Tramadol

[Constance13]

I have started using Tramadol instead of Cocodamol. I’ve been on it for five days but I am exhausted- very tired, dizzy. How long should I continue before things settle down?

Any comments would be appreciated.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

How much are you taking? It didn't affect me much - but as you know I wasn't taking a lot. But I've been sleeping a lot better!

drugs.com/tips/tramadol-pat...

Starting with a low dose and increasing slowly might help.

[Constance13 in reply to PMRpro]

50 mg! Never used it before and didn’t know what was troubling me the last three days.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Constance13]

And the pain?

[Constance13 in reply to PMRpro]

Better, I would say, but how long should I stick with the T before I become a complete zombie?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Constance13]

It might improve - I'd be keen to try the drops as they are easier to adjust the dose as maybe you will get enough pain relief from less.

Is it getting worse?

[Constance13 in reply to PMRpro]

Not worse, no! But it’s a long time ago that I was this tired. I have a choice I suppose - less pain or Zombie!! I’ll give it a couple more days and see if it improves.

[Constance13 in reply to PMRpro]

I was onTramadol for seven days altogether and the tiredness changed my life considerably. After 9 days I have decided to go back on it!!!I had the choice (as I mentioned before) “less pain or Zombie”) The pain got really bad, couldn’t walk, stand, even getting off the toilet became difficult (knees and ankles throbbed like mad).

Will only take them at night though - during the day I’ll take paracetemol.

Just thought I’d let you know. 🤔

[piglette]

Tramadol can also cause hallucinations, as well as dizziness and drowsiness. I find it works better than Co-codamol, but that is just me. Taking opioids regularly for any length of time is not really a good idea. What does your doctor say?

[Constance13 in reply to piglette]

I have been on opioids for 8 years or more. As I have RA, PMR, and the occasional gout attack , I certainly need them. I’ve been happy (no side effects) on Cocodamol but am having great difficulty in obtaining them!!

[Bcol in reply to Constance13]

Hi again Constance, like you I've been on Co-Codamol for donkeys years with no problem, but I think that in the same way that some people do not get on with Co-Codamol then others can't get on with Tramadol. Given the problem you seem to have, nowadays, in Germany getting the Co-Codamol I'm not sure what to suggest, possibly stick it for another few days to see if things improve and if not, back to the docs and highlight the problem and see if they can/will suggest a sensible solution.

[Temeraire]

Hello Constance. I’ve never taken Tramadol but my sister has when she broke her wrist. It made her feel very ‘spaced out’ and ‘weird’. She had to stop taking it. You can take Paracetamol and Codeine Phosphate separately (instead of together in cocodamol) I don’t know if this would be easier to get hold of but be careful of the amount of codeine. Good luck.

[Suffolklady]

They made me very tired too and dizzy I felt like a zombie and slept a lot. I took them for a week but the feeling of not being with it made me come off of them.

[HeronNS]

This is interesting:

ti.ubc.ca/2021/07/14/131-tr...

[Constance13 in reply to HeronNS]

Thanks Heron - very interesting. I’m already beginning to think Tramadol is not for me. I’m not “spaced out” as some people get (or anything else except “tiredness”) but somehow it’s not doing enough for me. Off to the doctors this week.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Constance13]

Personally I wouldn't mind a bit of the euphoria - but lack of appetite and sleeping better will do!

[Constance13 in reply to PMRpro]

Euphoria I haven’t got, but sleep I have enough of, and appetite is still missing!!! We are all so different!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Constance13]

I mean I am off food - useful to get rid of the kgs that crept on last autumn and winter! Bit of enthusiasm wouldn't come amiss either!!!!

[Constance13 in reply to PMRpro]

Well - you did want to lose weight so perhaps it’s right for you at the moment. Good luck.🍀🍀

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Constance13]

Quite

[dylanesque in reply to HeronNS]

Thank you for that link. After 5 years on co-codamol, my GP decided I should be transferred to Tramadol, end of Aug 2021. I was informed by a phone call. Bad idea - no discernible pain relief; ongoing daily fatigue, dizziness, loss of concentration, total loss of appetite, painful constipation, and an increasingly 'depressive' hopelessness.

Worst Christmas in memory - all the above 'reactions' plus antisocial dissociation, outbursts of anger, a weight loss of over two stone (I'm 5ft 8ins tall and normally weigh around 10 stone). Tramadol produced a skeletal, stooped, irritable stranger; but absolutely nothing positive mentally or physically.

