Cutting Tramadol Pills in Half

I used to cut the tramadol all the time. Your pharmacist is probably telling you not to cut them because if they aren't scored, there is no guarantee that you are getting exactly half of the medicine in each section. For something like tramadol, it won't matter that much anyway. I never noticed a difference.

You probably won't need to take it six times a day. I suggest you try taking 1/2 pill every 5 hours or so, going a bit closer together if you need to. I liked it because it lasts a lot longer than other pain meds I've tried. Watch out when you take it at the end of the day. Some people have trouble sleeping when they take it. I found it worked best for me if I took it about 3 hours before bed.

Sherrine,

Before this current disc problem, Tramadol was my everyday pain relief. I cut 50 mg pills in half with my pill cutter and usually only took a half. No problems at all.

Now I have to take 2 whole ones at a time, if I'm not feeling too much pain. If I am, it's Norco time.

I hope you can tolerate it and that it really helps.

Debbie

This is really good news!  I'll be starting it today.  I didn't want any Vicodin in my system before I tried this.  I stopped the Vicodin yesterday afternoon and you know, I really didn't hear the train that ran over me last night!     I have a few errands to run this morning and then I'll try this.

 

These can't be time-release because I'm supposed to take three a day.  But, by cutting them in half, perhaps I'll be able to stay awake.  I sure hope so. 

 

I really appreciate everyone's help!

 

Sherrine

I cut pills in half all the time, scored of not, as long as they're not time-release or enteric coated (supposed to dissolve in intestine). I use a good pill cutter, get a new one when the blade gets dull and starts cutting funny.

I wouldn't take 6 a day starting out! Try 1/2 first and see what happens. Tramadol is noted for raising serotonin and can cause serotonin syndrome all by itself. If you start getting twitches, muscle pains, fever or turn beet red and sweating, stop taking it. If it's really bad, diazepam will reverse it - of course you're supposed to ask the doc first.

For me, tramadol works for about 4 hours. If I have worse pain than usual I try only taking 1, but when it's had an hour to start working, usually enough, I occasionally take a second - with my pain doc's blessing, of course.

I didn't get any special benefit from time-release and no serotonin happiness at all, but maybe the dose wasn't high enough and not enough was released starting right away. I note that people on time release seem to be taking the 300mg ones, and I was only taking the 100s.

Thanks, everyone!  My Tramadol is only 50 mg and I cut them in half.  They only help with this pain a little!  I'm taking 1/2 tablet every four hours around the clock and still can barely walk.  They don't keep me awake either.  I will have periods in the day where I can waddle without a cane but still quite uncomfortable.  My doctor also prescribed Robaxin, a muscle relaxor, so I'm going to try that this evening, along with Tramadol and Tylenol.  I'm hoping this helps because the pain is pretty bad most of the time and I find I'm tensing up even when sitting.  So maybe this will relax the muscles some. 

 

I keep hoping things will settle down as I continue to take the Tramadol but something tells me I need a different pain medication.  I took Tramadol once before...and only one whole pill...and it knocked me right to sleep and when I awoke I was in just as much pain.  So I don't think these work for me.  I'll be seeing the doctor in a couple of weeks and I definitely will be talking to him.  It's truly a quality of life issue for me.  It takes so long to do everything because the pain has me moving in slow motion.  But, I WILL find what will work for me. 

 

Thank you for all your help!

 

Sherrine

I also take Tramadol and have cut them in half but Vicodin works much better for my pain management.

What type of muscle relaxer do most of you take? I have a terrible time sleeping so maybe one would help me.

My Internist prescribed the Vicodin but when I saw the rheumy last week, he put me on Tramadol and said not to take the Vicodin with Tramadol.  I have no idea why he changed me.  I'd like to switch back because right now I'm not sure which works best for me.  That's what I thought I'd talk to him about in a couple of weeks.  Maybe I will call them this week and ask if I can stop the Tramadol and try the Vicodin again.  

 

Miriam, I'm taking Tylenol, too.  That's the only good thing about taking Tramadol.  It doesn't have Tylenol in it so I can take an extra dose.  Tylenol, believe it or not, helps me more than the Tramadol!

 

Ibuprofen has helped me so much with pain all of these years and it never made sense to me.  The rheumy thinks I have something else besides fibro that is doing this because ibuprofen should not help me like it has.  I do have fibro because I have the tender points and I do have some arthritis in my lower spine and inner joints but I still don't know what the lab work says.  I think I'm a mess!    

 

Sherrine 

Sherrine, how's it going with the tramadol? Have you tried a full dose just to see what happens? And how much tylenol are you taking with it? My wife, my mom and I all find that taking a full dose of tylenol (2000 mg) with any size dose of tramadol means the difference between it working and not.