Tramadol

[woodpecker94]

Has anyone had a bad experience trying to reduce number of tramadol tablets? I have only been taking them for 2 months, but started to reduce them by 1 on Wednesday evening and have felt awful today, can't stop crying and feel really depressed. Wondering how long it will last.

[Bananas5]

Firstly are you reducing under your GPs guidance?

You don't say what strength you are taking but reducing by one tablet may be too much.

See it you can reduce by a smaller strength

x

[woodpecker94 in reply to Bananas5]

Thanks for the reply. Not under GP guidance as he seems happy for me to take them forever. They are 50mg tablets. But after my successful sacral joint injection I would like to get back to taking Zapain and Gabapentin again as I felt ok on them. Am now on Tramadol, Gabapentin and Paracetamol. But with tramadol my thinking is very foggy and I can't get the words out I want to say, so would like to take less if possible.

[Bananas5 in reply to woodpecker94]

That's fair enough but like all these meds you have to do it ever so slowly or you feel awful. Withdrawal from Tramadol not a good one.

I'm not sure if they come in smaller doses than 50 but ask him. Or your pharmacist.

x

[HearYou]

The 12th Commandment is twet thiugh shall nto changemredueor incraesd and med Commandment is Thiutnot cresae, icrease ANY medicayion. Call MD.

[HearYou]

Call MD. Nevers stop or increase any meds by yourself ;

[Tourk in reply to HearYou]

Pain killers are differant, one should never just stop but always strive yo take less.

Listern to your body

[Hidden]

Yes, many years ago, i was on tramadol too. Like 15 yrs ago. I stopped, ran out while on a cruise!! Silly me didnt make my appt for the refill b4 i left, too busy getting ready. It ws aweful !! Exhaustion

[Lesleystewart]

I have been on 50mg tramadol taken at night for quite a few years,I've decided to stop them ,told my gp that I was doing it gradually spread over 6weeks,he didn't comment.

The side effects I have had include a runny nose,bit of depression,lethargic,and waking during the night more frequently also night sweats and coldness.I am 4 weeks in and I'm definitely not going back to taking it.

Hang on in there ,well done!

[JeffMett]

I had to come of Tramadol to go on Gabapentin I felt ill for about a month, I couldn't go to work and was signed of. If i had known what this would be like I wouldn't taken the things in the first place.

[patjess]

Tramadol is a powerful and possibly addictive drug, and should not in my humble opinion, be taken long term, you must try and reduce reliance on this medication, but under medical guidance

[waylay in reply to patjess]

But if you need them, you need them. *Shrug*

[Pottey2]

I have been on Tramadol for 20 years I was never told that they were addictive taken it for spine stenosis really helped up to 2 years ago when spine got worse Doc won't increase dosage so I'm stuck in pain. Had tried to reduce amounts several times but never succeeded. I know the side effects are bad but keep persevering, if you can I'm completely addicted so no chance. Sandy

[woodpecker94 in reply to Pottey2]

Hi Pottey2. Thank you for your reply. I also have spinal stenosis, as well as an impinged shoulder caused by a fall when my leg gave way. This all lead to the tramadol. I'm sorry for your situation, but agree that they quickly become addictive as its only 2 months for me. Will try to get off them, but think it will be slower than I hoped.

[Pam6971]

I was on 8 x 50mg for 2 years, wasn’t feeling too good 1 day so went to bed early, woke up that night with hot & cold sweats, hardly slept, had to wrap myself in towels as my bed was getting soaked, 2 nights of sweats then ended up phoning nhs 24, ambulance was called out, spent 8 hours in hospital, they put it down to a viral infection, got home that night, sweats started again, took - tramadol & they eventually stopped, then I realised it wasn’t a viral infection it was withdrawals from the tramadol, so started taking 1 instead of 2 at a time & every 6 hours instead of 4, took a while but eventually stopped them. Speak with your doctor and ask if they can give you anything else to help

[25clai]

I got off tramadol very gradually. I did it by myself. The side effects were bad , but not as bad as being on tramadol . I only realised how depressed ,tired and foggy thinking I was when I got off the drug. No one tells you side effects when yre in a lot of pain, it’s only when you can manage a bit better you realise the long term implications.

I am also trying to get off opioid time release patches. This is taking me longer. Again the gp has not helped in this process. So far it has taken me 3 months to get to half the patch. Tramadol was quicker for me. My message is don’t try opioids as an alternative, the side effects are tricky there too.

[woodpecker94 in reply to 25clai]

Thanks for your reply. I am reducing the tramadol gradually and it is horrible, but I think it will be worth it, as the side effects of the tablets are worse. Good luck with your struggle to free yourself of the opioid patches.

[Fizzy12]

Tried Tramadol after two ops. Same result each time, totally allergic. Never again. Realise this is not your situation, but a warning to others not to persist if you get even the slightest suspicion of an allergic reaction. Wish you well, Woodpecker, these drugs are extremely powerful and withdrawal symptons horrible. Please do not do this without medical supervision.

[Tourk]

Tramadol isn't all that strong but the body does become dependant on it. As with any drug thats been used for long turm you need to reduce it slowly.

Understand the amount of pain your in, a good doctor with talk you through it and may well even offer an alternative this depends on your medical condition/past