Tramadol and fibro pain

[Chronicrxx]

I've been on and off taking tramadol for fibro pain for a few years now.

I recently came off Duloxetine after taking it for years for my fibro (I weaned off very gradually and the withdrawal was not pretty!) as I felt it wasn't making much difference to the pain and was just another drug I'd become used to taking (this was monitored by my gp)

I get quite panicky and can be hard on myself as I know tramadol is a strong painkiller and not the best to be taking as highly addictive, but I've found it's the only thing that takes the slight edge off my pain I take one 50mg tramadol in the morning and have now started taking one 50mg in the afternoon as the pain is debilitating. My current gp feels that it's doing nothing for me but the idea of being without it right now when the pain is a good 11 every day terrifies me.

I've taken every drug under the sun for my fibro for the past 10 years ± and found some beneficial at first but the effects soon wear off. I get worried most days as I'm 37 in August and my husband and I would really like to start trying properly for a baby but I feel the fibro and medication is stopping me at every point.

Any shared experience with meds would be much appreciated, I have a pain management appt next month so hopefully I can talk to them about meds but sometimes it's so hard to get others to understand how hard it is living this pain EVERY day

 

[sunkacola]

Hi @Chronicrxx . I have had years of experience with tramadol. At first, when I was diagnosed years ago it was prescribed to me, and it helped with the pain. I took it daily for close to 3 years. But then it stopped working after the first several months, and so the doc at the pain clinic prescribed more, and then more. I realized at that point that my body was becoming addicted to it and I stopped taking it altogether because I am not going down that road.

That's when I started my exploration into all of the things that a person with fibro can do to help, things that involve diet and exercise and stress management and mental health and other things. I have written about everything I learned in the post that is pinned at the top of the General Discussion forum section.

All of these things helped a lot and they will help anyone who is serious in the exploration and the practice of these things. But, as I have said before, these things will help, not cure, and a person will still have fibromyalgia. Having fibro is really a matter of finding our what the best methods are for you to manage it, since a cure is not here yet. And how to manage best is very individual.

So....back to tramadol......
It's now several years later. I have taken several different pain medications. Some did nothing at all, and the others had side effects that I couldn't possibly live with.
I am several years older as well, and the fatigue and pain has increased for whatever reason, some of which I believe is simply part of getting older and so things wouldn't be working necessarily as well any more, even without fibro.

Because none of the other pain medications have done anything for me, I have gone back to taking tramadol. But I still refuse to permit my body to become addicted to it
(and I strongly advice everyone to be very careful about this if taking an addictive medication).

So, I don't take it every day and never more than one a day. On the days I take it, I can feel human and possibly even get something done. The days I don't take it are usually hard. So, of course, it is tempting to take it every day. But if you do take it every day, especially if you take it more than once a day, your body WILL become dependent on it. And most likely your mind will also become addicted to it, since it is an opiate.

Now, this is a decision that each of us must make for ourselves.
This is something to consider carefully:
Are you willing to become addicted to a medication?
Are you willing to accept everything that goes along with being addicted?
Are you willing to take the chance that a law will change, or your doctor may change or something else may happen, even a natural disaster (which is more and more common these days), and suddenly you won't be able to obtain a medication to which you are addicted?


I am not saying that people shouldn't take opiates or any other specific medication.
And I won't judge a person, ever, if their choice is to take something that is addictive, and they even become addicted to it.

What I am saying is.....if you are going to take an addictive medication, do so wisely.
Think about it.
Either choose not to permit yourself to become addicted to it, and take the drug accordingly...in other words, not daily.
OR, choose to permit the possibility (probability) that you will become addicted to it, and make that choice consciously.

If that is the choice you make, because the alternative is to be in too much pain to be able to function or have any kind of life, and if you make that choice consciously, willing to face all of the possible consequences, then no one should judge you for it and you should not judge yourself either.

This is not something that is easy for us to talk about, and almost impossible to talk about with anyone who doesn't have chronic pain and therefore cannot understand what it is like. We can talk about it here, and we can talk about it without judgement of one another.
I hope that any of this is helpful to you.

 

[Chronicrxx]

Thank you for the advice @sunkacola

I have successfully stopped taking tramadol (weaning off) in the past and hope to be able to do it once again as I hate the idea of taking it and as you say unfortunately it is very easy for the body and mind to become reliant on it. I'm hoping to gain some insight and support when I go to my pain management appt next month.

My fibro has been the worst it's ever been these last few months and I've been really struggling to move and get out of bed with the pain, tramadol seems to be the only thing that takes the edge off to get moving. I know however it is a slippery slope and if I am honest feel I may have become a little dependant on it doing that rather than making more lifestyle changes to help ease the pain.

