Tramadol and fibro pain

[SBee]

Yes @johnsalmon I didn't word that right at all. I understand what you say.

I am rubbish at inserting quotes, but as @sunkacola wrote, about Tramadol reducing the pain enough can be enough to give a person a better ability to achieve more.
Hence my feeling of a double edge sword - obtaining some pain relief, but that may enable me to exert myself more, as the pain may feel less limiting and thus I could potentially do more long term damage?

 

[sunkacola]

Hence my feeling of a double edge sword - obtaining some pain relief, but that may enable me to exert myself more, as the pain may feel less limiting and thus I could potentially do more long term damage?

yes, that can be a danger, but only at first. If you really pay attention to your body and learn to sort of "ask" your body if you can do something, you will not run this risk very often.

I have learned to do this. You will have your own way of doing it, but in case it helps I'll tell you mine. I will close my eyes, relax, get calm, and sort of go inside. Then I let my mind go to my back, my legs, whatever parts of my body I will be needing to use or that are most vulnerable right now, and I will imagine them doing the thing(s) that I plan to do, and ask myself if this will be OK. Then I wait for an answer. Sometimes it comes right away, sometimes it takes as much as a full minute, but I always get an answer, and then I listen to that and do as it says.

The other thing I have learned is to stop doing whatever it is the very first time I feel the slightest twinge of pain. I used to work through all kinds of pain, and it didn't matter, because I was strong. I lifted weights for years, and was very muscular, and knew how to work through the kind of pain that means you are getting stronger. That is in the past now, and it took me a very long time....years....to learn a new way of being. Now, the very first little pain I feel I stop whatever I am doing, even if it is right in the middle of it, and I take a break or quit for the day. I have learned that not to listen to those warnings is a bad idea.

By learning to go inside my body and ask, I have also learned to notice the little "messages" my body sends me to tell me what I need to do or not do.
It takes time and practice.

 

[30 plus years]

I've learned a lot from you. Acceptance is such a big key factor, yet it's a work in progress. You give balanced, logical advice, and I extend many thanks to you. Curious, May I ask if you're a female? Notice quite a lot of men in this forum, which I find so interesting. Sometimes I wonder if the names are disguised!

 

[Drummer76]

I'm kind of at a crossroad with the pain medication use. I currently do not use any narcotic pain medication, I've been able to avoid it for 10 years now with the exception of the surgery I had earlier this year on my shoulder.
I've considered going back to them,but I know addiction is a huge problem with them and your body gets user to them and you need more and more to achieve the same pain relief. I did notice when I was on them for surgery,I never got the buzzed feeling like I did 10 years ago which I see as a good thing since the buzz is what gets most people addicted and wanting more then they are prescribed.
I've been using zanaflex for pain and sleep and they have worked well,but after nearly 7 years on them,they aren't as effective most of the time. It was great not having to use opiates and still getting some relief with something not addictive or have horrible side effects. I am also extremely sensitive to medications made for fibro. It never ends well for me. Recently my gp prescribed something for my stomach and it ended the same way it did with the fibro meds. Vomiting until there was nothing left and still going. It's horrible because I don't know what side effects I'll have with new medication.
I will say my gp understands fibro and doesn't blow it off. He doesn't thing my exteeme back pain is due to fibro and something else is going on so I have to see a specialist for it. We'll see how it goes.
It's hard to get proper treatment since we all are different and have different symptoms. I've heard several different things from different doctors over the years that I really don't know what to believe anymore.

 

[SBee]

Thank you @sunkacola I am not a person who ' panics ' if a worse\different pain occurs. I tend to consider it I need to do something rather than grab medications. Ice and heat treatment tend to give a gentle effective if temporary relief that kind of games the edge off things.
I am very interested in taking my consideration of whether to continue on a pain path, and try to listen more intently to my own body.

Yet I still have to work through pain, I have no choice. My hands and wrists have inflammatory and osteoarthritis, and of course fibro likes to amplify pain\our bodies perception of reaction to pain. I try to limit things, have made many many changes in what I No longer do, or adapt to make using my hands less painful. I really have altered many things to limit further pain or potential damage.But we use hands constantly.

