getting tolerance to tramal

[heapsreal]

I have been using tramal for my back and im starting to get a tolerence to it. I also took a dose last night before i went to bed so i would wake up without the pain and muscle spasms, well tramal doesnt let me sleep, i just got 2hours sleep with 2 zopiclone and a phenergan which would normally put me out for a good 8 hours. My tramal dosages have slowly been climbing to control pain, im now taking 300mg slow release in the morning and it lasts 12 hours which is enough to get me through work, but it makes me sweat alot, then i dont normally take any at night, but if i have had a busy day the next day im usually quite stiff and not far off the muscle spasms or i just get the spasms. The tramal has been working for me but of late is starting to lose its effects and starting to notice side effects. Anti-inflammatories dont work very well for me and have a history of gut problems with them so only take them for 1-2 days. I am booked in for a facet joint nerve ablation but that could be a few weeks away yet, so im thinking of asking my doc for some oxycontin as its suppose to work over 12 hours, im thinking of using this alternating it with tramal so i dont get addicted to it and to reduce tolerance to both meds, maybe use oxy when on days off and tramal when at work if oxycontin makes me drowsy etc. Im also hoping abit of a break from tramal will help me lose the tolerance to it and it will start working for me again, maybe able to use a lower dose again.
Would oxycontin affect me negatively at work and driving etc.
any thoughts welcome,

cheers!!!

 

[sela]

if tramal is the same as tramadol do not take it under any circumstances . it's poison of the worst kind and addictive. much better and easier to be addicted to opiates. kinder on the body.

 

[heapsreal]

Tramal is the same as tramadol, my problem is its stopped working effectively, so now i have something else to use for awhile then i will return to tramal and hopefully it starts working again. I dont have or get withdrawals from tramal, my only main problem i have had with it is insomnia if i take it to late. Everyone reacts differently to meds but i have found this a good med for me, except of late. What sort of problems did u have with tramadol? It can interact with antidepressants as it also act on nor-adrenaline (maybe serotonin)as well as opiate receptors, i think that is why i have found it energizing which has been good for during the day. I have been using it for a few years but dont have any addiction problems with it, but i use a slow release formula that last 12 hours so its out of my system during the night, maybe this is why i havent had addiction or withdrawal problems.

cheers!!!

 

[Jenny]

if tramal is the same as tramadol do not take it under any circumstances . it's poison of the worst kind and addictive. much better and easier to be addicted to opiates. kinder on the body.

Tramadol does bind to opiate receptors, so is considered by some to be a type of opiate. It's the only painkiller that helps me. I haven't had to increase the dose since I started it 6 months ago, and on some days I don't need to take it, so I don't have any signs of being addicted. Many ME docs recommend it.

What do you mean by 'poison of the worst kind'?

 

[sela]

do some research on what happens when people get off of it. and it is dangerously "energizing", except it really isn't, it just masks your situation. and i understand that some pain needs to be treated. it apparently has some sort of anti-depressant built into it. heapsreal, try to go off of it for several days and see if you still feel okay about it. also, it does increase pain ultimately, and then you have to take more. many people had the same experience of their pain magically vanishing when they got off it.
i actually got cfs when i got off tramadol. immediately. there are many online forums about this stuff. good luck.

 

[sela]

http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/179087/Tramadol--Ultram-Recovery-Room-Part-31 scroll down to finallyfred and read from there.

 

[heapsreal]

Hi Sela,
I have been off tramal for longer periods with no problems, but i suppose it could be an individual thing. I dont use tramal for cfs/fm and found the energizing effects only in the begining. I use tramal for chronic back pain for which other meds like anti-inflammatories dont help with and i have had gut issues from them also when i have taken them long term, occassional use has been fine but not helpful for my back pain. For me tramal has kept me functional back pain wise and able to work without using stronger meds, i have had to start using stronger meds of late but hopefully not for long as i will have a procedure done soon for my back. It doesnt ulimately increase pain but i think what you mean is a tolerence develops to the med , but this occurs with most meds where u need to increase dosage to keep them working but also side effects tend to come out more on higher doses. Tolerance can be reduced my having breaks from the med or changing to a different med, when u go back to original med it should start working again, hopefully. I understand the withdrawal effect your talking of as its common with antidepressants which i have gone through before(effexor was poison for me), but for some reason i havent had any problems with tramal, i must be one of the lucky ones as i have heard of others having to taper off tramal slowly.

cheers!!!

do some research on what happens when people get off of it. and it is dangerously "energizing", except it really isn't, it just masks your situation. and i understand that some pain needs to be treated. it apparently has some sort of anti-depressant built into it. heapsreal, try to go off of it for several days and see if you still feel okay about it. also, it does increase pain ultimately, and then you have to take more. many people had the same experience of their pain magically vanishing when they got off it.
i actually got cfs when i got off tramadol. immediately. there are many online forums about this stuff. good luck.

 

[Jenny]

Yes, sela - I've seen all this info. I asked my doctor about it and he said he's had many many patients on it over the years, and none have had any problems getting off it. On the days I don't take it I don't have any problems. I suspect it could be a problem if you take a lot, just like any painkiller.

