Not tried this yet as not been sufficiently brave re possible adverse reactions. Now desperate for a good night's pain free sleep though while i wait for the mtx to kick back in. What have people experienced with it - good and bad?
Tramadol experiences please?: Not tried this yet as not... - NRAS
Tramadol experiences please?
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52 Replies
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I've not used them myself but my daughter in law and Dad use them regularly. They get on just fine with them apart from when they've mixed with demon drink! Get them down you and get some rest 
x
Thanks Paula. Can't take them and rest just now as got both dogs (hyperactive) and husband sleeping off a nightshift snoring and not feeling grand either. Will make him a late lunch and then he can get up take youngest to dentist and I'll sleep then. Youngest worrying/texting i wont get a cheque to school in time for his french trip in June so no peace! Can't walk dogs because of wrist which is still not good. Believe it or not I'm in studio working now with eyes hanging like blinds trying not to close. Splint is on, hot paraffin wax is cooking and I'm using my left hand to stitch. Tramadol will be my Friday night treat instead of the wine I was consuming this time last week - Lordy maybe I'll try both for an out of body experience!?? Xx
i use them and they a great but i find as a down fall with them is i get very itchy with them but it might not happen to you
Thanks. My main worry is GP who prescribed them a year ago told me make sure someone around for my first time. Itching I'm used to but don't like the thought of going off my trolly although it wasn't clear to me exactly what he meant and i seem to have lost the side efects sheet. Young GP today wants me to try them as she said they work brilliantly for many people with RA and similar conditions during flares.
Hi Tilda
I don't have any experience of taking it myself but I hope you don't mind me mentioning my dog and two very close friends who have had Tramadol and all of whom had dreadful experiences with it.
It is an opioid. It was prescribed by my vet for my dog when she was dying. My dog had taken other painkillers, but because they were upsetting her stomach, the vet prescribed Tramadol. We weren't told it was an opioid so we in our ignorance just thought it was another form of anti inflammatory.
I slept with my dog every night and after taking the drug she never seemed to sleep. She would stare at me during the night and get off the couch and come over to me as if she didn't recognise me. She would go out into the garden and just stand, swaying and staring into space. When we questioned the vets about this strange behaviour and the drug, they denied that there were any side effects (I will never believe vets again!). It was only after speaking to friends I understood what I had unwittingly put my lovely girl through in her final days (I did manage to reduce the Tramadol and get her onto a non opioid pain killer and she did regain some equanimity during her final days).
Even though she was so ill, this behaviour only started after taking Tramadol. When I mentioned Tramadol to two close friends they both reeled in horror. One had taken it for fibromyalgia (she has ME) and told me that it did help with the pain but gave her hallucinations. She said that although she could hear her husbands voice he appeared as some nighmarish figure to her (she does love her husband dearly!). She only took it once.
My other friend had it for back pain (she has had spinal surgery a number of years ago and has constant pain). She was very angry about it as she was never told by her doctor that it was an opioid or of the potential side effects. She had hallucinations, insomnia and anxiety. She told me she went through Hell and said when she learned it was an opioid, she tried to come off it and it took her months before she could get off the drug. She said that because it was an opioid it had made her instantly addicted.
I am sorry I am sounding so negative as I have never taken it so cannot say from my own personal experience. It seems that there are people who have no problem with it but because of the dreadful experiences I have witnessed and my friends have described, I would really educate yourself about its effects.
When my dog was taking Tramadol we found, too late, this diagram on Wiki which is a really good illustration of its potential side effects
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:...
Good luck in whatever decision you make.
Karen
Hi Tilda,
When I was at my worst I took them round the clock, they did help, although they didn't take pain away altogether I didn't mind the pain as they make me feel mellow and relaxed but not out of control. I would not drive with them though!
I find that if I took them around 3pm, they would start to work after an hour, for me I get a 'boost' of energy, get things done and have my most brilliant ideas!! but by 9pm I'll be very relaxed and have a lovely sleep. Sometimes I get the itch with it! For me the effects will last around 12 hours and will wake up feeling relaxed and not anxious as I can be with some pain relief.
If I were you, I'd just take one to start with. I only take it now on a rare occasion. I am glad I don't have an addictive nature as I find tramadol very pleasant!
Good luck xxx
Me again, by the time I finished I saw Karens reply, that is scary! I should have added that when I did stop taking them after 6 weeks of full dose, I did it gradually and was off them within a week without a negative effect. Everyone different I suppose.