But I will implement your ideas into other parts of my pain. To stop and listen before continuing with a task that may disrupt or bodies.

Painkillers.are of course an individual choice, for me I hope to use them wisely, when most necessary and also learn to try to stop a task if at all possible rather than ' override ' potential further damage.
I am due a medication review in September so will have an opportunity to see where so am at then.

 

[longtimer]

Hi there: I am currently weaning off Tramadol - going down a half a tablet each month and its hard. Ive been on the drug for at least 20 years and my doctor (who was happily prescribing it to me for years) started telling me it was contributing to my pain and I needed to get off it. There's been a lot of talk about opioids and how bad they are for you. I did start noticing my breathing was troubled, my digestion was awful, and my pain was becoming intolerable so I agreed to go off it. I went on it for bad pain in the first place so I don't expect to be pain free when I'm done.

My doctor wants to keep increasing the Duloxotene I'm on - I hate the drug, it is so hard to get off and has a lot of side effects. I tried weaning off it for 4 years and only reduced my dose by half, and then my doctor increased it again when I started weaning off the Tramadol. So kudos to you for being free of that poison.

I find the first week of a reduction of Tramadol the worst, then week two is not great, by week three I feel better, then by week 4 I feel like I can go out and see people or just drive somewhere like the mall, and then it starts all over again at the beginnning of the next month. It is taking me 8 months to be free and I am only half way right now.

I won't sugar coat it - its hard going off it - I am cranky, I feel low, I'm uncomfortable and my pain flairs very easily but I am doing it none the less. If you'd like to know more about my experiences I'm happy to help.

 

[SBee]

@longtimer I know Tramaodol can be used safely and effectively by some people but atm it is something I would rather avoid. but I know how desperate we can get living with long term relentless pain. So will at times almost grab anything to try to get out of some of the pain.

Duloxotene is another a pain specialist recommended. Luckily I did some research and saw the withdrawal effects. Avoiding that one for now.

Again, pain, and our reactions to meds are very individual and am sure many will find whatever medication (or being drug free of course ), worthwhile. I would never ever judge anyone for what they do as try to to find a better quality of life. We all need to attempt to do the best we can, meds wise seems a better option for me to try right now along with continuing life changes,physically and mentally.
I do research, and consider for myself the pros and cons.

Maybe I am just a bit too hesitant. I am starting Amitriptyline,a dose that can be built up in the hope that at least one symptom maybe helped. Needless to say I would like to keep the dose as low as possible.

Atm, it's worth a risk. I also take Naproxen, which I did try to reduce but my pain levels were too high, so still on that.

Initially I wanted to try to get the inflammatory arthritis under some level of control, then see what symptoms I am left with fibro wise to see if I can avoid extra meds or reduce existing meds. But that's not happening yet, and to be honest I feel like I am under attack from all sides.

My aim is to come off some meds if at all possible or at least reduce. I will always keep that as my goal.

What you are achieving by coming down off these meds is amazing,I hope you can give yourself credit. Wish you well . X

 

[sunkacola]

@SBee , I don't think you are "too hesitant".
To me, it sounds as if you are being appropriately careful. You are taking the time to really consider everything before starting to take a drug, and you are weighing all the pros and cons. This is just smart.

 

[longtimer]

I just want to add that when I went on Tramadol it was a life saver for me and got me through some very tough years with family crises and stress on top of the chronic pain. The doctor who prescribed it was a pain specialist from England where it had been used for 40 plus years and he deemed it safe. My next doctor had no issue with me being on the drug and kept prescribing it too for many years - it wasn't until new information recently came out about the long term effects, that governments and doctors began to basically ban the opioid drugs except for post surgery. I was taking what I was prescribed and in fact my prescription was to use up to 8 (50 mg) tablets a day if I needed them - I only everr used 4 (of 50mg) a day, and now health care professionals are shocked that I was on "that much".

It is a personal choice to take Tramadol and I don't think its right to be judgemental or critical of anyone who needs the relief of this drug. I never felt that I was abusing the drug and i never would consider it in the same category with the party drugs that people die from.

