Coming off tramadol
Discussion
Anybody ever had to do it?
I've been on 4 a day for the last 3-4 months due to sciatica
Went to an osteopath on Wednesday for the first time and he appears to have worked a miracle. Not felt the need for pain relief since I went so just stopped taking them (not had any for 48 hours)
Spent most of last night on the sofa as couldn't sleep, felt nauseous and had the sweats
Could it be down to these little b
ds? Did I do something wrong? 
I've been on 4 a day for the last 3-4 months due to sciatica
Went to an osteopath on Wednesday for the first time and he appears to have worked a miracle. Not felt the need for pain relief since I went so just stopped taking them (not had any for 48 hours)
Spent most of last night on the sofa as couldn't sleep, felt nauseous and had the sweats
Could it be down to these little b
ds? Did I do something wrong? Pieman68 said:
Anybody ever had to do it?
I've been on 4 a day for the last 3-4 months due to sciatica
Went to an osteopath on Wednesday for the first time and he appears to have worked a miracle. Not felt the need for pain relief since I went so just stopped taking them (not had any for 48 hours)
Spent most of last night on the sofa as couldn't sleep, felt nauseous and had the sweats
Could it be down to these little bds? Did I do something wrong?
It's an opioid, don't go cold turkey. I've been on 4 a day for the last 3-4 months due to sciatica
Went to an osteopath on Wednesday for the first time and he appears to have worked a miracle. Not felt the need for pain relief since I went so just stopped taking them (not had any for 48 hours)
Spent most of last night on the sofa as couldn't sleep, felt nauseous and had the sweats
Could it be down to these little b
ds? Did I do something wrong? Definitely.
I was taking a similar volumes of tramadol to you for several months. I found as I lowered the amount I was taking everything around me because BRIGHTER, LOUDER, SHINIER... it meant I couldn't sleep, I couldn't focus, I was twitchy - it was awful. Don't try and cut them out in one go, lower your dosage gradually. Good luck
I was taking a similar volumes of tramadol to you for several months. I found as I lowered the amount I was taking everything around me because BRIGHTER, LOUDER, SHINIER... it meant I couldn't sleep, I couldn't focus, I was twitchy - it was awful. Don't try and cut them out in one go, lower your dosage gradually. Good luck
AlfaPapa said:
Definitely.
I was taking a similar volumes of tramadol to you for several months. I found as I lowered the amount I was taking everything around me because BRIGHTER, LOUDER, SHINIER... it meant I couldn't sleep, I couldn't focus, I was twitchy - it was awful. Don't try and cut them out in one go, lower your dosage gradually. Good luck
So rather than 2 in the morning and 2 at night go 1 of each for a few days? Then down to 1 a day for a few days and then none at allI was taking a similar volumes of tramadol to you for several months. I found as I lowered the amount I was taking everything around me because BRIGHTER, LOUDER, SHINIER... it meant I couldn't sleep, I couldn't focus, I was twitchy - it was awful. Don't try and cut them out in one go, lower your dosage gradually. Good luck
Sounds like a plan
If you talk to the pharmacist and/or GP, you might be able to get water soluble tramadol instead of the tablets / capsules - much easier to cut down on. I had to do the same after back surgery a few years ago, and the pharmacist suggested them. GP had never heard of them but was happy to change the prescription to them. Don't cut too fast, or in too big steps, based on my experience!
Yeah I was on them for 6 weeks afetr a back op. Came off them cold turkey and was not pleasant.
Felt so low, didnt want to do much at all. Took me a few days to realise how lacking "life" I was.
Passed after a week though but was an eye opener as to how easy it would have been to just take them again as I had loads still in packets.
Felt so low, didnt want to do much at all. Took me a few days to realise how lacking "life" I was.
Passed after a week though but was an eye opener as to how easy it would have been to just take them again as I had loads still in packets.
PaulJC84 said:
was an eye opener as to how easy it would have been to just take them again as I had loads still in packets.
Definitely this - get rid of them if you can, or put them somewhere you can't reach (I couldn't reach top cupboards with a non-bending, non weight-bearing knee so they got stuffed up high). Tramadol has SSRI effects too, so you'll be feeling emotionally dreadful as well as the usual horrors of opoid withdrawal.
Taper it down - potentially replace with codeine in order to come down in small steps.
I'm on codeine / tramadol since mid 2000-s due to nerve damage following an operation. I decided to stop in May and it was utterly horrific. Didn't sleep for 5 whole days. When you're not sleeping, watching the hours go round takes a long-ass time.
Eventually started to feel better but my knee was hurting so much by then I started again with the codeine. I've accepted that it's a long term thing.
If you're struggling talk to your GP.
Taper it down - potentially replace with codeine in order to come down in small steps.
I'm on codeine / tramadol since mid 2000-s due to nerve damage following an operation. I decided to stop in May and it was utterly horrific. Didn't sleep for 5 whole days. When you're not sleeping, watching the hours go round takes a long-ass time.
Eventually started to feel better but my knee was hurting so much by then I started again with the codeine. I've accepted that it's a long term thing.
If you're struggling talk to your GP.
8Ace said:
Tramadol has SSRI effects too, so you'll be feeling emotionally dreadful as well as the usual horrors of opoid withdrawal.
Taper it down - potentially replace with codeine in order to come down in small steps.
I'm on codeine / tramadol since mid 2000-s due to nerve damage following an operation. I decided to stop in May and it was utterly horrific. Didn't sleep for 5 whole days. When you're not sleeping, watching the hours go round takes a long-ass time.
