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Tramadol for Fibro?

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Posted 9/6/2008 11:21 PM (GMT 0)
Can anyone tell me anything about tramadol?  I see that it is sometiimes prescribed for fibro.  Is it a controlled substance?  I have been taking Vicodin when the pain is horrible, but primary doctor does not want to keep refilling it.  Does anyone know if tramadol helps and if they think a doctor would be more inclined to prescribe it?  I need some pain relief so I can start functioning better and get back to work.  The bills are piling up!!! sad
Posted 9/7/2008 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
Hey, WB! You asked a good question and I am glad you are thinking about ultram [tramadol]. I have been on it for a few years now and for the most part have done well with it. Some say its addictive, but I have not had any problems of this kind. I have even been able to increase and decrease dosage based on my need. I have no side effects that I am aware of, it curbs the pain and sort of talks me off the ledge. I have heard some say it is not helpful for them, but the only way to know is to try. I would be surprised if a doc just BAM said no to this Rx. Give it a try- read about it, find some key things that resonate with you, and talk to your doc about what you think may be helpful to you. Good luck and stand your ground!

Peace!

Posted 9/7/2008 1:23 AM (GMT 0)

I can't add too much because I was on Tramadol(Ultram) for my arthritis before being diagnosed with FM.  I have tried to do without it and I realized it helped me.  I have quit taking it at night because of something I read here on the board, that it disturbs sleep.  And lack of good sleep is a serious problmem with me.  Another non narcotic drug that helps me is Mobic.  It is one of the few NSAIds I can take with Ulcerative Colitis.

Hope that helped a little.  When I had my one and, I hope only serious flare, nothing helped the pain until they gave me Lunesta for sleep.  Much luck.

 

Posted 9/7/2008 3:02 PM (GMT 0)

Hi WB-

Just wanted to echo Sera's comment re: tramadol. I am not painfree but it definitely takes the edge off and does not make me sleepy. My PCP was the first to prescribe it and my rheumy agreed with that decision. I was concerned about addiction but my rheumy put me at ease about that. Since I don't have a history of addiction, he said I shouldn't have to worry. All I know is that it has been a godsend and helps me through my daily activities. I have only been on it a few months so my experience with it is limited. Hope this helps... wink Cyndi

Posted 9/7/2008 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
I am currently an Tramadol (100mg 3-4 times a day) & it does take the edge off but does not take all the pain away. It is not a controlled substance & it is non-narcodic, this is why drs like to give it instead of Codine or Oxycodone. They say that you can get addicted to is, but I have also read that you can get addicted to Motrin, so I do not put much thought into that info.

The Tramadol doesn't seem to be working real good for me right now, so I am set to ask my dr for Lyrica at my next appt. I'll try that and see what happens.

Good luck with the Tramadol, I hope it works good for you :)

Posted 9/7/2008 10:07 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you everyone for the info. on Tramadol. I am armed and ready for my next doctor visit. He won't know what hit him! LOL

Hope
Posted 9/8/2008 12:05 AM (GMT 0)
Tramadol may not be considered a narcotic but it feels like one to me! I get a eurphoric "high" from it. I can understand how it could be addictive, especially if you have a personal or family history of addiction. I've also noticed that if I take it for more than a few days in a row, I need more to get the same pain relief. I get very sleepy about 4 hours after I take a 50 mg pill so if I time it right, it helps me sleep.

It takes the edge off my pain allowing me to excercise more which is helping with my pain overall. It helps a bit with the abdominal pain I get from ileitis, endometriosis and adhesions. I can bend, twist, and move at the waist with less discomfort. The "high" sometimes distracts me and I overdo it and end up in more pain the next day. My husband calls them my "happy pills" because I get very talkative and he says I look like I'm in far less pain for a while.
Posted 9/8/2008 1:24 AM (GMT 0)

The Journal of Family Practice said...
Tramadol (Ultram, generic and with acetaminophen in Ultracet) carries a risk of substance abuse, (based on case report surveillance programs). While it appears that tramadol's risk of substance abuse is low, tramadol is associated with a withdrawal syndrome usually typical of opioid withdrawal .

It's an opioid with moderate pain relief and relatively low substance abuse capability. Even so, it must be carefully monitored and the literature says it should not be taken by recovering alchololics or addicts to narcotics.

Glad it's helping someone. I'm using darvocet and it's highly addictive so I try not to take it two days in a row. We need a magic pill.
Posted 9/8/2008 3:36 PM (GMT 0)
It helps some enormously. Not me though. The one peice of advice I want to offer you is to not take it within 4 hrs of going to bed. It is known to cause insomnia. It was worse than insomnia for me. I ahd a form of sleep paralysis with it. I was kind of asleep, and kind of awake. I was asleep and could not move, without a tremendous amount of willpower, but I was fully aware of my surroundings. Very strange feeling!
Posted 9/8/2008 4:22 PM (GMT 0)

I use tramadol too, it really helps a lot!  My only problem is that I don't have enough pills to take it every time the pain gets really bad, I'll be working on that with the doctor soon.

Everyone at work calls them "happy pills" too, they say I sound like the happiest person in the world and I talk a whole ton whenever I'm on tramadol.  They don't quite understand that when I'm "in a bad mood" or "look really sad" that it either hurts to breathe from my back muscles pulling on my ribcage, or that my neck is pulling on my head so hard that I'm dizzy and nauseated.  It must look weird to have me be either "really really happy" or "really really sad" and nothing inbetween, but that's how much the tramadol helps  wink

It's kind of funny, there's a lot of meds I can't take so I always end up on tramadol or darvon for pain.  Even though darvon is an opoid and theoretically should work better, the tramadol helps 10x more with pain.  Yay!

Posted 9/8/2008 7:15 PM (GMT 0)

Good Luck with Ultram, I hope it is effective for you.

I didn't have any luck with it and I was on 200 Mgs of ER and nothing.

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