 

[Grace3]

I have been reading lots of posts and lots of people are taking tramadol, which my doctor gave to me. She. Gave me enough for 4 a day while I was. Cutting down from the amitriptyline, which gave me no life at all. I was on 35mg which had me sleeping night and day. I did not do what the doctor told me. She asked me how much amitriptyline I was taking. I sad 20 mg as was trying to cut down on, so she gave me liquid amitriptyline and told me to take 20mg for a week and then cut down to 15mg and using the trams.
next week then 10 then 5 then none I did not do that I cut down to 10mg for 9 days and was in pain so after the 9 days using the tramadol 4 a day. I had to go back to 15 mg I was still in such pain so back up to the 20mg I should have started with bi was doing exercises on face book that I should never have done they were from some Chinese guy called Evan wong the exercise really twisted my whole body.next morning I could not move my head neck and shoulders were in agony. I didn’t realise that it was the exercise that caused me pain and to 25mg. Of the liquid amitriptyline to knock myself for the day I stopped taking the tramadol I have 60 left of the 110 she gave me.iv never been obedient and always thought knew best. God knows what I’m going to tell her when I go back next week .. what I wanted to know was how many tramadol did you take a day. Lastly the settings on this computer must be wrong as it’s predicting what I’m going to say. And keeps putting full stops where I don’t them. Thanks for taking the time to read this love to you all Grace 111

 

[Ian waxman]

Hi there: I am currently weaning off Tramadol - going down a half a tablet each month and its hard. Ive been on the drug for at least 20 years and my doctor (who was happily prescribing it to me for years) started telling me it was contributing to my pain and I needed to get off it. There's been a lot of talk about opioids and how bad they are for you. I did start noticing my breathing was troubled, my digestion was awful, and my pain was becoming intolerable so I agreed to go off it. I went on it for bad pain in the first place so I don't expect to be pain free when I'm done.

My doctor wants to keep increasing the Duloxotene I'm on - I hate the drug, it is so hard to get off and has a lot of side effects. I tried weaning off it for 4 years and only reduced my dose by half, and then my doctor increased it again when I started weaning off the Tramadol. So kudos to you for being free of that poison.

I find the first week of a reduction of Tramadol the worst, then week two is not great, by week three I feel better, then by week 4 I feel like I can go out and see people or just drive somewhere like the mall, and then it starts all over again at the beginnning of the next month. It is taking me 8 months to be free and I am only half way right now.

I won't sugar coat it - its hard going off it - I am cranky, I feel low, I'm uncomfortable and my pain flairs very easily but I am doing it none the less. If you'd like to know more about my experiences I'm happy to help.

Hi,been a tramadol user for 25 years.tbh I think tramadol is useless after the first few months but you get addicted very addicted.pain threshold for me is always at 9.i’m on fentanyl patches which are ok but not the answer.i’ve had every med under the sun which didn’t help really.they wanted me on duloxetine but i was violently ill,nause,sweats,violent headache.the fact of the matter is the doctors haven’t a clue on fybro.they put you on this,they put u on that and it’s all a epic fail and you are addicted with the worst withdrawal ever known to man.i stopped duloxetine and i felt like suicide,I couldn’t cope.i hope you find the right path to pain free

 

[sunkacola]

@Grace3 , I have had a lot of experience with tramadol.
I know that some people say categorically that tramadol doesn't work for Fibromyalgia pain, or you have to keep taking more and more, and other things, but the truth is that it depends entirely on the individual. For me, Tramadol has worked far better than anything else I have taken.

It is addictive, being an opiate. which doesn't mean everyone will get addicted to it, and whether you do or not depends on how much you take and how often and your physical ability to utilize it and your own susceptibility to addiction and other factors.

If taking something that is addictive, one needs to be aware of these factors and take them into account. One needs to weigh the risks against other things. How old someone is is a big factor -- it's quite different to allow yourself to become addicted to something that will give you a half decent life for the last 10 years of your life as opposed to become addicted to something at 25. And there's a difference between addiction and dependency.

@Grace3 , just an opinion you may not even want, and not trying to tell you what to do, but following the doctor's orders when taking these meds is really a good idea because doing what you decide to do that is different can really have negative consequences. I'm not a proponent of thinking the doctors are gods, or of always doing everything they say, as they don't always know best and they are only human, but when weaning off or onto a medication I personally think it's wise to do as they say. Or to call them and tell them you want to do it differently and see what they say to that. One important reason for this is that if a doctor decides a person is a "disobedient" or "recalcitrant" patient, it may go on the person's record and make it a lot harder in the future for that person to get medications.

