Tramadol (Ultram) is an atypical opioid drug that is primarily utilized to help people manage moderate or severe pain. It is considered an “atypical” opioid due to the fact that it also prevents the reuptake of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine. It also has a very minor effect as a mu-opioid receptor agonist. This is a drug that works very well to help individuals ongoing moderate pain.
For chronic severe pain this drug is less effective than morphine, but in cases of moderate pain, it is considered equally effective. Individuals who take Tramadol will likely notice that it provides significant relief from pain sensations within an hour of ingestion. The drug itself doesn’t really have a purpose other than to provide people with relief from pain. It is used by people struggling with pain associated with fibromyalgia if that pain becomes severe enough to warrant an opioid.
When compared to morphine, the dosing of Tramadol is approximately 10% of the potency, therefore it also works well to help manage acute opioid withdrawal symptoms. There are people who use this drug recreationally to “get high,” but most people who use it are doing so because it helps with pain management. It is currently being investigated as to whether it helps treat depression, diabetic neuropathy, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and premature ejaculation.
Factors that influence Tramadol withdrawal
There are many factors that play a role in determining the severity of opiate withdrawal symptoms. Things that will influence the intensity of your withdrawal include: time span over which you took the drug, your dosage, whether you have become dependent on the drug, how quickly you taper, as well as other individual factors.
1. Time Span
How long were you on Tramadol? If you were on this drug daily for many years and are looking to quit, you are likely going to have much more severe withdrawal symptoms compared to someone who took this drug for a couple months and/or shorter duration. Additionally if you took the drug “off and on” as opposed to every day, you should have an easier time with the withdrawal because you have given your body “breaks” from being under the influence of the drug. In general, the longer the span of time over which you took this drug, the tougher the withdrawal process.
2. Dosage (50 mg to 100 mg)
What dosage did you take? If you were on a high dosage, the process of withdrawing takes much longer than someone on a lower dose. Higher doses taken over an extended period of time result in your body building up a greater tolerance to the drug. The recommended daily dose of Tramadol is between 50 mg and 100 mg.
However, many people end up building up tolerance to the 100 mg and/or require a greater dose to treat their pain. The maximum recommended daily dose is 400 mg, however some people end up taking more with doctor supervision. There have been reported cases of people taking between 1000 mg and 2000 mg as a result of long term use and tolerance.
3. Tolerance / Dependency / Addiction
People that have been taking Tramadol for an extended period of time may develop tolerance to the drug. When tolerance develops, people usually increase the amount of the drug that they take so that they receive the same relief for pain management. Some people end up developing a major tolerance and actually become dependent on the drug for functioning.
Those who become dependent may have a very difficult time withdrawing from the drug or even decreasing the dosage. The fact that this drug does provide pain relief and individuals can develop a tolerance, it is possible to become addicted to Tramadol. Fortunately the addiction potential of Tramadol is significantly less than that of other opioids.
4. Cold turkey vs. Tapering
How did you quit taking Tramadol? Did you come off of the drug “cold turkey” or did you conduct a gradual taper? In most cases, it is highly recommended to taper off of any opiate due to the fact that cold turkey withdrawal can be dangerous. Many people have had success quitting cold turkey, but the symptoms may be significantly more severe than if a gradual taper is conducted.
Most people that have experienced Tramadol withdrawal “cold turkey” advise to conduct a taper. The rule of thumb that many users live by is that the tapering period should last 1/4 the total duration of the time you took the drug. So if you took the drug for 4 years, your tapering period should last one full year. You should also work with a professional to determine the increments by which you decrease your dosing.
5. Individual Factors
It is also important to understand that since everyone is unique, individual factors can influence withdrawal time and severity of symptoms. Certain people barely experience any sort of withdrawal when they come off of Tramadol, while others may experience very difficult symptoms that persist for weeks following their last dose.
Individual factors include things like: physiology, environment, social support, whether you are taking other drugs and/or supplements, etc. Keep in mind that some people are also more sensitive and/or aware to the physical and mental sensations that they experience during withdrawal.
Tramadol Withdrawal Symptoms: List of Possibilities
Below is a list of possible symptoms that you may experience when you discontinue Tramadol. Understand that not everyone will experience every last symptom on the list. You may experience one or two symptoms or an array of them. Realize that your withdrawal symptoms will be unique to you and may not necessarily echo what others experience.
- Abdominal cramps: One of the most common symptoms associated with Tramadol withdrawal is abdominal cramping. If you feel abdominal pain and as if you have an eternal stomach ache, it is just your body reacting to no longer receiving the drug.
- Anxiety: Most opioid drugs tend to help people stay calm and reduce anxiety. This drug can further reduce anxiety with its affect on serotonin levels. When a person withdraws, the individual is no longer getting the endorphin stimulation from the drug and the same effect on serotonin levels. The withdrawal can make people feel significantly more anxious than before they started the drug.
- Brain zaps: When withdrawing from higher doses and/or when withdrawing “cold turkey” many people experience electrical-shock sensations throughout their brain. These are most commonly experienced during antidepressant withdrawal. Since Tramadol affects serotonin, it is thought that serotonin levels readjusting leads to “zapping” sensations.
- Cravings: Some people have a very difficult time quitting this particular drug. Although it is less addicting than other opiates, many people still end up having cravings during their withdrawal. As time continues to pass and you stay sober, these cravings tend to gradually subside.
- Dilated pupils: Opiates tend to result in pupil constriction. When you come off of these drugs, your pupils will likely dilate and look pretty huge. This is merely something that you may notice when you look in the mirror.
- Depression: Since Tramadol affects the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, it may lead some people to feel happier. It is being investigated as an antidepressant and many people find that it works great at alleviating depression. When quitting this drug, not only are endorphin levels low, but serotonin and norepinephrine levels may also be low – leading people to feel depressed.
- Diarrhea: It is well known that taking opioid drugs can lead to significant constipation. When you quit taking the drug and your bowel functioning changes, most people first experience diarrhea. This may be somewhat difficult to deal with and especially uncomfortable. The best way to manage this is by taking some over-the-counter Imodium.
- Dizziness: Among the most common of all withdrawal symptoms is that of feeling dizzy. Some people report feeling so dizzy that they cannot do any sort of physical activity. If you feel especially dizzy at times, make sure that you take the time to get proper rest. Understand that this is a reaction you are having to the withdrawal.
- Fatigue: Many people feel intense fatigue when they quit this drug. It may be difficult to get out of bed in the morning and/or do much of anything. Your energy levels should gradually pick back up within a few weeks.
- Goose bumps: Another common thing to experience is “goose bumps” across your entire body. These are little bumps and tingling sensations that may be powerful during the initial couple weeks of withdrawal.
- Headaches: Some people report having very painful headaches during withdrawal. If you are experiencing intense headaches, consider some sort of headache relief. Make sure that you are drinking plenty of water, getting adequate sleep, and relaxing your facial muscles.
