Anyone else withdrawal from Ultram (tramadol)?

[celticfairy]

I have been off Ultram (a pain killer but also the characteristics of serotonin reuptake inhibitors) for over 8 months. The withdrawal was absolutely horrendous. I wanted to know if anyone else out there has has protracted withdrawal symptoms that include difficulty sleeping due to either intense adrenaline 'surges' when just falling into a sleep or 'brain shocks'. Even after all of this time I still experience them, sometimes several times through the night - each time I try to drop off to sleep. It is extremely distressful and I can't get any sleep. I won't take anymore drugs to resolve this because it would just cover up what the problem is and wouldn't let my brain and body really heal. I took Ultram for 13 years for a back injury and was told it was non-narcotic and non-addictive which is absolutely not true.

I am healthy, active and do not have anxiety or anything that would cause the symptoms during the night. They only began after I stopped taking Ultram.

I would love to talk to others who might have some experiences similar to this, especially with longer term effects of the withdrawal.
Kristin

[hapy jack]

Hi celticfairy you might be able to get some help with this if you go onto the pain managment board, there are some people on there who have expirience of this. I myself am on tramadol but as yet have no expirience of coming off the drug, what you say sounds very similar to what others have suffered. I have heard very similar things about subutex/suboxone, also 13 years is a very long time and this drug seems to cause many, many unpleasent side effects, i have a friend who calls these symptoms post withdrawal syndrome which may be what you are are suffering. If its any consolation everyday clean is a day further away from it, recovery from narcotics is a long slow process unfortunately but your doing excellent give yourself a big pat on the back and keep posting theres plenty of support on the addiction and PM boards.

[Winnie31]

I was on Tramadol for about a year and withdrawing from this was living hell. I have been off this med since August of last year but I started taking increased doses of Lortab in September. I have been clean from both since January and though its been a long hard road I wouldn't change anything. I really don't suffer from the body jerks anymore my biggest problem has been the cravings and sleeping. Don't gt me wrong they have got better but they still show up every now & then. Tramadol is very addicting and people should be warned. I onlly took four to five 50 mg doses a day and I even tapered down and it was still hell coming off. What I have learned is your body & your brain need time to heal and I think that is what is happening. It will stop but depending on the amount of time you were taking them will determine your recovery. Each day gets better you will make it through just give it time.

Winnie

[celticfairy]

Thank you so much for your kind and compassionate words. I know it will take time but I never imagined it would be this long. I have never known anyone who has taken it as long as I did. I think I was given one of the very first prescriptions in the U.S. I too was told it was safe and non-addictive. It is a double wammy when it comes to withdrawal because it is a pain killer and anti-depressant. I am sorry you have the experiences with sleep and craving that you have, although, it sounds like you feel much, much better and that you are improving and healing more every day. That is wonderful.

Kristin

[Razumikhin]

I don't have any direct experience with Tramadol, but from what I've read it's supposed to act similarly to Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) in addition to its opiate agonist properties, e.g. it effects serotonin levels in the brain. The SSRI class (think Zoloft, Paxil) has long term withdrawal side effects - (which I have experienced) - which include a sort of "brain shock", very disconcerting. I would not be surprised if Tramadol is having a similar effect after really long term use. Just a guess. It's probably worth talking to your doctor about.

Best of luck,

Raz