I suspect that long term use of Tramadol is causing my wife to be very confused and angry. Has anyone else had experience with these behaviors from years of Tramadol use?
I am very concerned and also must deal daily with her demeanor.
Thanks in advance.
Worried husband.
Hi! That’s a long time to be on Tramadol. I had been on it for a brief period of time & never experienced the problems your wife has not have heard of anyone else having it. I would suggest, however, that she consults the prescribing doctor & tell him about her change of mood. Obviously,you,,too, would have to go with her to further her “demeanor”.
Her doctor will determine if her demeanor is due to Tramadol or another underlying cause. (If your wife won’t call her doctor I see no reason that you can’t.)
Thank-you
I am in contact (secretly) with her doctor. She is trying to help but unsuccessfully so far. My wife is adamant her memory is fine which makes it extremely difficult to broach the subject.
The doctor will hopefully set up a psychological assessment at her next visit which is next week.
Fingers crossed.
I am relieved that you are being proactive & doing everything you can. Keep us posted on her condition and I wish you well.
Thanks again.
The reason she is a long time user is that she suffers from chronic spinal pain and must have ongoing pain relief.
The doctor cannot succeed in getting her to try an alternative pain killer such as morphine or Dilaudid.
I will let you know how it goes with her doctor's visit.
I am very apprehensive.
She refuses to try other pain medications? I have chronic back pain (Also had surgery years ago - will never do THAT again!) & go to a pain management physician. She has prescribed 2 pain meds that work wonders for me. One ai take 3x’s a day & the other I take only when necessary . Yes, keep us informed,
Please if you are willing, tell me what you take.
I can let her doctor know.
Check out PEA which Bolt posts about. I’m ordering for my HWP and try it before I order the gummies I told you about before. I think the PEA is a better option. No side effects!!
How much Tramadol does she take per day and how frequent are her doses. I’ve been on 300 mgs/day for over 5 years and have not experienced mood shifts, memory issues or any other cognitive problems. What other medications or supplements does she take?
150 mg on average a dayShe also regularly uses Relpax which is for migraine headaches.
Thanks for your reply.
Do you get constipation with Tramadol
Yes sadly this is one of the problems with any opiate use. It changes the personality. Sad and frustrating. Check out some research on pubmed. Opiates are not meant to be long term for anyone, even for restless legs.
Thank-you.I have secretly informed her doctor of these serious mood and memory issues and she will try to help.
I am getting desperate.
Is Relpax similar to Topamax? Just asking because I took Topamax which is also a migraine medication for a few months. Once I got up to a higher dosage the emotional issues I had from it were unbearable. My entire personality changed, I cried constantly and was upset and irritated all the time. It took about two weeks to get back to normal once I stopped taking it. I also took 400mg per day of Tramadol for RLS for 12 years and never had that issue. I did get augmentation from it though. I’m currently taking methadone for well over a year now with no issues.
Also how old is your wife? I do know that Tramadol metabolizes differently in older people. When my father was in a nursing home I suggested Tramadol to his dr as he was very sensitive to stronger pain meds and she said because of his age he couldn’t take it.
She is 74A long time user of Relpax as well.
It may well be the combination of Tramadol and relpax that is causing the issues.
Her doctor is trying to change her meds but my wife is so angry all the time she refuses to try anything else.
I am so frustrated as is the doc who will try getting her a psychological assessment when she sees her this month.
Maybe the psychologist can find a way to make her realize the drugs are playing with her mind.
Thanks for your input.
Hiya could I pick up n your comment about Tramadol 400 mg a day as I take the same for 12 years. Did you transition onto methadone easily or did you need to slowly taper the Tramadol . If I forget to take a dose or find my self with out it the withdrawal is horrendous.
She does not take methadone.
I replied a huge paragraph to you. Can you see it? I can’t see it. If not let me know and I’ll retype it out again.
No I don't see it
Have you considered TCH gummies? A friend has horrible migraines and these apparently work wonders. She cuts them into 12 pieces because they work too well!I’m getting them for my HWP who also takes tramadol for back pain which comes and goes with his PD on a daily basis. I really don’t want him to take tramadol. And lately it hasn’t been working that well anyway. Maybe because he doesn’t take it on a regular basis. Here’s a link to what my friend takes.
I’m so sorry you’re both going through this. Just wanted to commend you as a husband and partner for trying to help her, and for your patience.
I am so sorry to hear about the problems you are having. I have been on Tramadol 400mg a day for 12 years and. Don’t have symptoms like your wife has . I doubt it’s the Tramadol. The only time I would get moody is if I forgot to take it but would soon be ok once it was back in my system. There are severe withdrawals from Tramadol . Your wife maybe afraid of the withdrawal and hence reacts negatively about any change in meds. If anything I would be more suspicious about the migraine medication . Or the interaction of the 2. I hope you find a resolution soon .
