Help Me With Tramadol Withdrawal?

[MamaSueBee]

[45 yr old suburban Caucasian female. Dx'd eight years ago with ankylosing spondylitis (severe back pain) and Rx'd Indocin and Tramadol. Felt fine on Indocin alone, no side effects to this day...but took Tramadol for a headache seven years ago and got the Rx and have been on it ever since.]

Hi. Last week I started my tapering off of Tramadol. I was taking 200mg/day for the past seven years. I stopped taking one full 50mg pill every late afternoon about six days ago, so I'm now just doing two pills in the a.m. and only one pill around 4pm.

The only problems I have had so far were some mild occasional brain jolts, and for the first two days I woke up at 5 a.m. jonesing (sweating, hot/cold, insomnia, jolts), so I'd stop the wd by taking my usual daily morning dose (the two pills) at 5 a.m., rather than 8 or 9, then go back to bed. I'd get up around 8 or 9 a.m., and then take my one pill by 4 p.m., as scheduled. Only a few brain jolts during the day.

So, in a nutshell, down from four 50mg pills per day to 3 pills per day...over a period of six days.

As of today I am feeling okay. I don't know when to start taking away one of the morning pills. I don't know if I'll cut it in half, or just remove the full pill from the pill schedule. Haven't decided yet. No ideas on when to even do that. I'm just so happy to be doing so well (better than expected) on only taking the three pills, down from the four!

I've quit cold turkey in the past and it was terrible. I felt so sh*tty that I couldn't last a week, just said, "screw it" and started up on the four pills per day all over again.

On a few other occasions I tapered down to one pill a day by cutting slivers of my pills off little by little and cutting away more every three or four days. I thought taking away tiny bits would ease me off, but then by the time I got down to one pill I freaked out and just started taking all of it again.

I'm now in the throes of perimenopause. I am having migraines for the first time in my life and I just want to get off these pills!

So, anyway, I appreciate that this support is here and I am ready to hear anything from anybody willing to put in their two cents here. I just need to talk about it and stay on track. Thanks.

[MamaSueBee]

Thank you so much for all of the comforting responses. Every one of you told me something that is helpful. Your support means a lot to me! I didn't realize the depression wd symptoms were a real thing...it was feeling so low like that that made me relapse. Oh how I hate that feeling. Hearing all of your responses builds my resolve. I need strength from others. I quit drinking three years ago and I 'll now have an occasional one single drink and feel fine...no cravings. I did that all by myself and it took steady determination (about 6-12 months). I realize this Tramadol addiction is something I cannot do without your help. I appreciate all of it.

[MamaSueBee]

Hey LeaAnn, do you remember how many days total it took you to wean off it completely?

[LeaAnn807]

I didn't wean.  I just QUIT!  LOL Like a crazy person.  Felt like one too! : )

Cold turkey isn't right for some people.  I just didn't have any control of myself.  It was BAD!  I wasn't ever gonna stop if I had any pills in my possession.  I have the MOST respect for people who can taper.  Gosh, I would have given anything for that kind of self discipline.  Maybe I wouldn't have gotten into such a downward spiral if I had some.  

Have you talked to your doctor any about how you can set up a taper?  I can give you some idea, but I can't post it here.  You can send me a message, and give me the dosage and times that you take them, and I'll help you with it.  : ) Just against the rules on the main forum!  I can tell you that if you taper, you will be uncomfortable most of the time of the taper, but it shouldn't be too bad if you do it really slowly.  It's more of a mental thing than anything.  Pills had a tendency to scream my name when they were in my house! LOL

[LeaAnn807]

To answer your original question, now that I looked back at the post you made, if you're down to 3 a day now, it should take you about three more weeks to be finished if you stay at the same pace!  I'm happy to help you though!

[worried878]

CT is ok for narcs...trams at high doses should be tapered due to seizures as do benzos.  You dose is not high, 200mg a day is recommended, but you have been on it for a long time, 7 years.  Even a headache is tough to kick if u have lived with it for 7 years!
If you have kept your dose at the prescribed amount for this long, then you must have control,to some degree over the trams.  If it helps, cut down 1/4 of a pill each few days or even every week.  Ask your doctor for help as well if u feel the need.  I cut down rather quickly cos I wanted to get it down,  and picked a quit day and stuck to it.  I wrote down my taper and divied out the pills for each day.  Flushed the rest.
keep moving forward

[MamaSueBee]

Thank you. I liked this and I appreciated it! :)