Sometimes the pain wins in my head when I know I shouldn't let it. I think I've also over exerted myself the last few weeks pushing my body through the pain when I should have listened to it a little more thus meaning I now am at an absolute standstill

It's almost like I know what I should be doing to help ease the pain but the resentment towards having this condition and being in pain has me trying to ignore it until it bites back! I'm learning that you do have to have some sort of balance, whilst being kind to yourself along the way

Thank you for all your advice

It means the world to be able to talk and share with others who are living with FM and Chronic conditions

 

[SBee]

We all Do it @Chronicrxx pushing ourselves far too much and paying the consequences. ( I'm certainly one for doing this ) born of frustration, guilt and just Life stuff needing immediate attention.

@sunkacola replied in much detail and with experience to your questions of Tramadol. atm I only use Naproxen and a low dose cocodamol as needed to attempt pain relief. But questioning if I should try something else. It's so individual as to what works for each of us, and whether or not side affects are bearable.

Sadly there's no quick fixes. Try ing to listen to and understand our bodies needs is vital. And again, I often get that wrong or push beyond what I should. We aren't any of us perfect.

But you said something crucial there - being kind to yourself. Fighting this illness ( though a natural response ) doesn't work. I think for myself I used up too much precious energy in doing this. Learning to accept ( albeit reluctantly ) is vital and an ongoing porocess.

go easy on yourself,so the best you can each day and continue to be kind to yourself. Glad you also feel support and ability to share on this forum. X

 

[johnsalmon]

the law has changed down here - Doctors cannot prescribe opiates for a patient unless that patient has cancer. That leaves those with serve pain with basically nothing to use. Some doctors do prescribe a product that has a common headache medicine and 15 g of codeine but you can only get two repeats meanwhile they have a policy of testing drugs for people going to Music festivals these are for example crystal Meth, mdma and Hallucinogens including others and if they are "safe" the person can take them and enter the music festival - meanwhile seniors in pain take aspro !!!!

​

 

[SBee]

Haven't got a reasonable reply to that @johnsalmon at least not something that can be printed. I honestly haven't heard anything . like this at all. Not even allowed to prescribe necessary pain killers with careful monitoring?? I assume that there is an influx of illegal drugs flooding in if people are desperate to risk it over constant debilitating pain. For once, I am pretty speechless

 

[johnsalmon]

I assume that there is an influx of illegal drugs flooding in

we have a drug problem like most countries however the change in prescription laws is a belief that people will get addicted to scripted opiates mainly those in their senior years. meanwhile they are debating whether to make illegal drug like MDA etc legal does not make sense

 

[sunkacola]

the change in prescription laws is a belief that people will get addicted to scripted opiates

This is a reasonable belief, based on fact. People WILL get addicted to prescribed opiates, and do.

I think, and this of course is just an opinion, that what really needs to change is people's attitudes towards addiction when it is applied to seniors and people with chronic pain conditions. Not all addictions should be treated the same. Being addicted to a pain medication shouldn't be treated in a blanket manner, that no matter the circumstances it is always an evil thing.

As stated above, I personally believe that there are circumstances in which a person can reasonably choose to take an addictive pain medication with the full knowledge that they will become addicted to it, and I have a strong opinion that when that is entered by an individual in a conscious way, it should be the choice of the individual. Obviously this doesn't apply to people who are taking a drug to get high.

A person who is in their senior years and is in terrible pain daily should be permitted to make that choice for themselves.
And a person who is not senior....... why shouldn't they be permitted to make the same choice if the alternative is to have no life at all? If everything else has been tried, and in this case I especially mean if all of the lifestyle work is being done in a dedicated manner, and the pain is still overwhelming.

 

[sunkacola]

Sometimes the pain wins in my head when I know I shouldn't let it. I think I've also over exerted myself the last few weeks pushing my body through the pain when I should have listened to it a little more thus meaning I now am at an absolute standstill

It's almost like I know what I should be doing to help ease the pain but the resentment towards having this condition and being in pain has me trying to ignore it until it bites back! I'm learning that you do have to have some sort of balance, whilst being kind to yourself along the way

It's all too easy to become dependent on medication and neglect other things that will help because, let's face it, it's easier to take a pill than to do other things.

But it is vitally important to do the exploration and experimentation into your diet and exercise and other things in order to find out the things that will help. If you aren't doing all of the other things that will help, the chances of becoming unnecessarily addicted to a medication are much higher. I say unnecessarily because while medication can help a great deal, it shouldn't be the only thing you depend on.

Keep in mind that when you allow the resentment to take charge and keep you from doing the healthy things you know you should be doing, you are working against yourself instead of for yourself.

I am not saying it's easy or that you should expect to make changes overnight. But steadily working towards that balance is the goal. If you are fighting fibromyalgia, you are only fighting yourself and hurting yourself. If you over exert yourself when you know that you shouldn't, you are working against yourself.

Please understand, I am saying this from the perspective of having gone through all of those things! Having felt anger, resentment, being like a child and refusing to do the things that would help because I thought I shouldn't have to! Being a person who was always go-go-go, people called me The Energizer Bunny, it took time for me to learn my limits. Being a person who was always healthy, I felt I shouldn't be having to deal with this! But those "shoulds" and "shouldn''ts" were ridiculous. And a huge waste of my time and energy.
What is, is.
So, eventually, I told myself to remember I'm an adult, and just deal with it appropriately.

