[nordberg]

Anyone ever taken Tramadol?

I seriously put my back out last weekend and ended up seeing the GP as ibuprofen and codeine really weren’t helping. She prescribed Tramadol and I took 2x 50mg tablets on Thursday night. Sure enough, the pain all but disappeared and I felt a lot like I used to feel during some of my “recreational” nights out in my twenties! Anyway, I took another 50mg tablet Friday morning and set about a fairly active day with lots of remedial back exercises and a 5 mile walk - doing my best to get some movement in my lower back. As the effects wore off, I had another 50mg about 18:00 last night. Oh my word... Within an hour of taking it, I was fuct. Full on dizziness and slight hallucinations, a complete feeling of panic set in. Shallow breathing and rabid sweats. The wife had to support me into the house from the garden where I blacked out completely for a couple of minutes or so.

Just as she was phoning an ambulance, I came around and manage to stop her. She phoned NHS Direct or whatever it’s called who were pretty useless, but advised my symptoms were very much in line with a bad reaction to Tramadol.

An hour or so later, and I’d recovered enough to carry myself to bed where I had the worst nightmares I’ve ever had.

So a frightening experience and not something I was really expecting. Sure, all of the above are listed as possible side effects, but I never thought they’d affect me and certainly not so acute and the whole list!

Anyone else had a similar experience on them? I’m pissed off as they were really helping with my back!!!

[sahajesh]

Originally Posted by nordberg

Anyone ever taken Tramadol?

I seriously put my back out last weekend and ended up seeing the GP as ibuprofen and codeine really weren’t helping. She prescribed Tramadol and I took 2x 50mg tablets on Thursday night. Sure enough, the pain all but disappeared and I felt a lot like I used to feel during some of my “recreational” nights out in my twenties! Anyway, I took another 50mg tablet Friday morning and set about a fairly active day with lots of remedial back exercises and a 5 mile walk - doing my best to get some movement in my lower back. As the effects wore off, I had another 50mg about 18:00 last night. Oh my word... Within an hour of taking it, I was fuct. Full on dizziness and slight hallucinations, a complete feeling of panic set in. Shallow breathing and rabid sweats. The wife had to support me into the house from the garden where I blacked out completely for a couple of minutes or so.

Just as she was phoning an ambulance, I came around and manage to stop her. She phoned NHS Direct or whatever it’s called who were pretty useless, but advised my symptoms were very much in line with a bad reaction to Tramadol.

An hour or so later, and I’d recovered enough to carry myself to bed where I had the worst nightmares I’ve ever had.

So a frightening experience and not something I was really expecting. Sure, all of the above are listed as possible side effects, but I never thought they’d affect me and certainly not so acute and the whole list!

Anyone else had a similar experience on them? I’m pissed off as they were really helping with my back!!!

I took Tramadol when I had a trapped nerve - I only had a reaction like you described however when I took two in close succession by mistake.

Sounds like either a bad reaction or too many in the same time frame.

[Watsey]

I've been prescribed diazepam to be used in conjunction with codeine and ibuprofen when my back has popped in the past (it's a 20+ year problem) and I've needed something serious to help manage the pain.

I've not had the reaction that you've experienced, just completely spaced out. Probably shouldn't have been driving but my PA back in the day said that I was chuckling to myself all day.

[....,,,,..,,..]

I was in hospital for over six weeks summer 2012.

For about 5 weeks I was on intravenous morphine drip and usual saline drip, great fun for 6 weeks without food.

After 5 weeks they decided to take me off morphine, so put me on tramadol, within a minute or less of the injection my temperature increased, I had hot flush thing, weird feelings all over body, then was sick.

Being sick after 5 weeks of no food, tube in your nose to stomach, takes some doing.

They then tired an anti sickness thing, I was sick, allergic to it.

They tried tramadol with same results.

So, after 5 weeks of high dose morphine, I went on to IV paracetamol.

Thank god for NHS nurses that are willing to spend most of the night with a crying Geordie lol.

I have it in big letters on my file. - Go fuck your Tramadol!

[goodbyalfa]

Tramadol nights...

[M2Andy]

Much the same as the OP, prescribed for back issues (lamenectomy) but had some bad reactions so am now on naproxen and diazepam instead as I was like a zombie on tramadol. In fact, the nearly full box is still in the cupboard as an emergency however some serious shit would have to be going down for me to want to take those again!

[Rudz]

I was on it for a significant while post op, thankfully had no bad reactions as described above, it was a god send after they took me off the morphine drip

[MickyD'bo]

Originally Posted by Brigand

I was in hospital for over six weeks summer 2012.

For about 5 weeks I was on intravenous morphine drip and usual saline drip, great fun for 6 weeks without food.

After 5 weeks they decided to take me off morphine, so put me on tramadol, within a minute or less of the injection my temperature increased, I had hot flush thing, weird feelings all over body, then was sick.