- Insomnia: Although you may feel excessively tired at some points during withdrawal, you may also struggle with insomnia. This can be a result of increases in anxiety and stress, but may also be due to the fact that your neurotransmitters are out of balance.
- Mood swings: During withdrawal your moods may be difficult to control. You may feel somewhat normal one minute, then super depressed the next.
- Muscle cramps: As mentioned earlier, it is very common to experience abdominal cramping. However, some people experience cramps throughout all of their muscles. If you find yourself cramping up easily, just know that its normal.
- Nausea: The nausea can be overwhelming at times when you initially quit the drug. It may lead you to vomit, but in most cases it will just be very uncomfortable. Try to weather the storm and realize that this will improve.
- Pain: If you were being treated for pain, you may notice that the pain reemerges when you stop taking Tramadol. Â This pain may be more severe than before you went on the drug. Â It should eventually improve as a result of your body building up its natural endorphin levels. Â With that said, be sure to work with a doctor to treat your pain if it is unbearable.
- Panic attacks: If you experience intense anxiety during withdrawal, this could lead to a panic attack. It is the adjustment in neurotransmitter levels that can take some time and make people prone to panic. To decrease feelings of panic, take the time to consciously relax when you feel stressed.
- Restlessness: You may notice that you feel increasingly restless in the weeks following your last dose. If you feel especially restless, try to do something productive like clean up around the house or go for a walk.
- Sleep problems: You may notice that your sleep changes significantly compared to when you took the drug. It may be difficult to stay relaxed and fall asleep or you may notice yourself sleeping too much. Most people end up sleeping heavily at times during withdrawal and at other times notice that they cannot fall asleep at all due to insomnia.
- Suicidal thoughts: During withdrawal it is very common to feel intense depression – especially in the first few weeks following your last dose. In some cases this leads people to experiencing suicidal thinking, which can be difficult to deal with. Take the time to realize that this is simply a result of withdrawal and things will improve as you heal. If you are unable to realize that these thoughts are merely a phase of withdrawal, be sure to seek professional help from a therapist.
- Sweating: If you sweat profusely during withdrawal, just know that you are not alone. Many people end up experiencing intense sweating throughout the day and during their sleep at night. If you feel like a walking puddle, just know that it’s a symptom of withdrawal that will improve in time.
- Tremors: Many people report that they shake uncontrollably when they initially quit this drug. Â These tremors may be more severe if you quit cold turkey from a substantial dosage, but they can occur even if you taper properly.
- Vomiting: In some cases people actually experience flu-like symptoms and get sick. This may lead a person to vomit within days after taking their last dose. Typically vomiting won’t last more than several days after discontinuation.
Note: Most evidence points to the fact that people experience seizures while on this drug. Although many people are curious about whether withdrawal can cause seizures, it should be noted that this is a pretty unlikely experience during withdrawal. Â It should also be noted that in rare cases, people can hallucinate during the withdrawal process as well.
Tramadol Withdrawal Duration: How long will it last?
Most individuals report that the bulk of their withdrawal from Tramadol lasts anywhere from 10 days to a few weeks. However, it is important to understand that many people also experience what is known as post acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS). These “post-acute” symptoms occur long after the drug is out of the body and most of these effects are a result of the body trying to reset itself back to homeostatic functioning.
Understand that what you experience during withdrawal will be largely influenced by the factors listed above including: time span, dosage, dependency, individual physiology, as well as how quickly you tapered. If you do not conduct a gradual taper, you may experience very severe withdrawal symptoms compared to someone who tapered slowly over a long period of time. It is important to understand that Tramadol stays in your system for less than 2 days after stopping (on average), and most people feel better several weeks after cessation.
If your withdrawal symptoms are too severe to cope with, you may want to work with a professional. You may want to take the time to visit a therapist who specializes in drug withdrawal and/or consider consulting a doctor. A doctor may be able to prescribe a drug like Clonidine to help take the edge off and reduce your anxiety, insomnia, and unnecessary stress that you may be experiencing. During withdrawal, do your best to get plenty of rest, get proper vitamins and nutrients, eat a healthy diet, and consider some very light exercise (e.g. walking).
Tramadol affects opioid receptors that manage pain as well as neurotransmitters that affect mood. Some people swear that this is the toughest drug that they have ever withdrawn from. If you have successfully withdrawn from Tramadol or are in the process of withdrawing, feel free to share your experience in the comments section below.
Day 33 for me and I just realized that I am listening to soft, acoustical guitar and actually relaxing a bit. Only energetic dance music could help the restless “body” syndrome I have been going through up until today. The third week was in some ways the worse for me. I knew the physical withdrawal would be the worse the first 10 days, but was not prepared for the depression that hit day 21. “Is this never going to get better?!”
I had to cancel activities and just hunker down again. Thank goodness for this board and all of you sharing your experiences. I am expecting ups and downs for about three months since I was on tramadol for most of a year. I am still taking 5mg of hydrocodone at night, but cutting back to half of that for another week tonight and then done with it. I am fortunate that I do not have to be up for a job and will just ride out any insomnia until my body finally adapts.
Besides supplements like calcium, coriolus, baby aspirin, melatonin, and letrozole for my cancer, I am taking magnesium, 5-HTP, Cortisol Manager and a multivitamin at night. Until the allergy season lets up, I am also taking Advil PM which helps get me to sleep. I am forcing myself to stay awake all day.
Walking is a must for me and daily, often twice. The RLS is worse at night, of course, but I find listening to dance music and either standing on one leg or holding a plank pose (I feel a lot of the RLS in my shoulders) until lactic acid/the burn builds up enough helps.
One of the toughest parts for me right now is staying away from sugar and garbage food. Just another quick mood fix with its own withdrawal. I feel so much better with clean eating. I hope everyone is doing well and beating this really nasty drug. I cannot believe a class action lawsuit has not been started against the company that promoted this stuff as non-addictive. -Susan
I used to do meth, I injured my spine because of the dumb things I was doing while I was on meth. So my doctor tried steroid injections in my spine but we saw no results. So he put me on tramadol. 50 Mgs 3 times a day. When that started not working as well he switched me to 4 times a day. Then when that stopped being effective I started taking 100 Mgs twice a day. And as you can guess that stopped being effective and so on and so forth.
Basically I’ve been taking 200 Mgs once or twice a day (depending on my pain levels) for the last 4 months. I know that’s not long compared to a lot of people. But I can tell you that withdrawing from tramadol is definitely a lot harder than coming off of meth after 9 months of daily use. I don’t have all the symptoms but I do have the insomnia and the anxiety. I have anxiety all the time but it gets way worse when I’m not on the tramadol.
