Tramadol [Ultram] Good or bad??

[ero]

Hi! Has anyone here any experience with Tramadol MR or opioid based medications? I am asking because I was recently prescribed this drug and I have been taking it for a week. 100mg a day was absolutely enough to work in my case, so I can’t complain. Yet, what really worries me is that I have a strange sensation that I already started getting addicted to Tramadol. Maybe it’s too soon to draw such conclusions but I prefer being careful when it comes to pain killers. Another irritating thing were the withdrawal symptoms I had when I came off Tramadol. I have to admit that I’d read terrible stories about its side effects ( depression, increased pain, dependence ) so maybe it was all in my sub consciousness.
Now I am without any help for my pain which is really unbearable. I am not working at the moment waiting to visit a specialist for an epidural. I think that Tramadol is my last hope now, so I wonder whether I should go back to it. The idea of DDD symptoms and damage Tramadol may cause just make me frozen. Please, tell me about your reactions to Tramadol. Thanks so much!

[Maria 45]

Hi. I can imagine how you must feel. I have been suffering from pain for several years and I know how it destroys your whole life. Tramadol was a real blessing in my case. It was actually the first med which was really effective in killing my pain. I was furious when I had to withdraw it. Unfortunately, it started messing with my stomach and I had no choice…I was forced to stop the therapy. If I were you, I would keep on taking Tramadol. Think about that in this way: do you have you anything to lose? At the moment, pain is controlling your life, which means you are actually dependent on it! You should take risk unless you want to spend the rest of your life in pain thinking about symptoms that don’t even need to appear. Take care! Maria

[ero]

Thanks for the answer. I have really done everything I could to get through my pain but this is simply against the logic to bear the unbearable. Guess I will need to decide- on the one hand, quality of life, and on the other hand, side effects and eventual addiction. This is a true dilemma for me. I hope that the visit to doctor will explain everything and he will decide on some steps. Maybe I will get my injection, I don’t know. I just want them to help me go back to normal life without the necessity to jeopardize my health.

[Panda49]

Hi. I was on Ultram. In my case it was like taking an extra strength Tylenol, so I stopped treatment soon. As for your fear of getting addicted, I don’t know anybody who became dependent on Ultram. With stronger opioids like Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin etc, it is a different story. I advise you to observe your body- it speaks to us my means of the symptoms it sends. Your body will always tell you whether it accepts particular med as safe, or not.

[Tyron]

Hello. I had similar situation. For me therapy with Trmadol (Ultram) was just like taking Tylenol, so I stopped it soon. I think that your carefulness when it comes to addiction is absolutely reasonable approach. I learned in nursing school that you can become addicted to having a Tylenol every day. I think that safety steps are very important when taking any pain killers. When we are in pain, we are ready to do anything to get rid of it. And pills are most often the very first thing we are thinking about. And when we feel relief, we will do anything to get these miraculous pills again. This is how it works. Tyron.

[SmallCat45]

Tramadol was a bad choice in my case.

[PP.Greek]

Hi. Can I ask you why you have such a negative attitude towards Tramadol?

[NunaMom]

For me, Tramadol is a real blessing. Not only does it kill my pain, but also makes me feel better emotionally. And I sleep better. I don’t have to take it every day, but at least 2-3 times a week. It effects last for 8 to 10 hours. Well, it’s hard to say why our reactions to this drug are so different. I hope Tramadol will help others as much as it helped me.

[Penny]

Tramadol was the first nauseous drug I have ever taken. And when it comes to addiction, my view is that the risk is much lower than in case of other opioids such as hydrocodone, oxycontin, morphine etc.

[Chris]

The only thing that I don’t understand is why my doctor sticks to Ultram although I have been telling her for 3 years it does not work for me. The effect I feel is really little, but the side effects are terrible, so I wonder what is better, living with pain or having constant dizziness. The truth is that both of them destroy my life, so what’s the difference- I have no idea. Not to mention the nausea…I already have Meneire’s disease so I really don’t need additional periods of unnecessary dizziness caused by Ultram. Well, I hope that things will change after my NS appointment for my neck next week. You are lucky if you can take Ultram and it works.