A young tramadol user...

  • Thread starter Thread starter howcouldiknow
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congrats on your daughter! If there isn't a reason to keep you strong, nothing is (though I know the stresses of caring for them and dealing with sleep deprivation can make one weak...I have 3, though mine are not babies anymore).
I wish you continued success in your taper. You can do this! You have SO much to live for!
 
Great job, hang in there, man. I have been clean since August 1st. I do remeraber my taper having some tough moments, and I slipped one day and took just a bit more than I should have in a dose, but immediately got back on track. I finished it on schedule, maybe a day early. Sometimes I get a weird craving out of nowhere, but nothing like the ongoing daily obsession. It usually passes within a minute, or less. It is just that quick feeling/thought that I'd like one. It worries me to know if something were around that I would have a real struggle not to take it, and I'm afraid of losing that struggle, so I know to keep it out of my house. I don't think about it all through the day. Mostly I think about how I am NOT needing it, and savor that feeling of freedom.
It is nice knowing a drug test would be clean. I like knowing I could be stranded somewhere for days with no pills and not have to worry about jonesing.
I am happy I don't feel like a liar to my kiRAB when I talk about staying away from pills.
I look forward to having a meaningful relationship with someone again where before I avoided it and turned down dates because I didn't want to bring deception into a relationship.

Life just has more color!

Keep it up and one day you will have your own list of things that make the freedom so sweet to you! Kiss that precious baby girl.
 
Oh, i will. :cool:
I'm still feeling normal from my dose earlier today. The withdrawal will probably start somewhere around 3 or 4 a.m. and I'm sure I'll wake up at 7 a.m. because of the w/d. I'm wanting to try cold-turkey because this is my best chance since I don't start working in the mines till the first week of July. No work to worry about at the moment. I'm scared. And the only reason why I have faced withdrawal in the past is because I had no choice (e.g. ran out of pills early). If I get too uncomfortable or start getting severe symptoms I'll just take my dose and set up an appt ASAP to discuss tapering.

Trust me...those pills will be within reach, but I'm going to do everything in my power to resist taking them. I have a baby girl on the way and I don't want her to have a pill addicted father. It's not just that - I want to feel clean and free and feel joy that isn't synthetic again. I may fail, but tapering is always an option. I will keep you posted, definantly.

Thanks for the support. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.
 
How long does Xanax (alprazolam) typically take to cause dependency?
Trust me, I'm not using Xanax recreationally. I'm not a "sedative/hypnotic" fan. OpioiRAB are my thing. But my doctor gave me some Xanax just in case while tapering the Ultram I get edgy or have trouble sleeping. I love the Ultram and sad that I'm tapering, you all know my story and how Ultram makes me feel great, etc. The Xanax just makes me feel too drugged, but I've been taking low doses (0.5 to 1mg) every evening and I've been doing some research and finding that Xanax is pretty nasty and causes depedency very quickly. I do not want to get dependent on a benzo.

Let's see, I take my tramadol dose in the morning and alprazolam in the evening. Been taking the alprazolam every evening for a few days now and been sleeping much better. My sleep has suffered a little due to the tramadol tapering. I'm considering seeing the doctor yet again and saying I don't want the alprazolam. I don't feel any addiction to the alprazolam, but want to stop treatment with it before one develops. Any advice? He gave me a very small amount of alprazolam (20, 1mg tablets). Thinking of just flushing them and asking if there is anything else to aid in tapering tramadol. Like I said, not abusing the alprazolam becuase I just don't like that drugged-up feeling benzos give. I'm just a lil confused here
 
I think that you should try spacing it out throughout the day so you don't start to feel withdrawal in the evening. I know you don't think that you are having withdrawal by then but you are so space it out and you will feel better and have a better chance of success.

brian:angel:
 
Still doing great, guys.

Don't mean to get off topic...but I'm worried to death about my mom. She has severe pain in neck and back and was being treated with Lyrica and Lorcet. She also suffers from depression and is treated with various anti-depressants.

Her primary doctor retired and she is seeing another one. The doc took her off the Lorcet and replaced it with Ultram. She is taking 100mg twice a day. What worries me is she is also taking Cyrabalta (which has recently been changed to Pristiq) and Abilify. Along with trazadone for insomnia.

I know my mom really does suffer from pain and depression. I'd rather her be on the hydrocodone than tramadol to be honest. With the tramadol, she is just taking too many drugs that lower seizure threshold and work on serotonin and norepenephrine. I worry about seizures and I definantly don't want my mom to get depended on tramadol like me and suffer the withdrawal. She has had suicidal thoughts before and I'm just scared for her on all these SNRI/SSRI type meRAB. Keep her in your thoughts as well.

I'm still only taking 100mg a day. Seems like I'm getting used to it. My doc is still out of town so I can't taper under his supervision yet. I get my refill on wednesday and will probably go back up to 150mg daily until he gets back in town.

Thanks again for the support.
 
I called the doctor to set up an appt to discuss tapering off of tramadol. Just my luck...he's out of town for a little while. He won't be back here until later this month and all of his patients are seeing another doctor in the same building until he gets back. I don't feel comfortable discussing dependency and tapering with another doctor. So I'm just going to wait until he gets back. My refill is due next Thursday, but pharmacy always allows you to get refills alittle early. So I'll probably get it Wednesday. That is day 28 of 30...they usually don't have a problem filling in that vicinity.

I'm about out of pills, but this is perfect because I have enough to take 2 a day, starting today through Tuesday. Now I'm used to taking 3 (what I'm prescribed) and sometimes 3 1/2.

100mg will help quite a bit with keeping withdrawal at bay, but it's going to be so hard to not take a little more hours after I dose. Keep me in your thoughts. I'm going to just try to stick the withdrawal out until later in the day so the 100mg will work well in the evening. I made it until 11:10 a.m. today. I usually take 125mg as early as 7:00 a.m. and more at 1:00 p.m.

