Fatigue after Tramadol detox

[Onetonbrun]

Hi everybody.
Today is my 13th day cold turkey detox from a 7 year heavy addiction to Tramadol And Codeine Phosphate.
My typical day was 40-50 x 50mg Tramadol, (10x50mg every 90 minutes) then I would "finish" the day with 12-24 x 30mg Codeine Phosphate, 2 "sittings" of 12x30mg,
I was prescribed these by my GP after a martial art injury for years, no questions asked, no alternatives sourced,
In no time I was hooked to these meds and a typical 2 week prescription was only lasting me 2 days!
If I ever ran out of these evil pills I would go out and buy them off unscrupulous folk who I knew fine well had these prescribed to them, I have a good job, plenty of money so use that to my advantage to get the meds, the people who used to sell me them on a weekly basis soon forgot their scruples when I had cash in hand so I always had the trump card!
Over the years my wife started to realise the man she married wasn't the one she saw everyday, she knew something wasn't clicking right with me, eventually she found out, chucked me out, 10 year marriage down the drain because of lying, denying and spending tens of thousands of pounds on these evil little pills!
What's happened has happened so the only way now is up and as I mentioned earlier I desperately need to get energy from somewhere! I am eating and drinking the correct stuff and excercising lightly and frequently but everyday I am hitting a "wall" several times so all I want to do is lie on my bed and sleep!
AmI expecting too much too soon?
Please help friends, am at my wits end now!
Thank and bless you all, Richard.

[dominosarah]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Tramadol is a beast to come off and the wd's seem to hang on longer.  You are doing great and you will start to feel better.  The more you are up and moving around the better.  We have to get our natural endorphins working again.  Everything in us got real lazy while we were using.  Are you taking any vitamins?  Those help too.  Lean on us as we are here to support you and again, welcome~

[Onetonbrun]

Hi dominosarah,
Many thanks for the super quick response,
I am not taking vitamins per se just out of what I am eating, (eating tin after tin of tuna in spring water like there is no tomorrow!)
I motivate myself to do very light weights for 30 mins per day and see to my cardio side by walking a minimum of 30 mins a day also,
Thank and bless you for the help, support and more importantly, the warm welcom domino, Richard.

[clean_in_ks]

Welcome, Richard....I've been reading and following you some on that other older thread.....you've got a good start going....and lots of good help on that thread, too.  Glad you took fourjays advise and started a new one.

I'm not sure how much you are into the whole "learning"/research deal, but we have a Health Page section here on MedHelp (bottom r.h. corner) and there are some really good articles in there.  Lots of info on how depleted our addict bodies are of nutrients.  It's great to be eating good and getting some exercise....adding some nutrients would REALLY benefit you too.
If you don't have any of your own favorites....us MedHelpers have TONS of things we take or have taken to replenish our deficient bodies.  Also, an article from the health pages I "stumbled" onto, was about foods that increase dopamine.  I was MAJORLY craving eggs, turkey, swiss cheese, and tuna or salmon when I first got clean.  I mean, I'd fantasize about EGGS Hahaha!!  I'd eat them ANY way I could get them (the good eggs with rich dark yellow yokes and lots of omegas and nutrient kind-a-eggs)
Well, anyhoo, after I read this article, I understood WHY I was craving certain foods.  I just love it the way our bodies automatically KNOW what we need to rebuild our neurotransmiters!!
Here's the article:

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Addiction/Foods-that-Increase-Dopamine-Naturally/show/594?cid=66

Welcome to the forum, Richard......you're on your way UP....good on ya!

[FourJays]

SO glad to see the new post - and see, already you are getting more responses.  You can do this . . . you can get your life back.  I made a zillion mistakes and lost friends, walked away from my career, spent thousands; but that is over and done.  I can't change it.  But I can determine what happens from here on .. . . just like you can.  Do it for your kids, for your family - mostly for YOU.  Hang in there  .. . and always remember the baby steps!
Julie

[VICourageous]

Hi and welcome you will get some great info and how, what & why to dooos.....I tried your drug but went to the oxy/hdro and then to methedone so I just want to say I read alot here and the last of it besides mental is the weak and sleep issues. You sound like you are on the right track..
Days turn into weeks then months......

