Tramadol and fibro pain

[johnsalmon]

I was put on Lyrica which has been beneficial for the last 12 years.

Lyrica is addictive also it is said to be similar to the effects of diazepam ( Valium) or alcohol, which may increase the likelihood of abuse, dependence, and addiction. however that does not mean that you do use it - just about every medicine is addictive in some way.

 

[sunkacola]

Lyrica is addictive also it is said to be similar to the effects of diazepam ( Valium) or alcohol, which may increase the likelihood of abuse, dependence, and addiction. however that does not mean that you do use it - just about every medicine is addictive in some way.

Once again I will say that blanket statements like this are best avoided.

Everyone is different.
There is no clinical indication that pregablin (Lyrica) is addictive.

I am currently taking it, and the effects are NOTHING even similar to valium or alcohol. There is no sedative effect. There is no emotional effect. there is no "high". Many other people also take this medication without having side effects like that. Maybe that is true for some people, but certainly not for everyone.

Also, it is not true that "just about every medication is addictive in some way".

johnsalmon, I am not trying to be hard on you but your statements above are opinion, not fact. Everyone gets to have their opinion, and to voice it here, of course. But if you try to state an inaccurate opinion as fact, I may come along and try to mitigate it for the sake of others reading this forum. thanks.

 

[johnsalmon]

I am not trying to be hard on you but your statements above are opinion, not fact.

actually they are no my opinions
people living in the UK) are finding Lyrica to have a detrimental effect in their society. There has been an increase of overdoses in England and Wales involving Lyrica. The number of prescriptions has increased dramatically, going from 1 million in 2004 to 10.5 million in 2015. In 2009, there were practically no deaths from drugs like Lyrica. In 2015, there were over 100.

in Aust Pregabalin scripts skyrocketed from 36,000 a year in 2012 to more than four million by 2018.
Victoria is the only state which has mandatory monitoring for Lyrica prescriptions
In America, Pfizer was prosecuted over its marketing of Lyrica.

and to top it off my doctor increased the dosage to 3 a day with the warning remember its addictive, In Australia I would not be surprised to see it moved to the restrictive list soon ( that is where the doctor must ring the Gov'n department to get a script release number before prescribing it and the chemist cannot make up these scripts with out the release number. this also applies to all of our pain killers.

Do I take Lyrica YES for me it works but my doctor keeps an eye on me to make sure I am not becoming an addict to it.
The same applies to any pain killers such as tramadol and codeine etc or in fact any medication

I would never suggest you stop taking it (and did not in the Post) without doctors advice remember that it can be addictive and make sure your doctor monitors the use of it as they should monitor any medication they prescribe for you.

 

[sunkacola]

Interesting information, @johnsalmon , and I will take this under advisement.

All medications, I suppose, are potentially dangerous in one way or another.

What is definitely true is that they will affect everyone individually....for instance, as I mentioned, Lyrica doesn't have anything like the effect of Valium or alcohol on me, and believe me I wouldn't take it if it did!

Good to be aware of the things you say in your last post, although statistics like that I will only truly accept as fact if I know where they are coming from, sources are completely valid and cited, appropriate studies having been done and have been published, and so on.

I'm not asking you to provide all of that.....people can do their own research, as can I.
I'll take your post as a sort of "head's up", and I advise others to do the same.

 

[johnsalmon]

I'm not asking you to provide all of that..

true - the aussie facts came from the Australian commonwealth department of health bit like your FDA the Uk info came direct from the DHSC
the problem with lyrica down here is doctors are seeking a safer alternative to opioids ie as a general pain replacement since access to opioids are now restricted to all but cancer patents
The TGA (he Therapeutic Goods Administration ) is currently finalizing a report on Lyrica which I would assume will move it to the restrictive drug class for all but the smallest dosages.
I also have a condition known as essential tremor and am on Primidone which is used to control .seizures. as the dose increases it can become addictive currently I am on the max safe dose I also have COPD and some of my puffers can become addictive - so as I said before just about any medicine can become addictive as the dosages increase

The problem with providing references to statements made in a post on this forum is that there is a link button in the header menu however you do not allow the use of it. In the other medical forums that I am a member to ie Hashimoto's , essential tremor and COPD I would normally provide links to any reports etc I quote and in fact the hashimoto's forum would automatically link to words such as Lyrica , COPD etc
I really cannot
see any major problems with allowing links as long as they open a new page

 

[sunkacola]

@johnsalmon , this forum doesn't permit direct links for many reasons, and it is not necessary for me to go into those reasons, but one reason is that a person can post a link that says it leads to something but it actually leads to something else, which can be a site that is damaging to people or to computers. This is avoided by simply not permitting the links.

A person can easily give information on where to find something without using direct links, though, and that is encouraged.

for instance, one can write "Go to the ABCD website, and search for "information on blahblah" to find the study." I know that's longer than just putting in a link. Sorry about that, but our rules aren't going to change.

The thing is, this really isn't a "medical forum". It's a volunteer-run support forum for people with a medical condition.

I am interested personally in information about Lyrica. But at the moment.....again, speaking only about myself......I am going to continue to take it. So far, and my experience is for only a short time, it is making huge positive difference in my life. I daily consider various things: will it stop working? Will I develop side effects? (I haven't yet, but I know they can come later). Will I become addicted?

What I also consider is whether or not it is important, or how important it is if I do become addicted to a drug that makes my life livable. It doesn't make me "high", or "calmer" or make my mood soar up or do anything else at all except help me to get enough sleep at night and reduce my pain level in the daytime to a point that I can feel like a real human being and can actually get things done in a day like a normal person. If it continues to do that for me without side effects, I will most likely keep taking it. If I become addicted to it, maybe that doesn't matter, because perhaps that is preferable to not having any life at all, just existing and getting through each day.