I’ve always experienced this strange super uncomfortable feeling when I’m withdrawing from tramadol and trying to sleep. It’s very difficult to explain but the all over goosebumps is part of it. I just get like the constant feeling of a cold chill running through my body and it feels like someone is running their finger up and down my spine very lightly touching it. I also get this heavy pressure feeling in my chest. Kind of like someone is pushing me down right underneath my collar bones.
And it just makes me feel so disgusting and uncomfortable and make it seriously impossible to sleep Like I said this probably sounds weird because it is literally the only way I’ve come up with to describe it. Anyways I also get insane headaches when I’m awake and my pain always seems to be 10xs worse than usual. Anyways that’s my experience withdrawing from tramadol. Worse than meth. But has anyone else experienced the feeling I described? And if so, is there a name for it?
Thank you! I have had the exact same issue during multiple tramadol comedowns: my back and shoulders seem like they want to contract or shiver but do not quite get there, they just feel “tickly.”
I am so glad to have found this website. I hate to see anyone else going through this, but am grateful for the validation and not feeling so alone and crazy. I was taking two 50mg pills, one after lunch and one at bedtime. I backed that down to 1/2 after lunch and bedtime and then 1/2 bedtime. Tapering slowly was not going helping me, so stopped completely two weeks ago. I have had a lot of the symptoms with the worse being the insomnia, RLS which tends to hit me in my shoulders and constant fatigue.
I have used hydrocodone in the afternoon and bedtime and even that has not made the withdrawal much better. I am stepping down that also so I am now at 1/2 dose at bedtime for one more week and then off everything completely. It is going to be the only way I can see what my pain levels are truly like and seek help accordingly. The toughest part for me to remember that the anxiety and pains are a result of the withdrawal and not my cancer coming back. Again, I am so grateful for all of your posts that make this less frightening and telling me there is an end in sight! Best wishes for us all. Susan
These comments are very helpful. I hope everyone going through this know that they’re not alone. I’m going on my second day. Insomnia is my worst symptom. I checked on a few websites and they said taking a shower (even if it’s 3 in the morning) will help the restless legs syndrome and insomnia. It’s crazy because I haven’t told anyone. My roommate thinks I have the flu or something. This feeling is terrible. Makes me feel better that I’m not alone.
I have taken 300 mg of ultram in 3 divided doses a day for 20 years. Prescribed for post polio muscle pain. Recently I started to get tremors and extreme sweating, so have weaned down to 200 mg, and sweating and tremors have disappeared. Will continue to wean very slowly…10% a week, but probably won’t stop altogether.
Would like to get to 150mg per day. Post polio pain is annoying and I can’t take nonsteroidals, or the things like Zoloft that are often prescribed. Tried just stopping, and it was awful, like described here, but weaning at 10% a week is pretty painless. If my legs seem like going to become “restless”, I take 1/2 a benadryl. Good luck all!
I have taken this drug everyday, 100mg 4-6 times every single day for 2 years. I’m on day 2 of cold turkey. This is horrible. My entire body hurts. My legs and arms feel like they way 100lbs each, just typing this is too much for me. I have diarrhea, I’m dizzy, and I’m having restless legs endlessly. I just want to sleep it away but can’t even sleep. I’m having mood swings from wanting to cry to biting people’s heads off. I can’t go through 2 weeks of this. I just can’t.
I’m worried about you. How are you doing?
Hi Lynette, How are you getting on with your withdrawals? I read through all the comments but I realise yours is pretty new so you would probably still be withdrawing. I hope you didn’t give in as I know all too well how tempting that is. I was on Tramadol since early last year for 18 months and took my last Tramadol exactly 3 weeks ago. I had been on 300mg (6 pills) per day.
I was prescribed them by my doctor for lower back pain and for the first 6 months I was taking them in small doses when needed. But without fully realising it, I started to take my whole daily dose in the mornings. I had become addicted to it not only for the pain relief but for the sense of “euphoria” and well-being it gave me when I took all six pills – It set me for the day. WELL that was at least for 6 months of taking it that way….
Then, ofcourse, I became more tolerant and the influence it had on me was weaker and weaker. It got to the point where I couldn’t function at all without it. I would spiral into depression if I didn’t take it every day. My attendance to work started to suffer a lot because my body was in withdrawal during mornings before my next dose and I couldn’t get myself out of bed to face the world.
It also made me retreat from family and friends, I would only see them when I had little “bursts” of happiness from the tramadol – I would cancel on them a lot making up false excuses. I was a yo-yo, one minute I could deal with everything and the next minute I couldn’t face the simplest of things. Before I quit, I tapered down to around 2-3 pills a day (150mg) and I hoped this would have eased the side effects but I was in for a TREAT. When I took my last pill 3 weeks ago, the first 5 days were insanely horrible.
In those days the worst withdrawal symptoms for me were: insane hopelessness and depression, insomnia, and the evil Restless Legs Syndrome. The other side effects were also bad of-course (diarrhea, nausea, bursting into tears at anything, wet sex dreams, etc). The wet dreams side effect: I completely lost my sex drive while I was on these so I think my body is restoring and causing this… which is of course good in the long run but bad for my sheets! After those 5 days things slowly got better for me and over a week into the withdrawals I was so glad that the worst symptom, being the restless legs, stopped.
This meant I was able to gradually get more and more sleep each night. Today, 3 weeks in, I feel less depressed, better rested and getting out of bed for work is much easier. The one thing I am still feeling though is the occasional dips in my mood throughout the day. Several times, about 30-60 minutes at a time my mood can dip into a moderate depression and during those dips, part of my head is screaming out for a “fix” of Tramadol, knowing that it will make me feel great for half a day.
Of course, I am glad I don’t have any reserve of Tramadol to “give in” to and I am just taking each day at a time. I must say that I do finally have that “haze” away from me – the world/my emotions feel “real” again and I do feel like I have some “natural” happiness back that I forgot even existed without the help of Tramadol. Also, I now take a natural health supplement called “5-HTP” which is sold in our health stores over here (Holland & Barrett).
This is serotonin and it can take some of the edge off moderate anxiety or depression while your serotonin levels are low from coming off Tramadol. I would like to thank everyone for their stories as they were very engaging to read and it made me feel less alone in the battle!
Hi Dave, I know it’s been a long time since you last posted but I am in a similar position to the one you were in and was just wondering if you had any sleeping troubles after the 1st week or so and if indeed, you’re sleep returned to normal at all? I’ve slept maybe 2 hours a night for the past 5 days. I’m away with my girlfriend on a 3 week holiday in 2 days and I’m scared that the holidays already ruined. I went CT 6 days ago after 350mg a day. Never ever again.
Like so many others I am blown away at getting off Tramadol. I live in Mexico and is over the counter, called Mavidol TR. Is only 25 mg. I’ve taken it for about 5 months in the afternoon. Smoothed out chronic pain and made me feel better about life. I felt like cleaning and cruising around. Then I started trying not to take it for obvious reasons. Today is day 6 and is an astonishing array of symptoms: fatigue, insomnia, severe needles and pins, nausea, and diarrhea.
