Hi,
My NHS GP has prescribed me Tramadol for a couple of months after I presented to the surgery with depression and ongoing pain management issues. We discussed the available options and the GP prescribed Tramadol as a combined medication to deal with both issues as I had previously been on SSRI & SNRI meds with no success and the cocodamol was not cutting it on the pain front. I must say, it has been a wonder drug for me, improving both pain and mood but as there is a lot of controversy around opioids at the moment, the practice as a whole has formulated a policy which does not allow prescription of such meds beyond a short period. I am now left high and dry during lockdown with no effective remedy, at least not in the short term. I have no desire to start trawling the internet for dodgy imports or fake meds but people on this site have in the past been prescribed Tramadol on a private prescription. Where can this option be sought or pursued? As it is a controlled substance, it's my understanding that many GPs in private practice locally are not prescribing such types of meds. What are my options here?
My understanding of the opiate prescription situation was that the Dr emails it to the pharmacy and you arrange collection.
There are issues around posting opiates, so you might have to collect it in person.
If your GP has already prescribed it, there shouldn't be a problem continuing with that.
All doctors in my surgery will not prescribe it beyond a couple of months. They have a big problem with addicts locally at that surgery and they've just made it a policy. There is no way they are willing to represcribe until they have consulted a pain management clinic and sought advice, which will probably take weeks under current circumstances. The dispensing of the prescription is not the issue, it's obtaining one in the first place. As my surgery won't do it, i'm trying to obtain a private prescription but don't know where to start. The big private GP surgery in my town do not prescribe controlled medications.
Sorry-- understand now.
Yes-- I had to go private route to get ongoing prescription.
Sorry for your trouble.
Good luck.
Why is that, I've been taking tramadol on repeat prescription for 5 years without going private
It depends on which country you are in.
In Ireland and I suspect UK, it requires a consultant to initially prescribe opiates. After that the GP or PCP can continue.
I was on a waiting list for the pain clinic which was going to be over 14 months, so I had to go to the same consultant privately, just to get the opiate prescribed.
Since then, my GP has written the prescription for the last 3 years.
Hope that clarifies matters.
🤕
Hi, sorry if I'm disturbing you, sorry again, I jumped to conclusions. thinking you may have been another one where doctors are playing lucky dip with your medication so again I apologise 😁
Absolutely no problem. It's always good to check facts and make queries. It's the only way to get information.
Mind yourself!😎
Thank you, have a good weekend
🤣🤣
No, my GP has prescribed both of my opiates (Tramadol and then Oxycodone) whomever told you that you needed to pay to see the consultant and then get it prescribed was wrong.
Not in Ireland.
You did say "and I suspect the UK" 😊
Ah I get it now! I had to go through a whole "There are addictive traits to this drug" thing before I was able to go to Oxycodone. But... I have never reacted to any drug in that it has given me the high, they knew I wasn't a candidate for addiction; so maybe if you explain in full how much it helps with pain and play on your mental health? They can't leave you in pain!
I took 400 mg Tramadol for two weeks for shingles pain and two months later I’m still trying to get off it. It’s nothing whatever to do with experiencing a ‘high’ that you don’t want to let go of or of having ‘addictive traits’, it’s a matter of awful physical withdrawal symptoms when you start to reduce it.
I didn’t like any of the feelings I had whilst I was taking it.
I took the advice online of 10percent a week reduction but got so ill I had to put it back up. Now I’m on a regime of one week alternating old and new dose daily and one week all new dose; I’ve managed to get down to 100 mg a day but today starting feeling the withdrawal symptoms again.
So I’m sorry to sound negative but my advice would be, by all means take it if it’s the only thing that will sort out your pain, but do take all the warnings seriously as this can be a very difficult drug to get off - and when you’ve had enough, come off it very, very, very slowly.
Two weeks? Wow! That is nothing, I'm sorry, but it is. 20 years of it and I came off it with no problems whatsoever, as has my daughter. It's all in the mind.
It most certainly is not all in the mind , I am so glad for you & your daughter that you had no problem coming off it , but you may just have been lucky . I have chronic arthritis from head to toe , have two new knees , get injections in spine & shoulders every three months I am in Trramasol 200 mg morning & night along with anti inflammatory, allapuranoll for gout & if I'm late at taking my meds in the morning I literally , physically can't get out of bed in the morning .
I am prescribed opiates and have been having patches for 10 years! I think they are a great alternative to taking pills! Just had a full blood test and all is well, apart from the pain! It is good used correctly!
I’ve been on Transtec patches for about 10 years, just had de-nervation which took the pain away in 4 minutes!!! So I then get pain at top of spine and told it's PMR, then 2 months later told it's not PMR and I have to come of of the tablets! Waiting for blood tests results, keep everything crossed! The patches were a life saver, de-nervation great, Ryzotomy I think it is called, just hope the nerves do not grow back too quickly.