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Tramadol: Am I approaching stopping it right?

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Posted 11/20/2014 4:36 AM (GMT 0)
I'm on Tramadol for pains that I believe are from Remicade. I am one month past due for an infusion, still holding okay UC-wise, and am waiting to not hurt so much. So far I am able to span further between doses than I was able to while on Remi, but I cannot go without it yet.

I'm assuming that once I do not have the pains, stopping the drug should be fairly easy. My doctor's office says that there is no taper recommendation for the drug. I expect sluggishness, dullness of my mind... but I don't expect pain as a withdrawal effect. Do you think I'm right in this assumption?

I'm just curious, because I want to stop the Tramadol as soon as I'm able to... but as of yet it seems like I still hurt if I go too long without it. If there were some pain effect as part of the withdrawal then I'd be forced to work through that pain in order to be clean of it.

Any experience or thoughts?
Posted 11/20/2014 4:55 AM (GMT 0)
plenty of experience with pain, but I don't think to the continued level that you've been experiencing -

none with tramador -

so as usual, all you git are my thoughts ;-)

quit assuming
quit thinking about it so much
quit expecting

if the pains continue as you say, that is, diminishing, and if you can continue to go longer between doses of tramador as you say, then ............KEEP DOING WHAT YOU"RE DOING and the rest with take care of itself -

now go love on your wife and start planning your next project !
Posted 11/20/2014 5:09 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Soy, lol. I just wanted an opinion on if the drug itself would give me pains in the withdrawal portion of things.

The GI doctor says the pains can't be from Remi if I still have them. Made another post about that!
Posted 11/20/2014 5:17 AM (GMT 0)
simple answer to that there question (that was in the form of a question, wasn't it alex ?)

your idiot doc don't know sh!t !
Posted 11/20/2014 5:59 AM (GMT 0)
it seems like things are going in a good direction - not to say they won't make a 180 and kick you in the balls, but I think that is unlikely -

I'm sure you're gonna continue to have challenges ahead, but you're in a much better place today to deal with them -
Posted 11/20/2014 6:04 AM (GMT 0)
Have you read the literature about Tramadol? Go to the ole trusty Mayo website. It will tell you that continuous use of Tramadol can be addictive. As with any med that can be addictive, withdrawal symptoms is usually common when stopping the med including muscle or joint pain.
Posted 11/20/2014 1:18 PM (GMT 0)
hmmmm, that's interesting info Sherry -

not catching many breaks, eh t-man shakehead
Posted 11/20/2014 1:59 PM (GMT 0)
Do you think it would maybe help to use some Tylenol to help space out the Tramadol even more? I don't know if it would touch your pain at all, but maybe it would work. I think it's good you're getting off of it, though.
Posted 11/20/2014 4:44 PM (GMT 0)
Tramadol might lead to dependence instead of addiction as it is not an opiate. I think you can space it out more and more and see what happens. Fruitgirl's suggestion to combine with tylenol is good. I have heard, from a hospital RN, that the two work together, the result is better than each alone.

For my own experience I can't take more than 2 a day. The light sense of wooziness is not fun and lasts many hours. At the same time I can't sleep on that stuff and never take it at night. That's just me, not common.

It was prescribed to me for joint pain, pre and post surgery. Another RN comment is that Tramadol can slow down the gut like some other pain killers, like oxycodone, vicodin.

Bottom line: Can't hurt to gradually wean, even if your doctor says it's not necessary. And, no, I don't believe that weaning/stopping will cause pain that's not already there.
Posted 11/21/2014 2:08 AM (GMT 0)
I am just amazed that Tramadol does anything for you.

Personally I have taken Vicodin, Oxycodone, and similar drugs. For me and my wife they are worth about as much as aspirin or Tylenol. Just to level set i have tossed these drugs as they just are not even worth taking for me.
Posted 11/21/2014 2:26 AM (GMT 0)
Hey everyone, thanks for the input.

I do take Tylenol with the Tramadol. I also take Lomotil with them. Tramadol alone does pretty good, the Tylenol smooths the pains over, and the Lomotil adds about 25% to the pain tolerance plus slows my gut (it's primary purpose).

I mostly wanted to ask here if you guys think I'd hurt in a withdrawal type situation. I cannot seem to stop taking the medicine yet, as these pains are still present. I will delay a dose, but about 3-4 hours past when it was due I really start to hurt bad. There is occasionally an exception to that rule, but not usually the case.

I do not take it after about 6 pm though, as it keeps me awake like naturalcurl mentioned. Mornings are my worst for pain.

I'll check out the Mayo website, and maybe what I'll do is every week take a day or two and see if I can go with less medicine; sort of testing if the pains are gone.
Posted 11/21/2014 3:50 PM (GMT 0)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a695011.html said...
Do not stop taking tramadol without talking to your doctor. Your doctor will probably decrease your dose gradually. If you suddenly stop taking tramadol, you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as nervousness; panic; sweating; difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; runny nose, sneezing, or cough; pain; hair standing on end; chills; nausea; uncontrollable shaking of a part of your body; diarrhea; or rarely, hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist).

Posted 11/21/2014 3:54 PM (GMT 0)
Woah, you're on Lomotil daily? Do you still have active UC? If not, why do you need it to slow your gut?
Posted 11/21/2014 4:13 PM (GMT 0)

DBwithUC said...

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a695011.html said...
Do not stop taking tramadol without talking to your doctor. Your doctor will probably decrease your dose gradually. If you suddenly stop taking tramadol, you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as nervousness; panic; sweating; difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; runny nose, sneezing, or cough; pain; hair standing on end; chills; nausea; uncontrollable shaking of a part of your body; diarrhea; or rarely, hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist).


I get all that there when I see the Jehovah's Witnesses walking up my driveway shocked
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