I have ZERO intention of taking it again and will get through this but its pretty bad and I was on only 25 mg a day! One thing that made me not want to take it was that after a light meal, I would have to lie down and sleep (???!!!). I knew that the slight euphoria was false so I decided to quit. Have not been right since I quit so hope things improve. Again, this was only 25 mg for a few months, one time per day.
I started off taking 100mg of slow release tramadol at night in January. This was shortly after increased to 200mg. this was for pain for a ruptured disc. As the pain subsided I began decreasing the amount I was taking until I was down to 50mg every other day. Last week after speaking to my doctor I decided to stop as I had a week off work. I am now on day 8 and feel the worst I have done so far. I haven’t slept properly for 4 nights and am waking up soaked in sweat. Or I’m cold and covered in goosebumps. I was at work today with a jumper on and wrapped up in a blanket…
It’s a really hot day today. I had a migraine on Friday which has left me with a standard headache since, cocodamol makes it worse, paracetamol and ibuprofen don’t touch it. I’ve had stomach cramps and diarrhea most days. I just didn’t expect it to last this long. However I still have tramadol in my handbag and at no point have I ever wanted to take one even though I know will make all my symptoms go away. I will never take tramadol again even if it did do a really good job when my back was at its worst.
I have been on about 500 mg for two years after a motorcycle accident I quit cold turkey and I will say it was hell!! I ended up getting some pot to help for the first 4 days it helped and quit that yesterday. Panic attacks, zaps, plus not being sure if I can deal with reality after being on for so long. I haven’t hardly slept for 4 days and I work tomorrow… I do feel a whole lot better. Doing a cleansing tea seamed to help along with lots of water. I rode my bike twice like hell for the miles; I think I got it if I can stay ahead of the depression and panic attacks. Any ideas?
Sounds like you are off and running… Are you still clean? Can you tell us how you feel now?
I was on 100 mg a day for one year and quit cold turkey. My biggest complaint after about 8 days now is extreme lethargy/fatigue. I’m 66 and have been lifting weights/cardio most of my adult life, so the fatigue is pretty debilitating – can’t get ‘up’ for the gym. I’m a combat veteran with severe PTSD, and I’m surprised that I’m not experiencing panic attacks, which I used to have often in the past, while going through my tramadol withdrawal.
I’ll try taking clonidine, which my doctor prescribed for me in the past. I’m glad someone at this site suggested that. I’ve been under severe stress for more than a solid year and have had long-lasting depression over the past many years, which I’m sure are adding to my withdrawal suffering. Its been helpful to read your comments so I can kind of gauge how long this misery might last for me. I wish I’d known about the tapering advice before I quit cold turkey; guess there’s no turning back for me now. My prayers are with us all!
For the past 5 days I have been experiencing difficulty breathing, insomnia, restlessness, moody, and panic attacks. I am relieved to know it is the side of effects from the Tramadol and that it will only last a few weeks. I unfortunately abruptly stopped taking the Tramadol instead of gradually discontinuing the usage as directed. After stopping the Tramadol the next day is when my first panic attack started along with the insomnia. Now I have flu like symptoms and difficulty breathing. Keeping my mind occupied by reading, cleaning, cooking and shopping during the day helps. I have no energy to exercise. But at least I know there will be an end.
Hi. I have been on 300mg Tramadol for about a year. I started tapering 5 days ago but have not done it slowly and found the mood swings are so severe that I thought I was going to end up in psych ward. On top of that I find the dizziness and nausea really bad news. I am glad I have found your site it has comforted me to know I am not going mad. -Raewin
I can’t believe how hard it is for me to kick this terrible drug. I was on tramadol for at least 9 years. And I was taking between 1000 mg to 2000 mg on my own. I began having the seizures and that was it for me. I knew it was time to quit. I went cold turkey. I had to. And I’m 8 weeks but still going through insomnia, restless, anxiety, diarrhea, depression. Those are still with me 2 months later. But I’m determined and I’m not breaking. I’m staying strong and I know I’ll beat this. This is the hardest pill I had to kick.
Hi Silvia. I am going through the same thing. Feels like I’ve been awake for months. I really hope you beat this. I’m 7 weeks in and scared to death. My dr has no answers. Please keep us posted on your progress. There’s strength in numbers. Just wanted you to know you’re not alone…
Hi, all the withdrawal symptoms above are very familiar to me. I’ve been on and off the Tram for 4 -5 years now, owing to chronic back pain that we now know is arthritis. Despite the hellish withdrawal experience I made a conscious choice to ask for a refill of my Tram script when the pain got bad a few months ago, and I haven’t regretted it so far; it works better than anything else the docs give. They refuse to give actual opiates in my country but not sure if I would have chosen Vicodin anyway since the constipation is awful.
Why did I choose Tram, having been through all the things described above? Well, it works for the pain is reason number 1 and number 2 is that (after floundering through WDs before and only learning about them via websites like this) I finally realized that tapering to get off Tram works like a DREAM. I think all of you who advocate cold turkey are choosing am extremely hard path, because going CT you get ALL the symptoms everyday, and tapering you get NONE until the last 2-3 days and even those are so mild that you’ll think they’re all in your head.
Also: tapering lasts usually the same amount of time as CT and you can go about your daily life during all that time, instead of suffering. And at the end of that period your symptoms are almost gone. I’ve tried both and see NO difference in the end result at the end of the recovery period. Why bother with going turkey then? Seriously? You’re torturing yourselves if you voluntarily choose this route and it literally achieves nothing: it’s not faster, or better, or more comfortable in the end and actually it is far more likely to break your spirit and force a relapse.
Please take my word as someone who has been on and off Tram for years and tried it both ways: do taper. Don’t let your script run out and CT because you feel weak asking for a refill. If your script runs out during the WD, get a new one from your doc. These above symptoms are real, documented and dangerous and you MUST avoid getting them. I can’t stress that enough! I am sure some of you are frightened when you experience WD at first, and as a result you decide to kick this addictive substance ASAP. That is fair enough; It’s true that Tram is addictive and that the docs lied to you… but don’t punish yourselves for that! Follow a gradual and safe reduction regime instead.
Here’s what I do: when I realize I’m pain free, I stop taking Tram for as long as I can before the first WD appear. When I feel those coming on I take HALF my regular dose and wait until I start to feel the WD coming on again. If it takes less than a day for the WD to come on again, I increase my tapering dose slightly, and then take that dose every day for a week. After a week, I repeat the process: I stop the Tram until I feel the first signs of withdrawal; take half of the dose I’ve been on; wait and see if it takes less than a day for the WD to return.