I don't think it's helpful to say that it is 'poison of the worst kind'.

Jenny

 

[heapsreal]

so arepeople in the link getting off tramadol because of side effects or because their condition improved or all of the sudden dont want to take pain meds, the last group are going to have a hard time because they are still in pain, or are there actually some people get high of this stuff because i definately dont get this, all i got was painrelief and an energy boost and a feeling of general wellbeing, which did last forever.

poison is abit harsh, for some people its been a wonder drug that has changed their lives. I have heard stories of people with bad depression and are diagnosed depression resistant to antidepressants and when treated with tramal for an unrelated complaint, there moods changed they felt better for the first time in ages and have found away out of their treatment resistant depression, so it has many great effects, maybe opiates should be looked into for treatment resistant depression. Chronic pain and depression go hand in hand sometimes, this is not saying the pain isnt real but chronic pain can be depressing, sick of feeling sick.

cheers!!!

 

[Stone]

Hi there,
I saw that you mentioned using phenergan for sleep. I don't know how often you take it, but I've heard anecdotal reports of this medication interacting in an unusual way with opiates, or in cases where tolerance and/or withdrawal is involved. My fuzzy and partial understanding is that phenergan increases tolerance to opiate pain meds and can also amplify withdrawal symptoms in people who are experiencing same and taking phenergan in an attempt to treat those symptoms.

I understand you aren't experiencing withdrawal symptoms, but I was thinking that perhaps omitting the phenergan might help with the tolerance issue. Again, this is anecdotal information, but it might be worth a shot to try omitting the phenergan if you are using it for sleep with any degree of frequency, just to see if it helps. Best of luck to you in your procedure. I hope you get great results.

Pulling for ya,
Stone

 

[heapsreal]

hi stone,
mmm interesting, i will look into that. I use phenrgan at night once or twice a week and the tramal was during the day, the tramal would be out of the system before i use the phergan but not the otherway around as i think it has a relatively long half life,so i will keep an eye on it, maybe the days i had bad muscle spasm were the night i used phenergan. Do u know much about other antihistamines?, just found an article saying phenergan will burn off a oxycodone/hydrocodone faster while increasing sedation, where Diphenhydramine increases the effects of opiates as well as Doxylamine Succinate, this article seems to be from a bunch of drug abusers but its first hand experience i guess. There seems to be alot of conflicting info out there some saying phenergan potentiates opiates and some saying the opp;osite. Maybe its just different in different people, i will keep searching that one.

thanks stone,

cheers!!!

 

[heapsreal]

I have had a 5 day break from tramal and was using a stronger pain killer. Today i took tramal 200mg sr to see if it would work again and that my tolerence to tramal has decreased and it is working well today, but will keep taking the stronger stuff for abit longer (another 10 days) and then go back to tramal and change if tolerence develops again.

cheers!!!

 

[SaraM]

I tried 50 mg of tramadol last night and was totally pain free. The only problem was that it disturbed my sleep a little bit.My experience with Cymbalta, Neuronitin,and Flexiril was terrible, and Vicodin helped to some extent, but not much.

 

[heapsreal]

I tried 50 mg of tramadol last night and was totally pain free. The only problem was that it disturbed my sleep a little bit.My experience with Cymbalta, Neuronitin,and Flexiril was terrible, and Vicodin helped to some extent, but not much.

Hi Sara, many people find tramadol effective but it is energizing for many of us. I avoid it at night.

cheers!!!

 

[SaraM]

Hi Heapsreal, Thanks for the tip. I will try the next dose during the day . I also experienced some unpleasant itching which is a common side effect.

cheers!

 

[Googsta]

Hi, interesting topic.
My husband has spina bifida & has had three major spinal surgeries since age 15, he is 33. He is currently on Tramadol 200mg SR twice daily & also takes Brufen & Diazepam when he is experiencing his worst pain. His only other option is Morphine as surgery is now too risky.
He has been on many pain meds including painedeine forte, endone, oxycontin but only Tramadol SR provides him enough releif. After his last surgery he went cold turkey & he suffered horrific withdrawals for two weeks. His doctor was upset that he didn't seek his help as he should have weaned slowly off the drug over a period of time. He wasn't taking any other meds at the time.
Unfortunately his conditioned worsened & they were unable to operate again so he is back on the same dose. If he ever stops taking it again he will definately wean off it with the doctors help. He experiences no other side effects whilst taking the drug.
I myself was on the slow release for a few months many years ago. It caused excess sweating & I went through withdrawals for about two weeks also.
Like all strong pain killers it has it's side effects but it helps my husband function as normally as possible, which includes caring for me. Some people will have adverse reactions to it, just as some peole will have adverse reactions to relatively harmless drugs. Be informed & discuss your medicines with your doctor as he/she is best qualified to advise you on your particular condition(s).
I sincerely hope you find a measure of releif, there is nothing worse than constant, uncontrolled pain.