Damn Tramadol!!!

[Tramatnite]

I have been taking Tramadol for about 7-8 months. At first for back pain. Now for the wonderful sedative effect that it gives me. I take only two 50mg tablets every evening. About three months ago I tried to go Cold Turkey and the very first night was an absolute horror!! All the nasty symptoms everyone describes.
So I ran to My Doctor of course  he said it is not habit forming . He gave me Clonodine. That did absolutely nothing for the withdrawls. That's surprising because I had heard how much it helps most people!
I cannot believe how habit forming this drug is !
My question is, anybody else out there hooked on such a low dose? And I guess my threshold for pain is pretty low but if I do finally kick this ****, will the withdrawls really be that bad since it's such a low dose and I've only been hooked for less than a year?

[Louhoo]

Getting dehydrated will make leg cramps rls symptoms worse. My sister is a cardio nurse and she said, finally after I told her what was going on, that the leg cramps and restless leg stuff will last longer if you don't stay well hydrated. Bananas, bananas, bananas, they help with the runs and the cravings,but most of all with the rls.Fruit in general is good, it helped me alot, kept me hydrated plus the vitamins and anti-oxidants...can't go wrong with that.

[GoingToMakeIt]

Just a note, it is good to be a bit careful with the L-Tyrosine when you are on Zooloft. I am on that too.
btw I am real proud of your decisions here. I sense that you will come through this one, just fine. Not saying it won't be rough because it will be. Keep up your fluids! Very important. If you get diarrhea use Immodium for comfort only. The runs are a good thing. It's another way for the body to rid itself of toxins. Gatorade can help during this time to help restore the electrolyte balance.
Keep us apprised of your progress. Good Luck!

[Tramatnite]

I looked at the Thomas recipie many times and I hope I can do this more naturally. I am going to start a taper next week. On the plus side, I workout with weights in the Gym followed by a trip to the Sauna and steam room three to five days a week. I started a strict regimine of good foods vitamins and Amino acids. All of this helps a great dealt. And yes you are right. I better stick around much longer. It just took a lot of guts for me to even start posting to this forum after lurking for two months. Thank you again for helping me face reality !

[GoingToMakeIt]

Look on my profile/journals for the Thomas recipe. Listed there are several things to take (vitamins, supps, amino-acid) that will help you. The 1st one is L-Tyrosine. Gives energy, curbs cravings and helps mood. SamE 400mg boosts mood too.
You might want to stick around longer than just kicking this. The battle then is one of the mind. Support is an ongoing process. LOL

[Tramatnite]

The bad thing is I really love and hate this stuff. It takes away all of my depression.  and the euphoria and energy is great ! I also take 50mg. of Zoloft for Panic. The bad part is that at about 4:30 in the afternoon my skin starts crawling for this stuff. I keep kidding myself that I can quit anytime.  It's a shame that I can't keep going on taking this stuff but deep down I know it may only get worse. I truly admire all of you for your intelligent insight and quick responses to my question. Thank You, and i plan on sticking around until I kick this.

[Louhoo]

Thanks.

[GoingToMakeIt]

You did good. Confirms that tapering is best.

[Louhoo]

Sorry now I see you already went through w/d's. I don't know anything about Clonodine. Other people here do. OOOPS! I guess I need to read more carefully.

[GoingToMakeIt]

Well everyone here knows different. There are w/ds therefore it is addictive! As I understand it the w/d is about the same as opiates. !st 3-4 days are bad then day 5 brings a little hope. Are you try to quit cold turkey? Have you considered tapering off. At only 2/nite it won't take long. Try 1 1/2 for a few then1 for a few 1/2 or even 3/4. There is no need to rush. Slow tapers work best. Keep us posted. Good Luck.

[Louhoo]

Tramadol should be tapered. It says on the information sheet you get with your perscription not to stop taking it suddenly. It says that you may experience withdrawel symptoms if you've been taking it for an extended period of time. You should call your doctor back or better yet call the pharmacy. Tramadol is catagorized as an NSAID, but I researched it on line and it says that it is a synthetic narcotic.
Your w/d symptoms shouldn't last longer than a week in my opinion. You weren't taking that much for that long. The worst of the physical stuff is usually over in several days. Day 3 was the worst for me. Stay on here, lots of people can helpyou. I've read that some other people on here had problems with tramadol. Good luck!