Tramadol Addiction (Page 2)
(Newest replies first)

TRAMADOL=DECEPTIVE POISON. this drug is one of the nastier little secrets of the painkiller industry. from my experience it is highly addictive with all the standard withdrawal symptoms plus severe interference with the logical thought processes, more so than other opiates. and to think that this drug is advertised as a safer alternative to other painkillers. I work with numbers as part of my job and I was unable to function once i ran out of my supply early. put myself into a long term suboxone rehab program. am almost ready to "graduate" from the program. (yipee!!!). this nightmare has cost me about $450 a month for doc visits and meds. TRAMADOL = DECEPTIVE POISON

REPLY

REPORT

Curious as to how much you were taking of Tramadol per day? I try to never abuse a medication. Back injury last March. Tramadol really was a God send. Even my Vet prescribed Tramadol for my Cairn. I take Aleve to save my RX of Tramadol unless the discomfort becomes intolerable.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

The brand name drug is ULTRAM, and it does not have a good CARDIAC profile. I believe some European countries have black boxed it.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I was asked to follow up.

I don't have much to add, I don't get to take any pain meds at all because nsaids will kill me, and the narcotic options I used to take 12 to 20 doses of every year (on average) are not available. I've never been addicted to opioids, even during times of severe injury I stop taking them when they stop working, or when my ankles start to get swollen. I get it that opioid addiction is an epidemic. But there are those of us that suffer because other people can't be trusted not to abuse their meds. All I can do is wait for the FDA or the law to provide alternatives, and just suffer pain in the mean time.

On a trip to Colorado I got to experience using cannabis for pain, and it actually worked better than I expected. It didn't stop the pain, but it made the pain bother me tons less. Not a perfect solution, but better than the alternatives. I live in Texas, the state where drugs are frowned upon for any reason, but alcohol is considered a desirable recreational "right", instead of the toxic, harmful drug that it is. So in Texas the available solutions consist of sudden lead poisoning, or manning up and grinning through the pain... ;P

Bad Back

REPLY

Was this helpful? 4

I took Tramadol for about 10 years for back pain. I have a herniated disk, and the doctors don't want to operate on me. I took an average of 1 or 2 50mg pills per month, for those days I really needed it, and it was a life saver. I would get a new RX every couple of years, and I rationed the pills for the days I really needed them. Typically I got them when I was in a lot of pain, so for the first week or two I would take a couple pills a day, till I was feeling better, then the rest of the rx would last around 3 years. I found them to be a life saver. And making 60 pills last 3 years to me is not abusive at all. But these days the doctors act like I'm a junkie if I ask for pain meds.

Two years ago I tore my labrum (hip cartilage) and I was in massive amounts of pain, and they acted like I was just a criminal trying to get a fix.

The last time my back went out (it goes out about once every 5 years) the DR told me he would give me an rx, but I had to submit a urine sample first. He billed my insurance $11,000 for that U/A, but never told me it would cost a dime. The insurance company only paid $3000, so the lab tried to come after me for the balance of the bill, but they waited until a month after I could have filed an FSA claim for it, so they were basically going to force me to pay $8000 for 15 pills!

So yeah, I sympathize with your dilemma, but because of people becoming addicted, old people with severe pain like myself are no longer allowed to get any relief at all anymore. To get any relief with NSAIDs, I must take them almost continuously, and that is really hard on the body to do that. I'm not a junkie, and I don't think it is right that I'm treated like one these days. So not I have to limit myself to one or two pills a year, and once those are gone I'm forced to poison myself taking NSAIDs continuously. Naproxen RX strength is great and all, but it is the same as taking slightly more than 2 alieve every day, all the time, that ie like taking 700 OTC alieve every year. This is supposed to be better than being able to take 15 to 20 pills a year of something that actually helps?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 5

Sorry about the problem you had from taking Tramadol.

And yes, it can be very deceptive. Since it is classified as a centrally acting analgesic, many people don't realize that it does have the potential to be habit forming/addictive.

Tramadol actually came to be, because someone thought of taking an opiate narcotic and playing around with the chemical structure to try to remove all the nasty side effects and habit forming properties, but keep the pain relieving benefits….what they actually ended up with was the opposite. It doesn't relieve pain as effectively as the opiates, but can still cause all the same issues.

You aren't the first person to complain and I am sure you will not be the last, as long as it remains on the market.

How are you feeling? Are things any better?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Hello ...I have been taking Tramadol for many years and usually take more then I'm prescribed ...when I'm out of...

1 REPLY

I have been taking Tramadol for almost 10 years in high doses 600 to 1000mg a day. I lead a productive life have a famil...

8 REPLIES

I have a rheumatoid condition and am prescribed both Oxycodone and Tramadol. I alternate between them, not wishing to be...

4 REPLIES

I have a rheumatoid condition and am prescribed both Oxycodone and Tramadol. I alternate between them, not wishing to be...

5 REPLIES

I've been taking 50 to 100 mg Tramadol per day for 3 years. The prescription is for 200 mg per day. I noticed that w...

3 REPLIES

My son has a very severe drug addiction to pain med. He has turned to one of the strongest on the street and is now usin...

12 REPLIES

Hello! I would like to start a thread to help those having difficulty finding treatment for their addiction. Buprenorphi...

6 REPLIES

I am a 42year old male my first drug was at 15 years old it was hash/ever since I was 5years old I suffered from very se...

5 REPLIES

I am somewhat upset about a phone call that was made to my home phone about a week ago by the doctor office I go to for ...

4 REPLIES

Hi, I’m Herb... My question is, why is addiction considered a disease & not a choice?! I can & have quit a...

3 REPLIES