You learn by knowing you have to learn and then by experience. But if you are willing to do the work to listen to your body, it will truly pay off.

You can still get things done. It just takes more time. And some things, you will need help or have to pay someone to do them for you if you cannot. This last part has been very difficult for me to accept....but I have accepted it. Acceptance really is the key to being peaceful with this.

 

[johnsalmon]

This is a reasonable belief, based on fact. People WILL get addicted to prescribed opiates, and do.

According to the American Medical Association (AMA), an estimated 3% to 19% of people who take prescription pain medications develop an addiction to them. addiction comes from long term use or overdose. controlled use in pain management does not necessary lead to addiction. If you can use a pain relief rather then an opiates then do so. - because of my auto immune problem I use a special oil in my eyes which can be addictive and I take Lyrica which again can be addictive in fact when I look thro my medicines most can be addictive if overused but used correctly they are safe. If I take Lyrica for the rest of my short life what's it really matter if i depart this life at say 90 addicted to Lyrica or even an opiates if they relieve me from fibromyalgia and spinal pain. Now for a 20 year old things are different

 

[sunkacola]

I suppose it depends on the definition of "addiction". I personally think that a great many more people than 19% will become dependent on an opiate medication if they use it daily. Dependency/addiction....whatever. To me, it amounts to the the same thing. As for using a medication correctly, that is a word that could have a wide range of connotations. It's possible to become dependent/addicted to something by taking exactly how much the doctor tells you to. I know, because that started happening to me.

I do think @johnsalmon is correct in saying it doesn't necessarily lead to addiction, however. My statement that people will get addicted didn't mean to imply that everyone would, so if I gave that impression, I did not mean to, and I appreciate the clarification.

I fully agree that this issue is different for someone who is 20 as opposed to someone who is a senior. For a senior person, I agree that it really doesn't matter if they do get addicted to something if that something makes the difference to them between having a life for the last few years or not having one.

All of this is why I think it's so important to redefine what addiction to medication really is, and how it applies to different people in different situations.

 

[johnsalmon]

Dependency/addiction.

these two words ten d to get define as equal however they are far from it. my mum, was dependent on special eye drops each night without them she would have gone blind but she was not addicted to them. I am dependent on my thyroid tablet each morning but am not addicted to them before the change in the law down here I was dependent on codeine for the spinal pain they never gave me a high and the dosage never changed and I still have some codeine and tramadol in my medical box that was prescribed to me over a year ago. If I was addicted then they would have gone long ago.
If one is on opiates then the "high" is the cessation of pain not the high the addict gets - once this changes then you are no longer dependent you are addicted - this why if you are using opiates it should be well managed by your medical team or doctor.

what do I replace codeine with when I have spasms - good aussie rum does not stop the pain but deadens it somewhat

 

[sunkacola]

@johnsalmon ,
All very good points and I am glad you made them. Depending on a medication is not the same as being addicted.

And you are correct in saying that the "high" from a proper dose of opiates in someone who has chronic serious pain is not really a high, but the cessation...or lessening.... of the pain.

I once told someone that taking tramadol gave me energy, and they totally misinterpreted me to think that meant I was getting high from it. But all I meant was that on the days I take tramadol, my energy is not all being used up just dealing with serious pain all day, and so I have the energy to get something done. Of course, I mis-spoke because the tramadol doesn't "give" me energy, it just reduces the pain to a level that allows me to have energy to live.

This is, of course, another thing that someone who has never experienced serious and debilitating chronic pain, the kind that saps all of your energy, will not understand. Especially in the current atmosphere of such fear (and fear-mongering) of opiate addiction. I have fallen prey to that fear mongering myself, and I am a person with chronic debilitating pain myself! My attitudes towards opiate medications have gone through changes over the years since my own fibromyalgia diagnosis, as I have had various experiences and learned more by reading the experiences of people on this forum. Some of the things I said on this topic years ago I now would not say. We live and learn.

Johnsalmon, thank you for being one of the people on this forum from whom I have had the opportunity to learn.

 

[SBee]

Interesting point that for me that a med such as Tramadol cane give enough energy to achieve a little in the day. I fully understand that crashing fatigue that leaves you to a stage where even lifting your arm up is impossible. Fortunately this is not daily, the fatigue being fluctuating. But always there in varying degrees.
But, my fear is that using pain relief, sort of disguises underlying pain, and then that enables me to push through pain and in turn I may cause further long term damage.
So what do you do? I'm certainly at the stage where I need to trial meds, to achieve a better quality of life. It may work, the side affects may be too much but I will try.

Again,it's trial and learning. There's no easy answers

 

[johnsalmon]

Interesting point that for me that a med such as Tramadol cane give enough energy to achieve a little in the day.

it does not give you energy - it releases you from pain thus you can achieve a little more in the day