Being sick after 5 weeks of no food, tube in your nose to stomach, takes some doing.

They then tired an anti sickness thing, I was sick, allergic to it.

They tried tramadol with same results.

So, after 5 weeks of high dose morphine, I went on to IV paracetamol.

Thank god for NHS nurses that are willing to spend most of the night with a crying Geordie lol.

I have it in big letters on my file. - Go fuck your Tramadol!

Lol. I was a crying Geordie too back in November. Bowel operation on morphine drip. Wow. Sometimes felt nice and relaxed other times I felt like I was dying.

Tramadol after that and it was better for me than morphine.

[Tengocity]

I used to sell it back in the early days of my career! It's a dirty drug, and when I had a migraine I never enjoyed taking it, unlike the co-codamol tablets.

[RobUK]

Originally Posted by Tengocity

I used to sell it back in the early days of my career! It's a dirty drug, and when I had a migraine I never enjoyed taking it, unlike the co-codamol tablets.

I'm intrigued.

[nordberg]

Seems I’m not alone then!

As for dosage, I was well below the recommended maximum dose in 24 hours.

It was pretty alarming - especially as my young kids both saw me in a pretty bad way and they became really upset (understandably).

I’ve started taking a cocktail of ibu and co-codomal which is helping although not as much as the Tramadol did. I can’t take Naproxen as it interacts with some other long term meds I take unfortunately...

[Tengocity]

Originally Posted by RobUK

I'm intrigued.

I'm trying to remember way back, and I was never any kind of pharmacologist, but codeine is a lot more similar in its mode of action to a natural opiate, whereas tramadol is not. So it blocks and interferes with all sorts of other unintended receptors and pathways, giving much more potential for unpleasant effects.

[Broncho]

Indomethacin gives me a similar experience, I need to take it when my knee flares up, I can't work, drive, make love or anything, bad times

[RobUK]

Originally Posted by Tengocity

I'm trying to remember way back, and I was never any kind of pharmacologist, but codeine is a lot more similar in its mode of action to a natural opiate, whereas tramadol is not. So it blocks and interferes with all sorts of other unintended receptors and pathways, giving much more potential for unpleasant effects.

That's interesting. I had surgery on my hand back in May - exquisitely painful. As it was done privately it's the usual conveyor belt healthcare... get you in, done and out as quick as possible. To be fair, they do want you compos mentis before you leave, even after a general. So when sorting out post op meds the nurse suggested Tramadol but then another piped up and said "we'll never get him out of here with Tramadol" and I was given Co-Codamol (Solpadol) instead. Seems I should be thankful.

[willjames]

Tramadol made me hallucinate, whilst drifting in and out of sleep. It's bad shit. Diazepam just knocked me out, always falling asleep so stopped that as well.

[Kal101]

That’s tramadol for you.

The hallucinogenic effects were one of the reasons it got upgraded to controlled ( albeit the lower categories) some time back.

Just to put it into perspective - I’ve met people -in a profession capacity - who take much larger doses and walk around relatively normally.

However you want to see their reaction when their prescription hasn’t landed.

[HeresMyCar]

I have it for my many aches and pains. I refuse to take it by day and only ever take it when I really need to ie unbearable pain and won't be doing anything more strenuous than walking to my bed or the sofa! Loathe it!

[alpinafan]

Sorry to hear that so many people have had bad reactions whilst taking Tramadol.

I have been taking it on and off for over 20 years, when my back is really bad it enables me to still function.

I only use it in an emergency, I have had minor dizzy spells but nothing major.

I was prescribed the 200mg prolonged-release version, which lasts about 12 hours, luckily it hasn't made me go loopy

[Derrymilk]

Diazepam for me
Back trouble going on nearly 20 years, I always have some in the house or when I’m traveling, but they never cause me any trouble.
Never been proscribed Tramadol, though my wife probably would let it through the door - she won’t let me take Naproxen - reckons it’s a nasty drug, though in a different way to Tramadol

[Axman85]

UNLESS YOU WANT TO BECOME AN ADDICT, STOP TAKING TRAMDOL. HIGHLY ADDICTIVE, DOCTORS LIKE TO GIVE IT. IT'S AN OPIOD DERIVATIVE. TAKE AN NSAID (aspirin/advil) AND MAN UP!

[R0B]

I was 'on' tramadol after having kidney stones removed. It was rather addictive and took time to kick it.

[Watsey]

Originally Posted by Axman85

UNLESS YOU WANT TO BECOME AN ADDICT, STOP TAKING TRAMDOL. HIGHLY ADDICTIVE, DOCTORS LIKE TO GIVE IT. IT'S AN OPIOD DERIVATIVE. TAKE AN NSAID (aspirin/advil) AND MAN UP!

"man up" are the words spoken by someone who has never experienced crippling back pain