Years ago I took tramadol daily, but had to keep increasing the dosage, so I stopped it and went on my search for other ways to manage fibro. The other ways worked well for me for many years, but eventually I have reached a point where, probably due in part to my age and non-fibromyalgia factors related to that, the pain is at a daily level that I have started taking it again. But I only take 50mg a day, never more, and I don't take it every day. If I have a really bad day on one of the days that I have decided not to take it, then I just get through that bad day; I don't change my mind and take tramadol. This is how I intend, and hope, that I will not develop an addiction to the drug. For the past several months this has been my strategy. Cannot predict the future.

I'd really rather not take it, or any drug. But having tried just about everything else that is currently available, it's the only thing that works and doesn't have unbearable side effects. I use cannabis as well, and it helps. But if I am really in pain, it takes enough cannabis to ease the pain that I am then very stoned, which I cannot allow in the daytime because I don't live with other people and have to be able to function if necessary.

 

[Grace3]

If i buy grass from people on the street it knocks me out for the whole. Day. I do have an addictive nature. I sdid. Smoke itt years ago. I hated the horrible feeling the next day its to addictive for me also i get paranoid so have not taken it for years. The worst pains are in my legs and feet and i cant put weight on my right foot the other pains i can at least move around with.i live on a top floor flat and its agony going up and down the flat. I do find i could manage with the lesser dose of amitriptyline and tramadol. I have achieved so much this month i could never do when i was on 35mg of amitriptyline. I got a cleaner from an agency i paid the agency to choose the person. I also pay the cleaner i was even up helping her as we were getting rid of the clothes that didnt fit for the ones that do. I have put on 4 stone with amytriptyline i know i did the wrong thing than what the doctor said. I will ask her if i can start again i see her on the 15th next thursday im 73.6 and iv spent the last 4 years lying in bed eating whole tubs of ice cream and chocolate.i know your not telling me what to do,your sharing your experience and im very greatful for that. I will let you know how i get on at the doctors thanks so much fo sharing with me.

 

[BijouMom]

I tookTramadol for years and it reduced my pain considerably, so that tI could function at work and home. Then I participated in a pain management program at the Cleveland Clinic where I was told that I was addicted to the Tramadol. I was devastated. I truly didn't think I was addicted. That proved true when I was started on a withdrawal program. Well, it only took 2 days! I did not go through any withdrawal. I was put on Lyrica which has been beneficial for the last 12 years. Ps, I never encountered a doctor who told me that Tramadol was addictive!

 

[sunkacola]

I tookTramadol for years and it reduced my pain considerably, so that tI could function at work and home. Then I participated in a pain management program at the Cleveland Clinic where I was told that I was addicted to the Tramadol. I was devastated. I truly didn't think I was addicted. That proved true when I was started on a withdrawal program. Well, it only took 2 days! I did not go through any withdrawal. I was put on Lyrica which has been beneficial for the last 12 years. Ps, I never encountered a doctor who told me that Tramadol was addictive!

I think these things affect everyone differently.
Probably what people should say is to be aware that it is possible to become addicted to Tramadol. Not everyone will, but it's possible. Different body chemistry and size of person and dosage and whether the person is inclined towards addiction due to whatever brain chemistry that is....etc. etc.

An example: Alcohol is addictive! We all know about alcoholism. Now, in my youth I drank a lot. In fact, if you were basing it on my consumption in that period of time, I looked like an alcoholic. But I'm not. I was and am always able to stop drinking any time for any length of time with no cravings or other ill effects. These days, and for years now, drinking alcohol doesn't occur to me more than once or twice a month and I never have more than one glass of wine. If I were an alcoholic I couldn't do that.
But another person who drank as I did all those years ago might have become an alcoholic.

I think Tramadol may be somewhat the same, in that some people will actually become addicted to it and others will not.
Certainly one can find a lot of people's stories, saying that they were, and saying that they were/are not.