Thanks
It may very well be the migraine medication.
I will run that by her doctor and our pharmacist.
I used to take Sumatriptan for migraine as soon as I felt one coming on . I don’t have migraine anymore , maybe using sumatriptan as and when may help her if it is he current meds that are causing the problem and she needs to change the migraine ones . I hope you get there, be patient and look after yourself too .
You could try to get your wife to transition from her migraine medication. Maybe that will frighten her less. I can understand being terrified or withdrawal. If you suggested I come off my Fentanyl patches I would fight, as they help with my pain so much. I take Pitzotifen 1.5mg x 3 a day for migraines. And my migraines are completely under control. Couldn’t tell you if there are any side effects from Pitzotifen, as I’m on so many different medications, for multiple conditions. Anyway just a thought. I commend you to for upholding your wedding vows, in sickness and health, for better or for worse. Speaks volumes about the man that you are. And I do hope that your GP is able to help your wife and you soon. 🙂
Thank-you
I was wondering about Fentanyl patches as a replacement for Tramadol. One of our daughters had suggested that.
Will ask the doctor about Pitzotifen as well to replace the Relpax.
Fentanyl is a big step-up from Tramadol. Fentanyl is far stronger. According to this table pain.ucsf.edu/opioid-analge... it is 3000 times stronger! There are weaker opioids and also ones that are mire commonly used for RLS that you should try first. Oxycontin is a common one, but with increasing experiences it is now less preferred. Currently, RLS expert doctors prescribe methadone or buprenorphine, both very low dose compared to doses used to treat pain. See also the results of the opioid registry massgeneral.org/rls-registry
I’ve found Fentanyl Patches life changing in handling my severe chronic pain. The patches mean I get 24 hours of a very strong pain killer, delivered continuously for 3 days per patch. So you don’t have to be dependent on waiting for your next dose, as you do with tablet or liquid based medications.
I’m on Fentanyl Patches for Fibromyalgia where my body unbearably aches & feels bruised all over. Also for pain from Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome, Hyper-mobility Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & post surgical bowel complications and chronic ovarian pain.
I also have a bowel/gastro disorder which means that ordinary tablet pain killers, can go straight through me undigested. I’m on Fentanyl Patches that deliver 75mcg an hour 24 hours a day absorbed through my skin. It’s the best pain killer I have had. I find it even better than liquid Oramorph (Morphine) Or Oxycodone.
It might be more attractive to your wife, in that the Fentanyl patches do offer that continuous delivery of a very strong controlled medication.
Hoping that information may help. I’m rooting for you and your wife.
I would stick with the relpax as it is safe for RLS whereas Pitzotifen may not be.
I agree. I take 150 mg Tramadol daily. Keep in mind it can mimic some of the effects of Wellbutrin or Effexor, to boost serotonin. Maybe it does affect memory in us older folks. I seem to have very slight cognitive issues, but it might be normal aging.
I’ve been on 150mg of Tramadol for 5y and have not experienced any mood shifts. However, I’ve had incidents where my temper was short. I’ve also been told by my doctor in the past that opioids including Tramadol can cause reactions such as mood swings including anger.
I have back issues too and I effectively deal with the pain with a combination of physical therapy, acetaminophen and celecoxib which is an NSAID. Of course everyone is different and this may not be appropriate for your wife but she should ask her doctor.
In general my experience with long term use of Tramadol is negative and I would try to avoid it or take the smallest dose possible. Getting off of it/tapering is hell and for me took a couple of months to go from 150 to 50 in the presence of back pain from a herniated disc.
You’re doing the right thing being proactive about your wife’s health. Just be patient and understanding of the difficulty of tapering especially if she has back pain.
I would also recommend a consult with a physiatrist / physical medicine MD specialist for the back pain.
Good luck !
Perhaps your wife is just now expressing stored up anger for her life time. Do not forget about this aspect.
Yes that is definitely something I take into consideration as she did have trauma in her younger years.
Her change in behavior has occurred since the onset of chronic pain in her spine. I know this can add to crankinsss. I am most concerned by the memory issues and repetitive story telling of her past experiences.
Thank- you
I hate to suggest this but - Alzheimer’s.
Sadly it may be a possibility. Anger is a common symptom as the person gets extremely frustrated with the inability to recall memories correctly, or at all. Fingers crossed it's a simple fix.
What is known about Lorazepam long term use, does it only help with insomnia for a few weeks? 
Augmentation long term
Warning about long term Buprenorphine.
TRAMADOL
Information on long term effects of Methadone.
