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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by blueberry1 on December 18, 2006, at 17:46:58
What anecdotal reports are available at remedyfind.com and other google searches sure make tramadol sound like THE antidepressant to beat all antidepressnts. I did read a couple people's experiences where their tolerance got so high that they were taking doses high enough to kill a normal person just to avoid withdrawals and continue to feel normal. One person got worse after 4 months on it. But other than that, it looks like maybe 85%-90% of treatment-resistent people who try do fantastic even over the longterm. And instead of the 2 to 6 weeks wait, it kicks in between 2 hours and 2 days. Side effects are apparently much tamer than antidepressants. Sounds too good to be true. Probably is.
Just wondering if anyone here has any bad or good tramadol experience. I am aware of the addiction tolerance withdrawal stuff involved with it. The way I see it, effexor or zyprexa or xanax aren't much different in that regard.
Posted by Quintal on December 18, 2006, at 19:54:32
In reply to Tramadol Experiences Anyone?, posted by blueberry1 on December 18, 2006, at 17:46:58
I think that person you're referring to was me. I've tried tramadol many times and it is a *very* effective antidepressant and anxiolytic. Tolerance developed rapidly though, but that is a problem for me with every opiate. I took doses as high as 800mg and probably more and it was still having no effect on me after a few weeks.
I would recommend you at least try it once if you're treatment resistant because you will probably get a few weeks of bliss from it, or any opiate for that matter.
There are also augmentation and tolerance limitation strategies such as Lamictal and Ashwaganda (Withania) you could try. As you'll already know, tramadol has SSNRI-like effects that probably boost its antidepressant/anxiolytic profile above other opiates.
Good luck.
Q
Posted by med_empowered on December 18, 2006, at 22:03:29
In reply to Re: Tramadol Experiences Anyone? » blueberry1, posted by Quintal on December 18, 2006, at 19:54:32
I like it. For me, tolerance wasn't that big a problem; since alot of my anxiety/mood issues are episodic, I could take it for a while (say, while at work) and then not take it for the rest of the day and be fine. For other people...that may not be the case.
I think that if you are in therapy or have other meds, tramadol could be great, used occasionally or every day in standard doses to ease things. The only problem is that since it acts fast and you can dose it up to a "high" (for some people), you run into the possibility of tolerance and/or dosage escalation. The post-marketing studies have all pointed towards a pretty low abuse liability, and I tend to agree; tramadol isn't something to be taken lightly, but I wouldn't think of it as being terribly problematic--probably less so than Klonopin (in my mind, anyway).
Good luck.
Posted by zmg on December 19, 2006, at 0:32:14
In reply to Tramadol Experiences Anyone?, posted by blueberry1 on December 18, 2006, at 17:46:58
I've read mixed reports regarding long-term use (which I'm assuming would fit for depression?).
http://www.erowid.org/pharms/tramadol/tramadol.shtml
Somewhere (possibly a few places) I'd read serotonin-like syndrome or some such can creep up after using it regularly for a while. I'd be curious if anyone had used it long-term (say 1 or 2 years + daily) without problems and what kind of dosage schedule they stuck to.
Posted by mattye on December 20, 2006, at 13:30:33
In reply to Tramadol Experiences Anyone?, posted by blueberry1 on December 18, 2006, at 17:46:58
What is the sexual side effect profile of Tramadol? That is the main drawback of SSRIs for me
Posted by Quintal on December 20, 2006, at 13:37:35
In reply to Re: Tramadol - sexual SE's?, posted by mattye on December 20, 2006, at 13:30:33
I don't remember having any sexual probelems on tramadol and I am very sensitive to that with SSRIs.
Q
Posted by AZ86 on December 20, 2006, at 15:17:27
In reply to Tramadol Experiences Anyone?, posted by blueberry1 on December 18, 2006, at 17:46:58
Tramadol is risky stuff. Yes, it worked very well initially for dysthmia. I felt far less depressed and quite energized (early on I had sleeping problems with it). I started out on 75 mgs twice a day (with one day a week off). That day became tough to bear, so it became 7 days. A few months later I was up to 100mg twice a day. After a couple of years, I was doing 250mg twice a day with far less positive effect. At that point I was basically using it because missing a dose was hell. I could sleep for ten hours and still feel exhausted in the AM. I finally realized I was basically addicted and decided to quit before I did more damage to myself (and my family). It was about five days of hell in bed and on the toilet eased only slightly by sedatives. It's not just the five days though...for several weeks I was exhausted all the time. Now about a month later, I'm still tired, but feel slow progress. PS- Generally I have great self-control and did my best to keep the dose down for as long as I possibly could. However, it was a losing battle. I urge you to think carefully before you go down this route as you too will become addicted.