If it does, I increase the tapered dose and if it not, I leave the dose at the new, reduced level. Doing this, it’s never taken me more than 3-4 weeks to come off of <200mg a day starting dose. And through it all, I experience just a few hours – a couple of days of mild WD symptoms. If you don’t believe me please look around online before you decide to go turkey: long term users like myself always advise against it… For good, good reasons!! Having said that, I’m sorry you’ve all gone through this and wish you all the best :-)
Excellent advice. I’m new to the withdrawal symptoms…and two days in and I’ve been reading forums for hours now. There is hope found in these threads. Both of my (grown) children have almost died numerous times from addictions to opiates. I am the last person I ever thought would get addicted to pain meds. But here I am on and off the Tram. Thanks for the insight and the HOPE. I think we learn alot more than how to w/d from the Tram. Love to all.
I was prescribed Tramadol 50mg 3 times a day as needed for pain due to slipped discs for the last two days. I wasn’t even taking them daily but I can tell you these withdrawals are awful. I took my last dose two days ago. I am having the issue of wanting to sleep all the time but my entire body is restless. My worst symptom is the vomiting – I can’t keep fluids down. I swear if any doctor tries to prescribe this again I will tell said doctor to shove it.
I have been taking Tramadol for 2.5 years at 100mg – 200mg per day depending on pain level. I lost my medication in November of last year and went cold turkey for about a week. I felt absolutely awful – every withdrawal symptom mentioned. I asked my PCP physician to taper me off of the drug in January – tapered off for one month. I felt absolutely horrible – so I started taking Tramadol again at a lower dose – 100 mg -2x50mg.
I have issues with high blood pressure which I never had before taking this drug and when I saw it was a possible side effect I quit taking it after a a one week taper three weeks ago. Again, terrible withdrawal symptoms – most notable – severe dizziness, zaps in my brain, depression, mood swings, suicidal thoughts, nausea, insomnia, anxiety, crying, feelings of hopelessness, body aches, sweating, etc. It has been awful – last week I saw my PCP and she prescribed 5/325 Percocet twice a day for lower back pain – sciatica – lumbago.
I have tapered off of pain meds many times as a result of surgery etc. – I know I can stop taking Percocet without that much of a problem at a low dose – and I will as soon as possible as I do not want to take any medication whatsoever. Tramadol is a horrible drug and the effects on the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine as a reuptake inhibitor SNRI are what I think causes the prolonged withdrawal symptoms.
Tramadol is is almost identical to to the SNRI Effexor (Venlaxafine) and is one of the hardest antidepressants to get off of. Wikipedia is a great reference to learn more about drugs and there effects – side effects. Tramadol is poison in my opinion.
I’m so pissed! We were told it was a safe non habit forming med. I have been on it for 4-4.5 years and just haven’t needed to take it the past two days. I have done this in the past as well but never put it together that my symptoms are from withdrawals. The worst of it is definitely the weird leg problem! It’s unbearable. Thanks to all if you who’ve posted here. I am somehow comforted knowing I’m not the only one who is experiencing this. I’ve never taken more than I was prescribed or “abused” it. I always thought that if you didn’t take more than prescribed you’d be very unlikely to get addicted. I was wrong. Wish me luck.
I was prescribed Tramadol for chronic pain due to torn tendon of gluteus max and arthritis. I was on for two years when the doctor refused to prescribe anymore. I went back to my regular M,D who prescribed again. I felt like an addict begging for medication! I’m a recovered alcoholic with 26 years sober! And never addicted to medication so…I decided to stop. I had been taking 2 50 mg per day for over two years. I went down to 1 per day and now none.
I’ve had trouble sleeping, stomach pain and diarrhea, muscle aches, sneezing and coughing. I’m waiting for the original pain I took the drug for to reappear. I’m hopeful it won’t. Anyhow, by changing the medication to an opiate changes the whole situation…it’s not addicting to it is addicting. The medical community should tell their patients how to come off it and not just one day say I won’t give it to you anymore. Thanks for all the info on withdrawal. I’m amazed at how large of a problem this is.
I wonder how many of us were bamboozled by the maker of this drug, or worse yet, our family doctor. I have suffered from chronic back pain for over 20 years. I’ve now had 8 back surgeries and 2 neck surgeries. Several years ago my doctor told me about this great drug, that could knock out my pain, was virtually non-addictive, and may even help me lose some weight.
Sign me up doc, I said. What an immense mistake. I took tramadol for about three years and while it did ease my pain, and lose weight, it almost destroyed my life. In the past twenty years and all those surgeries I have never had a problem getting off pain meds. Tramadol was a completely different beast. Once it gets its hooks in you it very difficult to kick. While all of our stories sound pretty much the same to this point, it’s the withdrawal timeline and method that varies some. I was taking 600 mg. of tramadol everyday plus 4-6 10/325 percocet a day.
When my tramadol script ran out I had know plans of quitting as I had a weeks worth of percocet left. For several reasons I won’t bore you with here when it came time a week later and my percocet was just about out I decided ENOUGH, it’s time to quit. I went cold turkey at home and just decided to bunker in and get it done. The absolute biggest mistake of my like. It has truly been hell. Oh, and did I mention that my wife decided to talk be into quitting my 25 year chewing tobacco habit at the same time. UGH!
So, when I took my last percocet, the tramadol had been out of my system for about 7 days. Next to know side affects during this period. 24 hours after my last percocet and 8 days into my tram withdrawal things got ugly. First the anxiety and the old aches and pains setting back in, then the terrible diarrhea, cold and hot sweats and just about every other flu system under the sun, only multiply that by 5. But hands down the two worst symptoms I had was zero sleep for almost 90 hours, and it was in large part to the other system that just about did me in, Restless Leg Syndrome.
This initial phase lasted seven days. At that time I started turning the corner. I am know 10 days in and most flue symptoms gone, sleeping about 4 hours a day, keeping most food down and just plowing through hour by hour. This sucks and I will never put myself in this position again. God is good for getting me through this.
I was taking 50 mg of Tramadol once a day for back pain for 2 months and when my pain got better quit cold turkey 4 days ago. I have had such severe depression that I want to cry all the time and just feel like I can’t cope with life, I want to take a pill so I will feel good about things again but I know to so will only put me back to where I was. I wish I would begin to feel better pretty soon so I can get on with my life.
I was put on Tramadol after surgery to control pain and had no idea why I got so sick when I quit taking the medicine after only 2 weeks of use. I was to take 1-2 50 mg pills every 4-6 hours as necessary. I was taking about 200 mg per day, sometimes more. My withdrawal symptoms included a severe headache, nauseousness, diarrhea, anxiety and no energy that appeared about 6 hours after I stopped taking this poison.
The next three days, the only symptom that disappeared was the headache. The upset stomach never seemed to go away. What is weird is how random the pain can be. I feel ‘OK’ but not well in the morning and then as the day progressed I got really sick and had to lie down. Tomorrow is day 5 and I’m hoping it will be gone when I wake up as I feel OK tonight – much better than the previous 4 nights.