With village Surgery closed throughout pandemic and only 'Emergency Calls' accepted by phone, my (by then demented) husband took up 'research' on Tramadol. Alarmed by what we read, we agreed to reduce for two weeks to one 100 mg tab night and morning (in place of the daily 400 mg initially prescribed by GP); then one 100mg tab every morning for a further week, before managing access (by phone) to a 'locum' who expressed "concern" and asked if I could come down to Surgery immediately!

We certainly 'could' .... for my first face-to-face appointment with a medic in

18 months, despite the wishes of the NHS Consultant who had carefully managed to "control" GCA, and wrote on his Report to my GP "I am releasing this patient back into your care and recommend continuation of regular monthly checks i.e. full blood picture and monitored blood pressure levels"!

Perchance to dream ... the joke in my village was: "Seen any big GP Covid funerals lately"? Answer: Not a chance ... ! Apologies for any discerned cynicism but a number of GPs in this area looked after themselves FIRST.

I thank God for the Vocation of that 'locum', who not only 'saw' me face-to face but did a full physical examination, and has since ensured that a number of X-rays and an MRI Scan, requested by a highly regarded Consultant whom, in despair, I saw privately in Jan 2021, have now been done. Not, I think, a coincidence that the lady in question is of a different generation to those now in charge of our village. I wish you only the very best of good luck, and thanks again for that 'link'

[nottowell]

I was on tramadol after breaking my wrist i felt dreadful on them couldn't wake myself up. Not for me

[S4ndy]

My one memory of trying Tramadol was that my husband used to come home and find me zonked out on the sofa or high as a kite! I couldn't tolerate that as I was working and more importantly driving at the time.

My gp tried me on Tramacet which is a lower tramadol dose with paracetamol and that simply didn't work! This was around the time that Tony Blair's government stopped Co-proxamol my painkiller of choice. In the end after trying several different codeine and other painkillers the docs realised I couldn't process Codeine. My then GP decided to continue to prescribe me Co-proxamal at her own risk as an exceptional patient. She did so right up until she retired in 2016.

My new gp also agreed to do so but by then it was increasingly hard to source the pills. Also I was on 30mg of Prednisolone by that time which mopped up a lot of my non pmr pain as well as the pmr. I found paracetamol on their own worked with the high doses of pred.

When I got down to around 10mg of Pred all my osteoarthritis pain was becoming present again.

By that time I was seeing a good Rheumatologist. I discussed my pain problem with him and he prescribed a drug called Tapentadol which is a 12 hour acting synthetic opiate. Thankfully this worked and I was able to control breakthrough pain with paracetamol. It does not cause me any side effects no euphoria or zombie days. I can still drive too.

Pain is such an individual experience and can take lots of trials with different combinations to help get it controlled. Unfortunately a lot of doctors have pressure on them to not prescribe opiates and therefore its difficult to get the right combination. I've never been to a pain clinic but have heard that some people find them useful. Would this be an option for you maybe x

[Constance13 in reply to S4ndy]

I have been to three pain clinics (over 12 years). They are hard work (at least five sessions of 3/4 of an hour each). Can’t cope with that anymore - not at my age!Thanks for your comments though. 🌞💐🍀

[S4ndy in reply to Constance13]

Yes friends of mine have said that and not found it useful at all. Another friend (30yrs old) raves about how helpful it's been. Do hope you can find something to help you. Uncontrolled pain is very hard to live with x

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to S4ndy]

Very much depends on the Pain Clinic - I found the sort we had here until Covid was terrific. One2one sessions with an anaesthetist and she used various techniques, mainly needling and manual mobilisation. It kept me going very well - and then came Covid and the rest of us can go hang ...

[Constance13 in reply to S4ndy]

That was the trouble with the pain clinics I went to. They had us in ‘groups’ - a good idea, but not as out of the twelve in a group there were 4 in their fourties’, 3 in their 30s, us “oldies” couldn’t keep up the pace.

[Betty_H]

Constance, I was on tramadol for about two years. It never helped my pain, but my depression cleared up really well. I had serotonin syndrome at least 3 times. That was awful. It seems that you either break the tramadol down into the opioid component or into the antidepressant component. I ended up with the antidepressant in my system, but no pain relief. My daughter took it after surgery, and it made her manic. (We're both bipolar.). Be careful with it, and good luck. I'm on hydrocodone now. It works much better.