God Bless for wanting your life back and there is sooo much to do to keep it that way...
vickie

[Onetonbrun]

Hello there clean in ks.
Many thanks for your reply I really appreciate it and thank you for the link,
Well it's fantastic bar cheese I LOVE everything on that list!!
It is quite freaky seeing the fish for the omega 3s and beets on the list as Just 20mins ago I finished a bowl of tuna in spring water (slightly drained) and sliced beet root all mixed together which I devoured in no time!
It may sound like a pregnant lady's snack but I used to work out a little and my all time favourite meal was...large bowl of egg penne pasta mixed with baked beans, tuna in sunflower oil, sliced beet root, 2 mashed boiled eggs minus yokes, 6 pickled onions, sliced ham and turkey all mashed in the same bowl!!
I apologise to anyone having lunch or dinner at the moment hehe

[Onetonbrun]

Thanks vvic
Despite the fatigue I really do feel re-born!
Thank you for the time to welcome me, bless you, Richard.

[Onetonbrun]

Hello again four jays
This response really is fantastic as just before I grabbed life by the goolies and started my detox I visited my GP and secretly"picked his brains" regarding cold turkey detoxing and believe it or not he told me " for that sort of thing you need to of either walked down a red carpet in Hollywood or wait for your 6 lotto numbers to become winners!!)
Never felt so alone!
Now got huge support from all you guys!
Bless you all, Richard.

[VICourageous]

Yum that sounds good to me. I lost alot a weight along time ago doing the living lean...When at the last stage of my long a** ride I got sooo weak and I gained a bit of weight well yea I was eating sugar and simple carbs. I changed back to low surgar fruits in morn with protien and the rest of the day is protein always (lean) and complex carb and veg that are not crbs. Although my energy is still not way up I do grab the micro food once in a while try to get the good ones but I have to stay away from sodium so it is hard to eat process food DARN !!! You know everything we like is illegal, immoral or fat--ing..No not really..
God Bless us All we are somewhat crasy Huh Funnie But???
vickie

[Onetonbrun]

Well for the next 14 days vickie I have decided to eat like a pig (but the right stuff!) because all this time on the Tramadol I went from 13 stone in weight down to 9 stone 7 pounds! (weighed myself at day 4 of detox) but now up to 10 stone 2 and I have set myself a target of back to 13 stone,
It's such a science all this gaining and losing weight isn't it?
Oh my god I am hungry again man!! I hope this is part of the detox and not a worm in my guts!!!! Hehehe
Bless you vickie
Just gonna raid the parents fridge again,, saw some turkey earlier!!

[clean_in_ks]

So tell me, Richard.  This may be a "dumb" question, but really the only dumb one is one "not asked".....so I wanna learn about sliced beet roots?
I have always loved the actual beet itself.....warm w/butter of course ha, and I know you can "juice" the beet tops....but have no energy to do that right now.....so is there a fairly simple way to educate me on sliced beet root?

[VICourageous]

DITTO give us some food tips !!!! I have no energy right now to cook. Can you bring us over something from the frig you are going to raid Ha!
I know I ate it all in the first 1-5 months. Just started that eating somewhat right thing the last 2 weeks. Not yet there to do to much cooking or cleaning.BABY STEPS STILL man oh man I know I will get better...
God Bless us All
vickie

[Onetonbrun]

Hello buddy,
Yeah you can get whole beets over here in fruit and veg shops and even our supermarkets but for the really bone idle consumer like myself jars of sliced beetroots are available, the only pitfall of the jars is the juices in the jars which although are delicious if you spill any on your clothes or linens they are instant bin fodder so god only knows what it's doing to your insides!

[Onetonbrun]

I know what you mean about the baby steps and things like cleaning!
I know I am back in my old teenage years bedroom in my parents house detoxing but I genuinely can't  remember having the room as rotten and upside down when I was a spotty, highly anxed 15 year old like it was 5 days ago during the detox!!

[Onetonbrun]

Please don't think of me as rude but I must go and try to get some sleep,
Absolutely knackered!
Have a great rest of the day everyone and speak to all you winners soon.
Love and hope for you all, Goodnight, Richard.

[Onetonbrun]

Well I've managed an hour but my noisy bloody parents have been out for a meal tonight and they've just returned 5 mins ago stomping around the house like a herd of bloody elephants!
Positive they are getting their own back for how I've been during my detox!!

[killerzoey]

Try Rhodiola for energy and mood!