I know I was not on it that long but was still shocked at the horrible withdrawal symptoms I experienced without any warnings from my doctor. Shouldn’t they be telling us this info before we take it? On the brighter side, it does get better people and the symptoms get easier to tolerate – hang in there and fight through it!
This sounds almost like me. In February I had a knee replacement and used massive amounts of oxycodone and morphine to get through the pain for the first 9 weeks, stepping dosage down towards the end. I moved to Tramadol, and have taken this before, just not after 9 weeks of the high octane stuff. Never a problem.
Sunday was the last of the Tramadol; thankfully I have had a fantastic result by working PT diligently. For about a week I was taking 3-4 at a time when I wasn’t hurting–a hint I should have paid more attention to. Monday night the three weeks of sleep I finally started getting post-op screeched to a halt. Thought I was going crazy with the inability to sleep despite knowing I was exhausted to the point of tears. My poor dog, following me around the house, not realizing her desire to snuggle up against me was making my nerve endings scream.
Last night around 11:30 I really started to worry as I could not stop yawning with fatigue but could not sleep–nerve endings on fire when I tried to lie down. I had a normal temperature, but felt chilled inside my 75 degree house that normally is 72. I found this site and realized it’s opium withdrawal. Last night I fought for about 3 hours sleep, so maybe this is getting better. God bless us all as we sort through the issues of taking medications our well intended professionals thought were helping.
I was on tramadol for 5 years, 400 milligrams a day, I quit cold turkey, and the withdrawals were unbelievable. Its been 4 weeks since I had any tramadol, and my doctor has put me on percocet instead, but the other day I couldn’t resist and I took 50 milligrams of tramadol wow, felt guilty. The withdrawals I had from Tramadol were severe restless legs and depression.
I was on tramadol SR (150mg nightly) and Activus (between 100mg – 300mg daily, depending on pain levels) for two weeks after having all four wisdom teeth removed then getting a painful infection (the paracetemol and codeine didn’t stop the pain). It has now been 8 days since I last took Tramadol and I have barely slept. The first few days were the worst: total insomnia, restlessness, lethargy, uncontrollable sadness (I rarely cry, but I sobbed and cried numerous times in those first few days), headaches. Horrible.
After two sleepless nights I could barely function at work and I was an emotional mess, my GP prescribed a low dose of temazepam to help getting to sleep and staying asleep. I took it for three nights which barely worked but let me get some light sleep. I didn’t want to become addicted to another medication so the past two nights I have tried to sleep without medications, although I have been trying magnesium capsules to relax, melatonin capsules to re-regulate my sleep patterns, milk (tryptophan helps natural production of serotonin and melatonin for sleep onset), as well as all the other common sleep hygiene tips, including exercise.
All of these will only help a little if any, but I’ll take any tiny step towards sleep I can get. I crave a deep sleep – my cheekbones feel the weight. I know it will end, and I’m bored of talking to everyone about it, I rarely complain but I feel like I have been whingeing for three weeks now, one problem after another. Adds to the anxiety and low mood further, I have to catch myself on that. I know a bit about opioid withdrawals from my work, I just was too careless (as was my GP) taking too much tramadol for too long.
My advice to everyone is to exercise, eat well, practice mindfulness (plenty of great apps for your phone if you don’t know how), read up on sleep hygiene, and hold on. It does end (I’ve seen many examples, if not my own yet) you just need to do the best job possible of holding it all together while your body resets. Here’s hoping it ends for all of us as soon as possible.
I fight addiction problems. The doctors have had a hard time controlling my pain. Opiates in general were my favorites. Two days ago, I ran out of Tramadol and didn’t think anything about it. Well several hours later I started feeling bad. Joints, stomach, the works. I never thought it could be caused by this medication. However here I am. I got some additional meds and started back on it. Feel alright now but now I have to address this with addiction specialist and doctors. Anytime something seems to be working it bites me. Guess it’s just the luck of the draw. Will update in future if anyone is interested!
Gradually stopped tramadol after 15 years. Fibro pain got so much better after chlorella & spirulina that I didn’t need it. Experiencing good deal of fatigue after waking up. Hope this passes soon after 1 week of fatigue.
This is day 3 for me. I stopped taking Tramadol the night before last. This is after I have tapered it down over two years. I was bookending the day with 50 mg, Norco in the middle of the day, Savella for Fibromyalgia. Recently all I have taken is a 50 mg at bedtime, but the Restless Leg syndrome just got worse, so my only option was to quit and quit fast. I have stopped all of them now! Ha!
But today, like yesterday, I feel like crap. The nights are the worst. My body thrashes around, my legs move (RLS), am cold-all the time! I am so scared to try to sleep tonight. My relationship is suffering. We have been sleeping in separate beds. I haven’t gotten a good sense how long the withdrawal will last for someone like me. Anyone else taper down, then cold turkey at 50mg?
I have. If you’ve only been on it for two years, the worst is likely over. I would say about day five or six, things will be better. It will be another two weeks or so before you’re back to being OK, but it will be even longer before you’re back to perfect… that’s if you don’t relapse. Don’t relapse! The half-life of Tram is like nine hours or something crazy. I used to write down my withdrawing schedule.
I too was dependent on Tramadol/Lortab for over five years. I was wounded in Iraq by an IED in 2005. I took my first Lortab in 2008 for the pain. Little did I know that it fixed the mental pain too. I began looking for relief, both kinds. I was prescribed Tram in Jan. 2009. I took my last Tram December 23, 2013. I had a horrible week the first time I decided to come off of it. (March 2010). I was taking it as prescribed at that time, too.
I started feeling off about four hours after I normally would’ve taken my dose. I didn’t sleep at all that night. I got up and had to take my son to school. It took me two minutes to walk to the shower and two minutes to do literally anything. I couldn’t see well. I hurt so badly, like I was hit by a truck. I had a love/hate relationship with it for four more years. I would take some, stop taking it… withdraw, and so the process repeated.
The only time I felt well while withdrawing was when I did Insanity; two full cycles of it. Finally, I allowed the Holy Spirit to have it because I realized I couldn’t do it on my own. A lot of changes were made. Just know this, IT DOES GET BETTER! I have virtually no symptoms anymore; I don’t feel the urge to take them anymore. God Bless.
I agree with you that the only thing that has gotten me through is the Holy Spirit! I started taking this demon drug in 2008, and even had surgery to correct the problem I was put on it for, only to be hooked and unable to enjoy any freedom. I have gone back and forth for years, had several seizures while on it, and now am on day 4 after tapering a little over the last few months. The sweats are the worst, and lack of energy, but I am praying I never have to go back.