Keep me in your thoughts, please.
It will be pretty hard not to take a little more each day. :dizzy:
 
Before I started tapering I would take 125mg in the morning, another 25mg a little after noon. And sometimes another 25 or 50mg in the evening...which wasn't even needed, just wanted to sustain the buzz. So anywhere from 150-200mg a day. I've never felt any withdrawal until the next morning. This is why I preferred tramadol over the other's...it's effects seems to last much longer.

Since I've been tapering, I've manage to get down to just 125mg in the morning. On the 16th, that's going to drop down to 112.5mg
Being tapered very slowly.
 
Hello There

Just an FYI... I was also on Xanax. Alpralozam is a generic of Xanax. 0.5mg-1mg is not a low dose of Xanax. Xanax is pretty powerful and most patients are started on 0.25mg.

In no way do I question your doctor's methoRAB. I just want you to understand that mgs of Xanax can not be compared in any way to mgs of an opiod. Use it sparingly and not routinely. If you absolutley can not sleep or are having a really bad time, you know? Dependency is quick on Xanax.

In my thoughts
reach
 
Secrets, you're right. I'm only 21. I have a whole life ahead of me. It's just that this pesky tramadol has been there with me since I was 15. :(

Brainpain, I will try to space it out. But I got to have 100mg at once or I just feel out of it a little, not as severe as cold-turkey of course. Maybe I'm just saying that because anything much less than that won't supply a buzz, which I'm still getting just not as intense since tapering.

I'm just not sure if spacing it out would be a good idea. I don't feel much withdrawal in the evening, just wanting to take more to sustain the high.
 
Lack of updates. Sorry.
Been so busy. We moved again. Luckily it's the same apartment complex, just a two bedroom now. Moving is rough.

Finished the taper yesterday. However, today I was still experiencing some withdrawal. Not as bad as it used to be, but still uncomfortable. Been tapering since April or May. I don't remeraber. And now that it's over, I feel like not much was accomplished, in terms of physical dependence.

The withdrawal is noticable enough that I'm still awake typing this now..at 1:20 AM. Daughter and girlfriend are in there asleep. They're doing great by the way. :angel:

Going to call the doctor for a follow-up. I believe he wanted me to anyway. Should I tell him about the current withdrawal even after the six months of tapering? Or is this normal and quickly pass? He may have me taper more. It's so confusing. I was down to 25mg a day and feeling horrid at night, but still slept. Now I'm out and supposed to be "complete" and feeling pretty awful. Not as bad as cold-turkey was back then, though. I was functional enough today to help clean the apartment, feed and bathe the baby, etc. However, in the back of my mind I was antsy and the classic "wired, yet tired" was there.

Just wish I could go lie down and sleep.
Thanks for the upcoming advice. You all are so supportive.

Hey, you'd be proud of me, though. I always put my new daughter first before taking my morning dose. If she was crying and hungry or just needed to be held, I made sure to tend to that before swallowing the tramadol. I feel bad saying that I didn't think I would be that strong. I thought I'd throw her onto my girlfriend and get a quick bite to eat, then ingest the poison before handling the baby. But nope... :D
 
Are you taking it evenly spaced throughout the day? Like 50mg in the morning then 50mg at dinner and 25mg before bedtime, something like that?
It helps to space it out as evenly as possible.

brian
 
Hey again,

I understand what you are saying... When I was tapering... of course I was still chasing that high at first but then... I had come to the conclusion that I had to STOP that in order to really get a handle on my addiction. Spacing it out would probably be best for you.. Get yourself used to not feeling that high at all anymore before your taper is over. I know it's easy for me to say... I am not the one who has to do it now.. However, I did have to do it before and it was tough!!! Real tough. However, we are not going anywhere. We are here for you and will continue to be.

21! What a great age! Be thankful that you are getting a handle on this now than in 20 more years from now.... because it would be a lot more difficult then. A lot of wise people said the same thing to me because when I tapered I was 25.. I am 26 now. 15-21 is a long time especially those years of growing and figuring out who we are.... you are blessed you can now figure out who you REALLY are with out those pills so that you can be a great role model for your future children! You have given yourself a second chance at life..... RUN WITH IT... We will be right along side of you friend.

Keep us posted :wave:
 
Hi Buddy

Of course you will be in our thoughts. Never doubt that.

I think that perhaps enthusiasm led the way for you. Enthusiasm is a good thing to help us along the way, but jumping from a constant high dosage to nada senRAB us into a complete tailspin. Don't worry about taking the drug... it is a live and learn process. All the symptoms you descibed are exactly normal in full withdrawal. It may take a few days to level out again. Stick to the 2 pills a day as you level off.. and you will level off. Be consistent and steady. When I first started, my drop was way too big and I also went into full withdrawals. I know it is horrible. However, I did stick to the drop and my body did level off in a few days. Then I was able to continue making cuts that were smaller and endured the taper.

The depression that comes can be a torment. Fight it! Force yourself to move as much as possible. This will help the leveling off. Promise on this one. Sometimes I would even force myself to dance to music (though I had lost my sense of rhythm). I would feel a temporary reprieve from the depression and from anxiety. I walked even when I had to drag my feet. Force a smile on your face... this somehow triggers the brain to start producing fell good chemicals. Don't understand it, but I know it works.

I also set up many safety nets for myself. One of the most practical is turning over the meRAB to someone. I was given a day's supply at a time. That was the extent of truly trusting myself not to take more than was scheduled.

Friend, stay with us... we will be here for you the entire way. You are going to be okay. No matter how horrible it is at this minute, know that you will be okay.

Hugs
reach
 
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