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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 Horse on May 29, 2016, at 3:09:50
Hey, I'd appreciate anyone with knowledge of tramadol to weigh in. I take 200 mg Ultram daily for chronic pain and have for almost seven years (I think). I am prescribed a few pills extra every month when needed, and I choose not to take that dose (400 mg) often.
When I do, however, I have a wonderful increase of energy. Not high, more like I'm willing to roll up my sleeves and do some work. In fact, since I have idiopathic fatigue, I will plan to take one if I take a day trip to the city for example.
Does anyone know why this would be? I think if I took that dose every day, the effect would wane.
Posted by J Kelly on May 29, 2016, at 5:03:12
In reply to tramadol/ultram curious, posted by Horse on May 29, 2016, at 3:09:50
> Hey, I'd appreciate anyone with knowledge of tramadol to weigh in. I take 200 mg Ultram daily for chronic pain and have for almost seven years (I think). I am prescribed a few pills extra every month when needed, and I choose not to take that dose (400 mg) often.
>
> When I do, however, I have a wonderful increase of energy. Not high, more like I'm willing to roll up my sleeves and do some work. In fact, since I have idiopathic fatigue, I will plan to take one if I take a day trip to the city for example.
>
> Does anyone know why this would be? I think if I took that dose every day, the effect would wane.I, too, took Ultram for years due to chronic pain. I took mine in the morning and it did give me a jolt of energy. I found that if I took too much it didn't give me a better effect.
I think in low/moderate doses it acts like most other narcotics, maybe explaining the feeling of wanting to "roll up your sleeves". I agree that at higher doses it is probably pretty useless.
Jade
Posted by Christ_empowered on May 29, 2016, at 10:13:45
In reply to Re: tramadol/ultram curious » Horse, posted by J Kelly on May 29, 2016, at 5:03:12
I've taken high doses (400mgs/day) and it helped with anxiety and my OCD-ish problems. Its chemically kinda sorta like Effexor (I think...), so I guess high doses have a reuptake inhibition effect, plus the effect on opioid receptors....
tapering was kinda rough. I was weirdly giddy when I discontinued, then my mood fell flat (keep in mind...I'm a moody individual by nature).
Do they make an ER or XR now? I don't know your set of problems, or what you've taken in the past, but...higher doses do help some people w/ psychiatric issues.
Posted by Tabitha on May 29, 2016, at 16:49:15
In reply to tramadol/ultram curious, posted by Horse on May 29, 2016, at 3:09:50
Yeah, as CE noted, it's like an anti-depressant crossed with an opiate, so it's not surprising it lifts mood. I was taking 150mg per day for shoulder pain for several months. I definitely felt happier (and pain free). I remember at one point thinking I should just stay on it for life because I felt so much better. Unfortunately the benefits flattened out after a time (as you'd expect with opiates) and I was afraid to increase the dosage due to really bad constipation. When my pain issue resolved I had a very hard time tapering off it. If I get a pain issue in the future I hope there's a better option by then.
Posted by Horse on May 30, 2016, at 2:06:21
In reply to Re: tramadol/ultram curious, posted by Tabitha on May 29, 2016, at 16:49:15
Withdrawals are awful! Like Effexor, forgotten doses have been psychically painful and intense. (I carry a couple with me in case I've forgotten my morning daily.)
The energy and mood benefits have flattened out, but not for pain. Not quite the miracle it was, but not escalating god knows how high as a standard opiates.
My impression was that suboxone doesn't escalate very much, but maybe that's only with addiction/dependency maintenance and not the case for pain therapy. That stuff, though, is wickedly horrible to discontinue, or so I've heard.
Posted by ed_uk2010 on May 30, 2016, at 4:49:07
In reply to Re: tramadol/ultram curious, posted by Horse on May 30, 2016, at 2:06:21
>Withdrawals are awful!
After long-term treatment at any dose, or short-term treatment at high doses, tramadol is widely reported to cause very substantial distress on withdrawal, often including severe anxiety and restlessness.
Best to take the lowest effective dose, since the mood benefits do not generally last very long.
Posted by Tabitha on May 30, 2016, at 12:08:47
In reply to Re: tramadol/ultram curious, posted by Horse on May 30, 2016, at 2:06:21
Yes, withdrawal was bad. Once I tried just stopping cold turkey (from 150 mg/day). I didn't last a day. I got this feeling that was like severe restless leg syndrome only it was all over my body. Added to that was a terrible sense of impending doom, and I didn't feel I could stand it for another minute. Can't imagine if I'd not had any more to use. I ended up tapering by 25 mg once every two weeks, and at every drop, I felt antsy and had poor sleep for several days. With that rate it took three months to get off it.