I have been taking tramadol for nearly 9 years now for muscle wasting lower back pain. I used to take ibuprofen which was fine, but I’d had a heart attack and was told I couldn’t take it any more, hence the tramadol. I took my last tramadol Tuesday (5 days ago now) and I didn’t know what was happening to me. I thought I had the flu… the not sleeping, the sweating, etc. I’ve had every symptom described here. Doctors have a responsibility to ensure their patients have all the information on drugs they prescribe to them… I knew nothing. Cold turkey is an absolute nightmare; I don’t have the energy to go out and I have a husband who doesn’t understand… He thinks I’m just being lazy and overly dramatic.
I was issued Tramadol by the VA as THEIR choice over opiates for my service connected injury… took 100mg per day for 4 years. I have spent the past EIGHT MONTHS withdrawing from this most evil of concoctions going cold turkey rather than systematic reduction because I stopped for 10 days before reading about cold turkey being dangerous. Once that far into it made slow reduction moot. I was still alive, it didn’t kill me, and I didn’t kill me either!
It is an appetite suppressant. I have lost 20 pounds during the 4 years – from 163 to 143 @ 6ft tall. Not good. Somehow this appetite effect translates into what I call “the Tramadol flu attack” – as soon as I get done eating a light meal or even a snack, I am almost immediately overcome with an intense aching in my joints and have to go lay down and sleep – usually for a few hours This attack also prompts uncontrollable groaning and moaning to accompany the pain.
This is a several times per day occurrence into the night, so sleeping has turned into a few hours at a time routine. THIS IS EIGHT MONTHS after taking my final 50mg pill! Lately it has eased up a bit, but still hangs on. Apparently the drug embeds in fat cells and is very hard to eliminate from the body. I only hope no one else suffers the way I have from this evil. I laid into the VA doctors for supplying it, while being quite aware of its poisonous nature.
They could care less as long as they do not have to prescribe Vicodin and have to answer to the DEA for prescribing opiates. It is my understanding that this is the only drug in the entire pharmacopoeia that was not discovered first from organic / plant life, it was synthesized FIRST and then it was discovered that the African pin cushion tree has the same compound. Good luck to all suffering from this scourge, hang in there!
Second day – cold turkey – in the states. Started tram a few years ago for herniated disc. Was embarrassed to go back to doc for continued refills so started to purchase online through US pharmacies. All was good, albeit expensive, until August 2014 when tramadol became a higher class controlled substance. Well, couldn’t go back to doc since I hadn’t been there in awhile & couldn’t justify my intake (300 mg per day – 6 50mg pills).
So, started to order online from other countries. Didn’t really know what I was getting but it seemed to work – some days better than others. Last order never arrived. So, here I am. Day 2. Taking Aleve for pain, Mucinex for flu symptoms, Pepcid for upset stomach & GERD at night & SAM-E to counter serotonin drop. I have a few Valium that are about 7 years old & have been using them to help get sleep. Not working but make me extra woozy.
I’m very very uncomfortable & haven’t been able to go to work. This is the first day that I’m able to sit at my computer though so maybe there’s been a little progress? Frankly, I’d like to be detoxed so that I can go to a doctor for a regular check up – have feared going for years now thinking that my “habit” would be discovered. How stupid is that? Hope this works. God bless.
On 10-21-14 I had shoulder surgery. The first month or so my doc had me on norco, I was worried about addiction due to what I had heard about norco so he swapped me to tramadol due to the fact I wouldn’t have to worry about addiction as much. My surgeon had me on 50mg 1-2 pills every 4-6 hours. I was on tram about 3 months. Sunday I quit cold turkey. It has been bad… I could feel the withdrawal symptoms as soon as I missed a dose. I am just gonna keep working on it and not give up. I feel like I can relate to everyone on here. This drug is no joke.
I took 50 mg. a day for 18 months for lower back pain. I didn’t realize the control this had on me.. If I missed one night, I had stomach pain and depression. However, I didn’t make the connection that a missed dose was the culprit. I have had a cat scan, an upper GI, etc. All were normal. I was afraid to make plans, because I never knew when I would feel bad. I work full time, and have had to go to work sick several times. On Dec. 18, my husband made the connection. I tapered off for 2 weeks and stopped altogether. I made it through a couple of bad days, and started feeling normal again. My back pain is even better than before. However, I am still having mild stomach issues and weird sensation feelings in arms and legs on occasion.
Today is Day No. 8 for my withdrawal from Tramadol. Minor knee surgery resulted in a prescription for 100 mg. daily but that moved up to 300mg. daily for a period of one month. The withdrawal produced insomnia, nausea, horrible leg and arm pain especially at night, extreme fatigue. I stayed in bed and took hot baths for 5 days straight. I also took .5 mg. Xanax every morning and .5 mg. Xanax at night. Day No. 6, I started pulling out of it and today I am feeling hopeful that I am on the road to recovery. I will NEVER touch this drug again. The withdrawals are not worth it.
After taking this non-addictive med for 2 years for fibro and back pain it’s unbearable. I was on 6 /50 mgs daily. I weaned down in a week. Today is day 4. I cannot believe just how aloof and uninformed drs are. I really wonder how the hell 80 percent even received a degree. This is like feeling on deaths door. Was starting to feel toxic being on it so long and my eye sight was getting worse.
Sneezing and burning like pain in chest. The most relief I find even sleeping in the tub. Hope people read these boards before following drs advice. This is hydrocodone withdrawal. Synthetic meds? Better using real ones than this poison. Good luck to all getting off and make sure to inform your drs that this is horrifically addicting.
So I was only on tramadol for approx 7 days. I was taking 50mg every 8 hours. I had no idea that this drug had these type of withdrawal symptoms. I thought I was getting sick though I really didn’t feel sick. I came off of these cold turkey and the first day is when the cold chills and sweating all day began. I am on day 2 now and the chills and sweating have not eased much yet. After the first night is when I began doing the research on this drug.
It’s the only thing that I have changed in the last day. It does make me feel better knowing that this is a real issue and that I’m not going crazy, if that makes sense? I cannot imagine what it’s like to come off of these after months or years of use? I will never take this pain reliever again. Just felt like giving my input from someone that was only on them for a week, and what a dangerous and addictive drug this is.
Jonathon I have only taken tramadol for 1 week and was on 100mg every 4 hours. I too am having severe withdrawal symptoms. I am on day 2 without any tramadol now and it is hell. The shivering,the sweating, stomach cramps, no sleep. I am due back in work tomorrow but really don’t feel well. I noticed you posted this comment a year ago… How did you go on and how long did it take before your symptoms disappeared?
Amanda, I too have only been taking it for a week, 2- 50mg per day. I was told it was safe but have been hearing that I will experience very bad symptoms. As of now I don’t feel anything but these posts have me feeling worried. I have to work and function so having the experience some of the withdrawals listed on this thread is frightening.
Amanda, how long did you go through it? How are you feeling now? I will never trust a doctor when they say a pain medication will not have an adverse effect on my body or brain.