Eventually started to feel better but my knee was hurting so much by then I started again with the codeine. I've accepted that it's a long term thing.
If you're struggling talk to your GP.
Do you get your prescriptions cheap? £1.49 for example Taper it down - potentially replace with codeine in order to come down in small steps.
I'm on codeine / tramadol since mid 2000-s due to nerve damage following an operation. I decided to stop in May and it was utterly horrific. Didn't sleep for 5 whole days. When you're not sleeping, watching the hours go round takes a long-ass time.
Eventually started to feel better but my knee was hurting so much by then I started again with the codeine. I've accepted that it's a long term thing.
If you're struggling talk to your GP.
Pieman68 said:
8Ace said:
Tramadol has SSRI effects too, so you'll be feeling emotionally dreadful as well as the usual horrors of opoid withdrawal.
Taper it down - potentially replace with codeine in order to come down in small steps.
I'm on codeine / tramadol since mid 2000-s due to nerve damage following an operation. I decided to stop in May and it was utterly horrific. Didn't sleep for 5 whole days. When you're not sleeping, watching the hours go round takes a long-ass time.
Eventually started to feel better but my knee was hurting so much by then I started again with the codeine. I've accepted that it's a long term thing.
If you're struggling talk to your GP.
Do you get your prescriptions cheap? £1.49 for example Taper it down - potentially replace with codeine in order to come down in small steps.
I'm on codeine / tramadol since mid 2000-s due to nerve damage following an operation. I decided to stop in May and it was utterly horrific. Didn't sleep for 5 whole days. When you're not sleeping, watching the hours go round takes a long-ass time.
Eventually started to feel better but my knee was hurting so much by then I started again with the codeine. I've accepted that it's a long term thing.
If you're struggling talk to your GP.
h wont lerrus int' fkin' house. Good luck
Yes, done it several times.
Gradual decrease is strongly advised unless you’re going on to something else.
I came completely off it in 2006, from 400mg a day.
In January 20 I went from 150 mg on to Morphine MST. One for one swap.
I’m under the care of chronic pain service. MST has been a revelation, despite my concerns about it. Great for pain but without the brain fog of tramadol.
Gradual decrease is strongly advised unless you’re going on to something else.
I came completely off it in 2006, from 400mg a day.
In January 20 I went from 150 mg on to Morphine MST. One for one swap.
I’m under the care of chronic pain service. MST has been a revelation, despite my concerns about it. Great for pain but without the brain fog of tramadol.
Sid's Dad said:
Tramadol is a really powerful opiate. It is also one of the key players in the appalling opiate crisis in the USA. Do not ever - ever - take it unless you cannot bear life without it. And do not - ever - try and come off it without support and guidance from your GP.
After 2.5 years of pain and having been through co-codamol, codeine, naproxen, pregabalone, meloxicam, gabapentin, amitriptyline and possibly a couple of others I can't recall it was very much a drug of last resort as life was difficult without any pain reliefI've stepped down from 200mg to 150mg for the last week since my original post. Going down to 100mg at the weekend for another week and then stepping down to 50mg in another week before coming off them completely. Another session with the osteo yesterday and things feel pretty good at the minute
Tramadol! 
The thing to remember apart from it being an opioid, is we are all different - drugs and effect, eh?
I'm a 60s teen and the only time I've been away with the fairies is on tram. Thank f god for my wife who realised something was not quite right with me (I'd only got through a tenth of a 60 packet supply). She said on the day in question I really had lost it, I had no f idea what I was doing nor where I was. Thank god I couldn't drive at the time. So worried, she rang the GPs who immediately told her that I was to stop taking any more. I did. Was I grateful.
I look back and think my back pain (which was really bad, lower disc ruptured) was almost preferable to that of being off this planet!
I had simply asked GP for a much stronger painkiller and he had replied 'these will stop the pain' - no f kidding!
Naughty, but the rest of my supply went to my bro in law who had just had a hip replacement. He took Tram and had vitually no side effects that were bad, in fact he slept more in a day than I did in three.
Drugs and different effects, eh?
The thing to remember apart from it being an opioid, is we are all different - drugs and effect, eh?
I'm a 60s teen and the only time I've been away with the fairies is on tram. Thank f god for my wife who realised something was not quite right with me (I'd only got through a tenth of a 60 packet supply). She said on the day in question I really had lost it, I had no f idea what I was doing nor where I was. Thank god I couldn't drive at the time. So worried, she rang the GPs who immediately told her that I was to stop taking any more. I did. Was I grateful.
I look back and think my back pain (which was really bad, lower disc ruptured) was almost preferable to that of being off this planet!
I had simply asked GP for a much stronger painkiller and he had replied 'these will stop the pain' - no f kidding!
Naughty, but the rest of my supply went to my bro in law who had just had a hip replacement. He took Tram and had vitually no side effects that were bad, in fact he slept more in a day than I did in three.
Drugs and different effects, eh?
I went to A+E with severe pain in the side of my face caused by shingles, I was sent home with a pack of Tramadol.
Took one and went to bed, shortly after I started feeling nauseous and headed for the bathroom, woke up on the floor next day wondering where I was, powerful stuff!
Never been tempted to use it again and gave the rest to a friend who was hooked on them after surgery.
Took one and went to bed, shortly after I started feeling nauseous and headed for the bathroom, woke up on the floor next day wondering where I was, powerful stuff!
Never been tempted to use it again and gave the rest to a friend who was hooked on them after surgery.
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