This is ALL very useful and I'm glad I asked. If pain continues I might try one later but I suspect co-codimol and Naproxen may be enough for easily scared me!!! Thank- you. Xxxx
Ps it was Karen's opiate business that I was thinking of. I don't think I would be hooked if I tried one though?
Hi Tilda as you know i have been taking Tramadol since last July before i was diagnosed, they have worked really well for me, i don't always take 2, sometimes i just take the one depends on the pain i am having, and also i will take a paracetamol with them, i am not taking as many now as i have cut back, They do make you a bit sleepy, that is why i only take one sometimes if i am going out, but as we know everyone is different, but i think they are worth trying and see how you go, sorry to hear that you are in pain, Take Care xx
I AM ONE of the rare people who have anaphylatic reaction. my mum does too!"!,
Most people may feel tired or itch, some people however it can affect mental health so if at all in doubt in that area proceed with caution! about 70% of people can take it wiyh no side effects, I hate counselling patients on this one!! my work script goes like this.. have you taken it before?? no.. well all new medication can carry the potential of side effects..so I RECOMMEND first time it is taken it is at home with some one with you.
( I HAVE been a patient in a ward with a patient having those hallucinations!!)
I take them Tilda, really help and I mainly take them to make me sleep when my shoulders are playing up. Initially I was a bit woozy but that settled , so for me they really help. Start with one after tea and see how u get on, my experience is like Wilbys. Hope you get settled soon, and do u have RA Tilda !?!? Hee Hee I will convince you one of these days xxxxxx
Don't crow Allanah - you all promised that you wouldn't! I don't have mental health issues as far as I'm aware Alison but I do become bipolar on steroids which I think is why alarm bells are ringing a bit. But Williby' and Allanah's experiences sound so nice I'm sorely temped because naproxen only taking the edge off this time round.
If it cheers you all to say it I do have RA. Its mostly in my hands and wrists, mostly managed with some help from medical team, exercise and my RA friends here but just now its pretty out of hand. There I've said it. Copy and paste and PM me next time my denial antennae start to wave again! And as one of the cups of lemonade to say cheers with (if you get lemons make lemonade) then I will boast back that I've written all this using iPhone and my left forefinger! Right hand presently otherwise engaged (draped in hot wax in a plastic bag wrapped in a towel in the studio!).
If I take Tramadol I'll let you know how I get on. Whew. Tilda x
• in reply to
i was referring to your steroid problems didnt want to give you any similar problems x
• in reply to
I've wimped out of trying it anyway thanks Alison. I took 2 paracetamol, naproxen and will take more later (GP said to take paracetamol round the clock until flare dies down). Have got codeine and know that I'm okay with all of these plus used wax bath and now splints and pyjama night. Hope you are okay? X
• in reply to
stiff and sore xx didnt mean to frighten you x
• in reply to
You didn't frighten me - I asked the question because I was already concerned. If the excruciating pain picks up again tonight and co-codimol and Naproxen don't get me through tonight okay then I'll try Tramadol tomorrow. Not ruling it out. Hope you feel less stiff and sore soon x
Hi Tilda. Sorry to say tramadol made me very ill but GP said its worth trying as it can be very effective . Are you taking regular paracetomol ? I Know it doesn't touch the severe pain but it's a start. I didn't realise how much better it is taking it regularly rather than taking it when pain gets bad. I've just been prescribed nefopam as they don't want me to take nsaids but haven't tried it yet. Still a bit wary trying anything new.Hope you get on ok with tramadol and feel better soon. Xxx
i take them, they don't take the pain away but do dull it. I find they wear off after about 4 hours. If I take them on an empty stomach they make me throw up but other than that I don't have any side effects. Hope you get some sleep.
Mary
Try it, but please dont mix with alcohol if they say you shouldn't. One pleasure (sleep) at a time!!! Hope you get a good nights sleep, it sounds horrendous
Thanks Cathie. Yes horrendous and I was joking about alchohol of course - it just seems the tamer of the pleasures from where I'm rather fearfully sitting - but after tea (cooked by Chris thankfully as wrist still torture) I will down my first Tramadol and hope for oblivion with no hallucinations - scary or othrwise. Just been for a lovely evening stroll along the north shore with dogs and Chris. Managed not to mention that i feel sick with pain to him one so stoical hailo glowing! X
I'm not keen on them, as if I end up taking more than two a day, then I find I have to keep it at that level and taken very regularly in order to avoid getting withdrawal nausea and yuckiness. I also don't feel alert enough to work on tramadol, though I can on codeine (now I have got used to it).
