, tea & bedtime. For me it does help but not always. I was really bad a while ago & the doc said that was enough to take.

[Cagsie]

As all the above have said they can make you feel weird at first but your body adapts. My main advice is to ensure you don't take them on an empty stomach. Hope they work for you, good luck xx

[Jora]

Yes, I've been prescribed it, turbo-boosted with Paracetamol. I take it less often than prescribed as I'm aware it potentially very addictive, and I would be susceptible. When the pain is really bad, it does take the edge off it. As it makes me sleepy, I try and only take it, when I have to, at nights. I also take 50mg Amitriptalyne at night. At a higher dose, that's an anti-depressant, but at 50mg or under, it works as a muscle-relaxant.

Good luck. Jora

[Rosebaywillowherb]

Hi Moomin8, I took tramadol for a few months, it did nothing for the pain,made me very dizzy,also as I have a chronic lung condition ,I started too get very short of breath,to the point of being almost unable to breath,one of side effects can be this, so stopped taking them,not used them since,but hope they work for you, we all react differently to meds.Still on steroid tablets,know they're not good, but stops the pain.x

[Hidden]

Hi Moomin8 - I've been on Tramadol for a couple of years. No real side effects that I can tell. I was prescribed 2 every six hours, but I generally take 2 a day - one in the morning when I am trying to get started for the day (hah - you know the morning thing I'm sure), and one a night to help me sleep straight through as much as possible. My big fear of course was it escalating to something stronger, but so far it's good.

[Moomin8 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks CaerylUSA, I was told to do as you do ie: 1 morning,1 night. It's not touched the edges though and I don't want to increase the dose😟

[Hidden in reply to Moomin8]

There are other things you can do too.

Keep in mind that on the strength table of one compared to another, it is really not much above an aspirin. emedicinehealth.com and some others will rate one pain medication against another, and tramadol doesn't even show on some of them. One site rates tramadol at a 3.8 and alleve at 3.6.

Sometimes NSAIDs can help because they decrease the inflammation. The ones you have to be careful of (IMHO) are the Oxycodone, Fentanyl, etc. I am "lucky" in some ways - I am deathly allergic to Tylenol and that is in all of the stronger drugs... ha ha

Other things that help are Prednisone - Try to keep it under 20 mg a day and only use it during flares to keep from gaining as much weight with it. I try not to take it for more than 3 days, but will use it as long as a flare lasts. Less of those (flares) these days which is a blessing.

Another thing you can do is mix peppermint, lavender, thyme and rosemary essential oils (not fragrance oils) with Extra Virgin Coconut oil, and rub some of that into particularly painful joints. It doesn't last terribly long, but it is safe as long as you are not allergic to any of the ingredients. If that isn't strong enough, maybe talk with your doctor about Voltaren Gel?

Not sure any of that is much help, but fingers crossed, and best luck. Between the fatigue, the lack of motivation and the pain and deformity, RA is not a nice thing to have for sure.

[Dedeols]

I hate that drug. It didn't work for me and made me suck😖

[Dedeols in reply to Dedeols]

Sick sorry

[Skipper55]

Hi There

I am not a tramadol fan I have found that you must stop the pain from starting or else it will take hold and very little will give you relief. All my specialists have agreed 100 mg of the patch

Fenalpatch and i change it for a new one every 3 and 1/2 days also i get 120 tablets of Endone 10mg I take 2 in the morning when crook with pain the patch can stop any pain and i seem to be able to double the period for my supply of endone . I also take 2 panadol with the endone . if need be i go up to 2 lots of 2 a day of endone when pain has got on top of things. This procedure can stop pain for up to 6 weeks without any endone or maybe a half dozen during that 6 week period .

there is no half measures with CSS have to hit it on the head with the hammer. the nurses have read the riot act to me get before it starts or just starting.Once it get going the nurses or doctors are limited and then comes the 25mg steriods for a week or longer, it comes down to balance and upping the patches and hopefully pain tablets drop by more .all the best

[Moomin8 in reply to Skipper55]

I agree Skipper5.

I've given tramadol a few days with no change to the pain or any positive effect on my ease of movement. Consequently, I've given in to my course of steroids which I have at hand. 30mg one week, then 20mg for 2 weeks, finally a week of 10mg. The reason being: I'm back to work next week full time ( been off since January!) and I can't even walk properly, let alone lift either arm without agony 😯I'll stop the Etoricoxib and Tramadol while I'm on this course....hope it gives some relief as it's not my first!!

[Paulajolo]

Just remember opiates are addictive. If you can fo without them don't go there.

[Moomin8 in reply to Paulajolo]

That's what I was thinking

[Hidden]

Hello hubby was also prescribed Tramadol as well as Ibuprofen. He tries not to take the Tramadol as it whacks him out and makes him nauseous. Sometimes needs must. Hope it helps your pain. Sue xx

[Moomin8 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Sue, had the same effect on me so stopped.

[Eiram50]

Hi

I have been on tramadol for maybe 1.5 years. 50mg and I take 2 in morning and 2 in evening. If it's a particularly bad day, I can take 2 up to 4 times per day. I take with paracetamol as way more effective when taken together. Also take embrel, methotrexate and arcoxia.

After such a long time, I often wonder how much they actually help with the pai and only really know that they do when I forget to take a dose .

Good luck with them.

[Moomin8]

Thanks- to be honest, I didn't take them very much as they kept me awake even when the dose was increased!

[wdoneal]

I've been taking 100 mg per day for chronic back pain for about 6 months now. I absolutely love this drug! Without it my back pain basically ends my day before it gets started as soon as I start walking and standing for more than 10 minutes. With it I'm pain free and have virtually no side effects except a little sleepiness in the afternoon, which is remedied with a short nap which I take every day anyway. I do notice a slight elevation in mood the first few hours but no more than when I take a nice exercise walk. I read about a lot of fear related to getting off it and no doubt there are issues there for some people. But after talking to my doctor, he says that if it improves my quality of life and relieves my pain then why get off of it? I still need something to deal with the back pain. I'm 58, semi-retired and otherwise very healthy and energetic. So to have this drug has been a miracle for me. I couldn't take the stronger narcotics without feeling out of it or just plain sick, so Tramadol's gentle effect has been a life saver. I have stayed on the 100 mg and have no cravings to take more nor have I experienced any decrease in its effectiveness. Obviously my doctor and I monitor this as 6 months isn't exactly a long time and things could change. But right now for me, the benefits of being able to go to Disneyland with my granddaughter and walk all day pain free, exercise and play softball again far outweigh any concerns I have about getting off the drug or developing a dependency down the road. If I become dependent, so what? I still have pain to deal with and still need something. Of course if I have adverse reactions then I'd have to look at it again. I know this drug, as any drug, affects people differently and some people may not react as well to it. I just wanted to share the positive results I have had so far and try to alleviate some of the fear about starting the drug if you are in my situation as a late middle-ager with chronic pain who still has a lot of living to do!