We shall see.
I don't want to be addicted to anything. But maybe it is not a case of addiction any more than a diabetic is addicted to insulin. I know that drugs are developed, people take them, then suddenly they become illegal and/or there's bad press on them, then that changes and people have different attitudes towards them and so on. At one point, it was considered shameful if a person needed insulin, and many died of diabetes because they didn't want to be "addicted" to insulin. That has changed completely, but only in the past few decades.

It's a complicated issue and one that needs to be carefully and rationally considered, I think, by each of us who is on a drug or is considering medication for fibromyalgia. It's good not to just take whatever the doctor prescribes without looking into it for yourself. It's good not to depend any more than is necessary on a prescription drug. It's good to make informed decisions, and to try to keep abreast of current research into the medication one is taking. And ultimately it's good to follow your gut feeling about it, because your body may tell you want it needs and what it doesn't need.

 

[evamccaully1227]

Wow, Sunkacola, you are so wise and gave me a lot to think about. I'm still hoping to find a good pain management doc and program to work with me. I know it can be hard to have compassion for those with chronic pain. Thank you!

 

[Ian waxman]

Lyrica is addictive also it is said to be similar to the effects of diazepam ( Valium) or alcohol, which may increase the likelihood of abuse, dependence, and addiction. however that does not mean that you do use it - just about every medicine is addictive in some way.

I’ve took tramadol for 20 years.in various doses and strengths.some days I might take 6 some days I won’t take any.it all depends how chronic my fybro pain is.they’re not addictive if you use them right but if you mix with alcohol you’re off you’re face.i’ve had first hand of the effects numerous times when I went through a stage of heavy drinking.lucky to be alive really.my fault entirely but I was stressed up to the eyeballs.if u take strong opioids you’ve got to be prepared for side effects especially if u stop.i’m currently on fentanyl patch which does ease the immense pain down my neck,back,legs,arms.its a horrible disease that puts you to breaking point

 

[johnsalmon]

if you search "Opioid Use in Fibromyalgia:" there are many research papers that say "there is no evidence from clinical trials that opioids are effective for the treatment of FM" however using say Lyrica and opioids does appear to give results mainly because the opioid increases the effectiveness of the Lyrica however I would suggest strongly against using the two together

 

[sunkacola]

if you search "Opioid Use in Fibromyalgia:" there are many research papers that say "there is no evidence from clinical trials that opioids are effective for the treatment of FM" however using say Lyrica and opioids does appear to give results mainly because the opioid increases the effectiveness of the Lyrica however I would suggest strongly against using the two together

There certainly are individuals who have had the experience that tramadol does help.
Some of those people have been or are members on this forum, including myself. I have found Tramadol to be very effective.

Some clinical trials have not found people who report that tramadol is effective for them. Some clinical trials, which I have found online, report that it is effective, both when combined with an analgesic and on its own, but especially when combined with something else. So clearly it depends on what clinical trial you are reading.

I know a few years ago Tramadol was the first thing prescribed to people with fibro at the pain clinic I was going to at that time. I don't know whether or not it is still the first thing used, but it may be because it is effective for some people and is a lot less expensive than other medications like pregablin. Insurance companies want people to try the least expensive things first, before they will be willing to pay for the more expensive ones.

It's not, however, the thing I would recommend to people unless they have no other options for pain management.

 

[johnsalmon]

down here tramadol is a class 8 drug since 2020 basically an authority has to be given for a scrip to be written - it is still available for short term pain management ie 2 scripts of lower number of tabs and dosage if given for more then 12 months a second doctor must be involved and agree. this now applies to almost all of the pain killers. basically the only people that the restriction does not apply to are cancer patients.
This has left people with long term pain no actual effective pain medication. I notice that in the USA Tramadol and the like are also restricted but not as much as down here and now also in the UK.
I have serve spinal problems (genetic) had several ops and pins put in but I still suffer from serve pain used many pain killers over the years but codeine became my pain reliever which it did expertly. I used tot take 30mg when then pain reached over 5 if after an hour there was no reduction then I would take another 30mg which usually worked - never took more then 60mg was I addicted don't think so but was addicted to the fact that the pain stopped my high was not the codeine but the lack of pain which would also apply to a lot on this forum.

Now since the change in the law I cannot get codeine for my spinal pain

Now Lyrica is moving into the controlled drug classification in AUS,UK and the USA In Australia the problem with Lyrica is basically within the younger generation - they take Lyrica for a valid reason but also take illegal drugs at music concerts etc and that is where the problem lies not with Lyriica but with interaction between it and what ever drug the kids take. For the govn it is easier to restrict Lyrica then to stop the younger generation from taking illegal drugs and thus it leaves people who do require Lyrica without a suitable medicine
one wonders where the answer lies?

 

[Ian waxman]

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

Hi!sorry to hear the doc wants to take you off tramadol.i’ve been on the drug for 25 years and the docs have repeatedly tried to take me off.i take 50 in the morning 50 at dinner and 50 at night.i’ve told them they help alongside my other medication which i take.fentanyl patch 60mcg,morpheine solution and citalopram 30 mg.i do feel slightly better and to a degree do tasks but soon end up in intense pain.i had covid pneumonia in 2021 and was hospitalised for 4 days.i’ve now got long covid,serious tinnitus,fatigue,extreme nausea.you’re not alone and if you feel tramadol is helping explain that you need to stay on them.they can’t stop you if you say you’re health worsens.good luck