The other thing is to just build up slowly - GPs often prescribe them at "one or two up to 4 times a day" straight off, but they can knock you quite hard, so I'd only take one the first time, and then see how you go on them. I prefer good old codeine myself as I never get any nausea with that, but a lot of folk don't like that because of its constipating factor (which is something I actually need, so it does double benefit for me). The other advantage of codeine (in liquid form) is that you can adjust your dose a lot easier.
I haven't ever had hallucinations with tramadol though. If you are just taking it at night, then it might be quite good and really do the trick. I know a lot of folk find it quite useful.
Thanks Earthwitch - I'm sufficiently desperate to try it tonight but will only take one tablet and may wimp out as I really don't need sickness in top of everything else just now. Grateful for your advice. Tildax x
I can tolerate most painkillers but about 30 minutes after taking it I felt very dizzy and a bit nauseous. If I really need them I take them before sleep but they are at the bottom of my list.
Hi Tilda
I find I get a nasty headache with tramadol, guess that's the opiate in it. Codeine products make me dizzy so I tend to stick with good old paracetamol.
Hope you are now having a good night sleep. Lou
Mads I confess here and now that the box went back in the drawer at 6.30pm and a nice glass of red wine was poured instead. There now if my liver's crap on Tuesday then you will all know why! I'm still in pain but its slightly more mellow and i just downed 2 paracetamol, a naproxen and an Amitriptyline and have my night resting splint waiting by my bed. RA I'm ready for you now - flare if you dare! Xx
• in reply to
i am jealous Tilda, i would love a glass of red wine. I am a bit crap too as well but i know that a bit of rest will help. I would have been in bed now except that Revenge is on E4, its great.
Oops Lou we flew past each other in cyberspace - this is for you as well then. Codeine doesn't do much for me so I've put that to back of drawer too. X
I've just woken up at 5 am having had the first good night's sleep in 6 days. Still got stomach problems (though no temperature) but I feel like a new woman even so. The things that keep me awake these days are legion - though pain's not one of them.
So I just want to say I sincerely hope you too have slept well. 'Mellow' sounded promising for that.
Luce x
Hi Luce - I outslept you by 3 hours - but perhaps started later (about 11.15pm for me). I woke at 4am and was disappointed to notice that husband's new snore device - which has been an ongoing saga to have made as his mouth is such a strange shape it seems - was making him emit weird clicking noises rather than snores. Snores did come out but they were rejatively little in comparison to previous stuff. But I'm such a light sleeper and was do sedated that I made my way to box bedroom and resumed sleep there.
I'm relying a lot on my night resting splint these days as its when I mov my wrist the trouble starts. Hand very swollen too and if I lift my arm to any extent this horrid spasm (like a knocked funny bone) of pain strikes. Must drink cuppa now - hope your improvement continues and you have a lovely weekend. Stick with the sulpha if you can as this unpleasantness will very probably pass. Tilda xx
I have had spinal and knee problems for the past 2 years and without Tramadol I could not have kept mobile. For me it is the best painkiller when I am in severe pain.
Jo
Thanks Joan that's good to know too. TTx
I took Tramadol about six years ago and had some really good results ... Very little pain through on those, but they spaced me out totally. Someone called me .... The girl with kaleidoscope eyes ... !!! As apparently that was how I looked. Out if it. Not very coherent either I was told. I don't remember really! In the end I was too out if it to do much but sit there. They affected me more than Fentanyl 50 which I have just had to drop back to 25.
Hope they work for you 
x
Thanks NeonKitty but I'm too wimpy to try them! I've been okay for today and last night on paracetamol max dose and Naproxen max dose and an amitriptyline at night - oh and a glass of red wine to wash it all down with! I don't know what would happen if I took a Tramadol and would rather have extreme pain than go nuts as I did on steroids. Not worth it. "Girl with kaleidascope eyes matches your name NeonKitty - I'm imagining someone very hip with an flurescent energy glow now with you! Tilda x
Neonkitty• in reply to
Aww thanks, Tilda. I would still like to think I am hip at 53 and I am told I look nothing like my age. Just the joints that feel it.