Posted by jonhed on May 30, 2016, at 15:43:29
In reply to tramadol/ultram curious, posted by Horse on May 29, 2016, at 3:09:50
I think that you have to be aware of that it is an addictive drug and you can easily be drawn to take higher doses every day if you start to like the feeling of it too much.
Opiate addiction is horrible and once you get that special feeling you may never want to go back to "just feeling fine".
If you have't had that feeling yet i urge you to not up the dose by occasion, an if you want to go higher i think you should do that in agreement with your doctor, so you don't have to go lower some days and higher some.I do stand my point that If you have a crippling depression or very high anxiety/social phobia, and nothing have worked for you, consider try an opiate.
But only if you have planned for doing that for a extended period of time, i would say years if the whole thing with withdrawals, addiction and stigmatization, are going to be worth it.
I think it is worth it, for me.Mostly due to the fact that i have so disturbing intrusive thoughts that i want to kill myself every day and the only way to cope with that and stop isolation is to take opiates.
And i've done it for 10 years..It is though the only thing that have worked for me and i have tried 38 different antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics and mood stabilizers + stimulants.
Now i'm rambling, i like writing here, it makes me happy..
No, don't take it just for feeling a little extra good, but consider talking to your doctor about upping the dose for a longer period of time, in your case maybe 6 month if you don't go on harder opiates!
Hope it helped a little..
Posted by Horse on May 30, 2016, at 20:19:41
In reply to Re: tramadol/ultram curious, posted by jonhed on May 30, 2016, at 15:43:29
My goodness, I'm glad you found something to work. Do you use tramadol for your symptoms?
> I think that you have to be aware of that it is an addictive drug and you can easily be drawn to take higher doses every day if you start to like the feeling of it too much.
>
> Opiate addiction is horrible and once you get that special feeling you may never want to go back to "just feeling fine".
> If you have't had that feeling yet i urge you to not up the dose by occasion, an if you want to go higher i think you should do that in agreement with your doctor, so you don't have to go lower some days and higher some.
>
> I do stand my point that If you have a crippling depression or very high anxiety/social phobia, and nothing have worked for you, consider try an opiate.
> But only if you have planned for doing that for a extended period of time, i would say years if the whole thing with withdrawals, addiction and stigmatization, are going to be worth it.
> I think it is worth it, for me.
>
> Mostly due to the fact that i have so disturbing intrusive thoughts that i want to kill myself every day and the only way to cope with that and stop isolation is to take opiates.
> And i've done it for 10 years..
>
> It is though the only thing that have worked for me and i have tried 38 different antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics and mood stabilizers + stimulants.
>
> Now i'm rambling, i like writing here, it makes me happy..
>
> No, don't take it just for feeling a little extra good, but consider talking to your doctor about upping the dose for a longer period of time, in your case maybe 6 month if you don't go on harder opiates!
>
> Hope it helped a little..
>
Posted by Horse on May 30, 2016, at 20:39:47
In reply to Re: tramadol/ultram curious, posted by ed_uk2010 on May 30, 2016, at 4:49:07
> >Withdrawals are awful!
>
> After long-term treatment at any dose, or short-term treatment at high doses, tramadol is widely reported to cause very substantial distress on withdrawal, often including severe anxiety and restlessness.
>
> Best to take the lowest effective dose, since the mood benefits do not generally last very long.
>
>Very true, I unfortunately agree. If I ever need to discontinue, I don't know. Tabitha said "impending doom," and that's been my experience, too.
Posted by jonhed on May 31, 2016, at 7:38:30
In reply to Re: tramadol/ultram curious » jonhed, posted by Horse on May 30, 2016, at 20:19:41
Yes, finally. My friends and social worker said today that my eyes where "clearer" than they used to be when i was down so it is really helping me..
I use methadone in low doses for now but upping it in august when a clinic takes it over.
I'm on 10 milligrams now and 20 milligrams the 7th of juni :-)
The constant rumination is nearly gone, and it is not due to some "opiate high" because you don't feel your dose at all if the titration is slow.
Methadone is for use in ocd-symptoms and that i wide spread all over the world in severe cases.
But you may want to deliberate it one or two times extra before you get in such treatment.
It has saved my life though.
This is the end of the thread.
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