Posted by blueberry1 on December 20, 2006, at 18:38:34
In reply to Re: Tramadol Experiences Anyone?, posted by AZ86 on December 20, 2006, at 15:17:27
Thank you very much for your input. I do have some tramadol onhand and it scares me looking at it. Never tried it. I read lots of good things and lots of bad things about it. As the saying 'mileage varies' applies, it seems with tramadol you get either extremely good mileage or extremely bad, but not much inbetween. Very wide swings in people's experiences with it.
Question for you, if you don't mind me asking? Let's say someone is hanging in there and doing the best they can, maybe weaning off something, maybe getting started with something, maybe not doing anything at the moment, whatever. Most days are bad but survivable. But now and then a deep dark day strikes that is just so intensely bad that it requires an immediate attention to avoid hospital or suicide, just to buy some time if nothing else. Would 50mg tramadol work for that? I assume it would lift someone up just enough. I've heard the good effects can linger up to 2 days after. But what about that? What happens after just one 50mg dose? Does a crash follow that is worse than where you started?
I remember someone who has had success with tramadol for years saying the secret with it is to take it only when you need it, and only the dose you need, and that it is extremely important to NOT take it on a regular schedule, or at the same time everyday, or with regular size dosing.
Posted by AZ86 on December 20, 2006, at 19:03:21
In reply to Re: Tramadol Experiences Anyone? » AZ86, posted by blueberry1 on December 20, 2006, at 18:38:34
> Thank you very much for your input. I do have some tramadol onhand and it scares me looking at it. Never tried it. I read lots of good things and lots of bad things about it. As the saying 'mileage varies' applies, it seems with tramadol you get either extremely good mileage or extremely bad, but not much inbetween. Very wide swings in people's experiences with it.
>
> Question for you, if you don't mind me asking? Let's say someone is hanging in there and doing the best they can, maybe weaning off something, maybe getting started with something, maybe not doing anything at the moment, whatever. Most days are bad but survivable. But now and then a deep dark day strikes that is just so intensely bad that it requires an immediate attention to avoid hospital or suicide, just to buy some time if nothing else. Would 50mg tramadol work for that? I assume it would lift someone up just enough. I've heard the good effects can linger up to 2 days after. But what about that? What happens after just one 50mg dose? Does a crash follow that is worse than where you started?
>
> I remember someone who has had success with tramadol for years saying the secret with it is to take it only when you need it, and only the dose you need, and that it is extremely important to NOT take it on a regular schedule, or at the same time everyday, or with regular size dosing.That's a good question. I used to use opiates (Hydrocodone, or Codeine) for that rare totally black day when hopelessly depressed and/or anxious. I have to admit, it did the trick..I survived the day and was okay the next day. I wouldn't take it again for perhaps weeks or months, but just having the stuff in the med cabinet gave me a feeling of security the importance of which I'd never underestimate. Of course trying this on a daily basis would end up in the hell of addiction.
Tramadol (for me at least) is not as calming as an opiate. I used it more for getting energized and focused. It also improved my mood. On Tramadol I had no problem going out to jog..the motivation and energy were there. With an opiate, I'd have no desire whatsoever to go out and jog!
But back to your question. I suspect that if you have a very infrequent "black" day, there'd be no harm in taking 50-100mg of Tramadol to get you through it. I wouldn't anticipate any sort of a "crash" the next day. However, the danger as I expressed above is that if you use it frequently, it will then become daily. Soon you'll be addicted and take it from me, you don't want to go there! Finally, keep in mind as you suggested that people seem to react to Tramamdol very differently. Some hate it, some love it, some are indifferent. Some people get energized, some get drowsy etc. I hope this helps...
Posted by MidnightBlue on December 20, 2006, at 22:48:02
In reply to Re: Tramadol Experiences Anyone? » AZ86, posted by blueberry1 on December 20, 2006, at 18:38:34
When I take a 50mg dose for pain it makes me sleepy and dizzy. Even HALF of that can make me sleepy and it gives me really bad hot flashes.
Posted by Tom Twilight on December 21, 2006, at 1:50:57
In reply to Re: Tramadol Experiences Anyone? » blueberry1, posted by MidnightBlue on December 20, 2006, at 22:48:02
I didn't react well to single doses of Tramadol
They just made me feel odd as I remember!
Has anyone not responded to Tramadol until several days, or even weeks of dosing?
This is the end of the thread.
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