Hope your MTX soon back to full effectiveness and you are able to stitch. I know how that is being kept from your passion. I am unable to do any print or much art at all till I get sorted and started in Enbrel. Maybe on Friday? Don't know if I dare hope it will happen. Sorry steroids made you feel so bad. Only ever had injections.
Hope the Amitripts give you good sleep and you are soon feeling much better and I will be back soon after I take a little break from the board.
Take care,
Julie Neonkitty x
• in reply toNeonkitty
RA won't get to rob us of our passion for long NK I feel sure. And anyhow art that is made through adversity is surely going to be the real Mackoy! Xx
I have had to resort to Tram in the past, along with Diazepam and Amytriptiline, during a particularly severe flare ( I have Psoriatic arthritis and Fibromyalgia). Trammies had me completely spaced out for several weeks and very unsteady on my feet- like being on a boat! Pain wise they definitely help, but family were uneasy to leave met unattended! I take steroids, azathioprine and about to start golimumab. Ive just tried Enbrel, it didnt help, but some side effects. I previously took Humira, which was very effective for the first 2 years, then seemed to wear off. My consultant thinks I developed antibodies to it, so here we go again...
Oh poor you - that's a lot of drugs you've tried. I have only tried sulpha, Hydroxy and MTX so far and have been really lucky with the MTX so am hoping it starts working again soon. Naproxen and paracetamol seem to take the worst edge off so far anyway but then I haven't done any stitch work today and that's usually the trigger for me. Tilda x
its a strange one for me too. i can ake i no problem at maximum dose with no bad side effects. I do find after taking the 2nd or 3rd dose of the day (2 tabs at time) i can feel a wee light headed.
I also found through trial and error if i take them with paracetamol it makes me sick.
they do take an hour to work though and then there pretty good for removing the morning stiffness
Ooh a relief from morning stiffness would be great Scuba Phil! Its taking me 30 mins to get dressed just now with some help re shoes from my husband. Do you take them during the night for that or do they just work straight away?
I think you should try the tramadol at least once, just so you know if it is something you can keep in your drawer for when things get really bad. But, if you are really nervous about it, make sure you take it when someone else is in the house, you don't have to get up at a particular time the next day, and you don't have to be at work or anywhere important for a while after. Also take it with or after food, as it can hit hard on an empty stomach. The effect doesn't last that long though (not a lot more than 4 hours, I think).
I haven't thrown out my box of them yet - don't like them, but that doesn't mean I won't be desperate enough for one sometime.
My thinking entirely Earthwitch - thanks.
Well something very good has got to come out of all this suffering! Xxxx
Hi I just wanted to add something about Tramadol - there are 2 types you can take, there is one type where you take them regularly every x number of hours and the other type is 'sustained release' where you take a certain amount twice per day (I have taken up to 4 per day and have weaned myself down to 2 per day now). I didn't get on with the first type but I have been on sustained release one for over a year now and it has made such a difference to me being able to sleep above the pain and work full time too. I take them with Paracetamol top up if needed. Hope this helps.
Thanks - that is interesting and others might find it useful too. Not sure what type I've got but suspect the first kind. Not going near it just now as naproxen seems to be working well enough and pain is greatly reduced again. Take care. Tilda x
hi tilda i take tramadol and have since august 8 a day started metho andhydroxy,and naproxen rheumy took me off naproxen and carried on with tramadol think im immune to them now but like the other comments they make me itch but nothing much else by way of side effects give em try xxx
I took tramadol after my op last year and HATED it. Took two as instructed and hallucinated - thought I was playing table tennis with a live owl as a bat!! It's funny when I think about it now but it was scary at the time. My friend is a pharmacist and says I should have tried just one first as they're so strong!
Should say I was fine taking just one but made sure I only took them for as long as I was in pain after the op...
Xx
Thanks RM - I'm in a lot of pain tonight - think its probably a gallbladder flare up - was thinking I might try one tonight if this abdominal agony continues but I would never take more than one first time anyway. X
i been on tramadol about a year now and no probs they are a good painkiller xx
I take Tramadol for back pain. I consider myself being very lucky cause I'm on these pills since last year and I did not become addicted. I take them as needed and it works. I have been ordering generic Tramadol online, I just can not afford buying it in the local pharmacy. Mine are from generic-meds-store.com ...the service is really good, and the price is acceptable.
Good luck !
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