I know most on here probably think I own shares in some supplement company. But it has been such a boon for me post-withdrawal that I just want to pass on the word in case it helps anyone else out there. I've benefited so much from tips from others, including the Rhodiola tip that actually came from a depression forum I was looking at because of coming off an SNRI like Tramadol.

I got a little choked up reading about your break up that was due to the Tramadol because I heard some comments from my wonderful boyfriend that made me realize that I was changing on this drug and that if I didn't do something...yup. What a beastly, nasty, drug.

I cannot believe you quit what you were taking cold turkey. If you're 13 days clear, I guess no need to wag a finger your way about tapering! Hang in there, you're on a bit of a neurotransmitter roller coaster, I bet.

[Onetonbrun]

Good morning killerzoey
Thank you for taking time to give me advice,
What can I say? Break-ups happen all the time I suppose but she really really was my soulmate, I hated every ounce of myself for putting her through what I did but I just remind myself....That was not the real me back then!
We are still in communication on a regular basis as even though for 7 years my libido was through the floor, we have 2 beautiful sent from god boys, my oldest is 8 and youngest is 2.5 years of age.
I even had to prepare myself for family planning as taking such a vast volume of Tramadol affected my drive and I couldn't even get an erection unless I was 30 hrs Tramadol free!!
God I hate poppies! I even have a bloody niece called Poppy!!
Arrrrrrgggggghhhhh
Excuse that please, Just woken up after a 5 hr sweat dripping night so I'm off to the shower and I'm gonna sing some Beatles with my hairbrush in there!!
Won't be long friends, Richard.

[killerzoey]

Aw, I'm really feeling for ya :( I have two kids, too, 4 and 7. It's great that you and she are able to coparent.

I'm female and the sexual side effects of Tramadol were horrid, but I can't imagine what it would be like to be male. The pressure! One of the first perks of being off the Trammies is not having that issue anymore, male or female. Any little perk is welcome when you're in the midst of it.The sweats and chills were by far the worst. Or was it the restless legs? Luckily it fades into a memory at some point and it's hard to recall. Godspeed, Zoey

[Onetonbrun]

Truth be told I was 99% sure I was going to kick this habit cold turkey, but because of that 1% niggling doubt and stories I had read because of the length of time on the evil Tramadol and codeine and the looking back absolutely insane volume I was taking In my preparations I even wrote out my last will and testament and a poem and note telling my 2 beautiful boys not to follow in my footsteps, grasp life and don't lose the inner child in them both even as they got older, use life as a "toy" get it, enjoy it forever and never forget it as kids never forget toys in my experience!
But the statement that really choked me was the last one stating...
"dad wants to see you both everyday my angels, I will be there with you every day you won't see me but I am there with you in your heart, I will see you both properly again face to face in a better place but you must promise me it won't be for a good 80 years minimum ok, dad loves you with all his heart, see you then but don't forget boys,, take your time to see me ok!
Oh man just get ten out of the shower and I'm having another with tears just typing this,
DIDNT GET ME THOUGH DID YOU TRAMADOL?!!

[Onetonbrun]

Bless you Zoey,
Stay safe,Richard.

[Onetonbrun]

Just dropped my oldest into school but my ex wife wants me to drive her to our local "mall" which is 25 miles away to get more winter type clothes for our kids! If its for the kids I would drive 500 miles but I have a sneaky feeling she is going to sneak into a few shops for herself!
If that's the case I'm going into HMV to listen to music because music has been a huge factor in my detox!
May be away most of the day but please send any questions and I promise to reply to all whenI return.
Come on day 14 give me your best shot!!
Love and blessings to all fellow "fighters"
Richard.

[Onetonbrun]

It happened again!
Had an ok mid morning pretending to be interested in shops when "WHAM" the wall came from nowhere and knocked me for the rest of the day!
Too much too soon me thinks eh?
"brain zaps" are driving me crazy also,
Was so fatigued I asked my ex wife to drive us back from the mall!
Glad I fell asleep in the car as she is the greatest mum to our kids but not the greatest driver bless her!
Hope everyone is ok here, Richard.

[killerzoey]

Aw...it's a little daunting sometimes how difficult some things can seem when you're detoxing and recovering.

Afternoons can still be like that for me sometimes, depending on sleep the night before. Are you sleeping? I mean other than on scary car rides? ;)