I took 100mg a day for only a few months for back pain and decided to let my script run out. Within two days I had severe diarrhea, runny rose, restless leg syndrome, insomnia, the works. It was really bad, so bad that I broke down went and got more and started feeling better after taking them again. But now I see that this return to the drug was its controlling effect. After reading these posts, I am planning to try tapering off slowly to minimize the symptoms.
Been off for 8 weeks now after 8 years of use. Tapered down from 8 x 50mg to 1 x 50mg over a year and finally quit after getting my pain problem sorted. First week was horrendous with all the normal aches, pains and mood problems, but most symptoms have slowly eased except for stomach cramps and bloating.
My research suggests that this uncomfortable problem could remain for a few months which is an awful thought, but no regrets over coming off this wicked drug. I already feel so much better in so many ways, but getting my life back is the biggest benefit.
I have read many articles about tapering, but I have to say that after having my Tramadol dosage increased following surgery to fix the cause of my 8 years of usage I took the view that once I had no medical need for the poison I wanted off as quickly as possible. After 14 days of hell I felt in control again, but only thanks to a very understanding wife! I would recommend this type of rapid withdrawal only with good family support, but for anyone in the same position I would say go for it. That from someone with 8 years of continual use.
I am on my 11th day of being off of these devil pills!!!! I have been on them for ten years, for nerve damage in my arm and back problems. The most I ever took was ten a day. I have known I was addicted to them for several years, just was afraid of the withdrawal that came when I was out of them. I also have a heart condition, and the more I thought about it, the more I knew I needed to get off of them. I have a husband, two kids and a granddaughter to think of. This has been terrible, and let me tell you the doctors that think that these aren’t addictive are dead wrong!!!! I’m taking one day at a time, but can start to feel better. Good luck to all going threw this.
A few weeks my arse. I’ve seen people withdrawal years after stopping this horrible drug. Ultram is an awful frankendrug that should have never hit the pharmaceutical market in the first place. It’s sad that its only now years after its development that they are saying oops sorry we messed it and now trying to slowly lessen its use. They sold it as the wonder drug with no side effects and it ended up being worse than heroin. They should be sued into the dirt.
I was on 150 mg of tramadol for about 5 years and needed to get off because of the change in schedule. I was really concerned after reading all the horror stories. I had saved 180x50mg pills in case the time came when I couldn’t get more. I used them to taper off over a 5 month period and have had only very mild symptoms. I ran out about ten days ago and only have experienced an upset stomach and have been a bit lethargic. Save yourself some pain and taper off if you can.
I started detoxing from tramadol almost 2 weeks ago now. The first few days were probably the worst thing I ever put myself through. I was sweating to death, yet freezing at the same time pretty much the entire day. Probably took my coat off and back on at least 200 times per day. I also had zero appetite. I was eating less than 500 calories per day and that was forcing myself to eat (that lasted for about a week).
Almost 2 weeks later most of the symptoms are gone, MINUS the insomnia (extreme insomnia) and twitching of my extremities (almost like restless leg syndrome, but its also in my arms). For the first week and a half I went from sleeping 9+ hours at a time, to only 3 hours an entire day. Was dreadful (still is, but getting better). I don’t know whats up with the twitching of my arms and legs. My left arm is surely the worst, looks like I have tourettes. Just can’t wait for it to be over already!
Take a lot of potassium and magnesium it will help with your legs and arms. Also banana is a good potassium. But it will be better if you buy a supplement and take it in double doses also vitamin b12 double dose. It helps me a lot for restless legs. Take care. And good job. I am still on day 3 and suffering and don’t know how long it will last.
Sounds like we are in the same boat!! I’m on day 11 of being off of them. I want to never get on them again. But, I’m in so much pain. Ugh!! But, I feel more awake. Good luck.
This drug really helped my depression and made me feel happy and I was hooked straight away. I was on 50mg times 4 a day. I been cold turkey and it’s been hell mentally but starting to smile again after 6 days. I am having trouble sleeping though. I’ve been through a few withdrawals from different drugs and all I can say is keep going the result is priceless.
I want to first say I have been owned by this demon drug five years now… prescribed for chronic back pain and fibromyalgia. Tramadol has made my life a living hell. I tried several times to quit by cutting down my dose but this did not work. I have been cold turkey 12 days and have no intention of giving control back to this PILL. I know I do not have to tell you how horrible the withdrawal is and I wish you all luck. YOU CAN DO THIS.
I’ve been on 100mg 5x daily for spinal stenosis, degenerate disc disease, and fibromyalgia. I started getting spinal injections and haven’t had pain so I haven’t taken my ultram. Its been 3 days and I seriously just wanna die. I’ve never had any addictions and I wouldn’t say I’m addicted to this. I can take it or leave it. Now I don’t need it so I’m leaving it but I’ve been on it at a high dose for almost 4 years.
I seriously have a new respect for people dealing with withdrawals. The withdrawal symptoms listed are right on and I really wish it were an exaggeration. I seriously am having an impossible time functioning. I don’t know if I should just keep dealing with this or contact my doctor. Any advice would be appreciated. One side effect I’ve also been having but didn’t see it is a lot of chest pains.
Andrea. I have been on Tramal SR for nine years It was prescribed to cope with Post Mastectomy Reconstruction Syndrome… Going through the withdrawal process must be slow… I am being guided by natural therapists who are giving me supplements like neurocalm and PreGaba to help me. I am now reducing the Tramal by using it in drop form and therefore reducing slowly.
Like you I suffer with chest pain, and muscle spasms of the chest, causing difficulty in breathing. Most days I need a little valium to break the muscle spasm, and lots of magnesium citrate. I have no intention of becoming dependent on valium, but am needing it as a crutch at present. I hate what Tramal has put me through, and have lost faith in the medical profession and the way they prescribe drugs, without taking responsibility for the long term outcomes.
I expect the withdrawal to take me up to three months maybe longer to complete, but it is certainly not easy along the way. Can’t wait to be off this rotten drug which has ruined the quality of my life for so many years, even causing anxiety attacks. I plan on taking SAMe to help me with any pain I have after withdrawal, as suggested by my alternative health professionals. -Lyn
70 year old male, on 50mg x 3 daily for arthritis and bursitis. I was on extended release “advil” for 30 years and it worked just fine, but my rheumatologist said those were hard on my kidneys and Tramadol was safe, non-habit forming alternate. It actually worked great for about 2 years. I started getting deep, dark bouts of depression, with constant flu symptoms and other Tramadol problems I later found out were Tramadol withdrawal. It seems my current dose was no longer enough, so I was looking at increasing the dosage or getting off it completely.
I got a complete physical from my GP, and chose cold turkey. My GP briefed me fully on what to expect and even gave me a script for a few Vicodin for emergency use; for use instead of returning to Tramadol. 28 Sept 2014 I took my last Tramadol before bed. The morning of 29 Sept it started. No buildup of symptoms but within a couple hours I had them all. Headache, body/joint aches, stomach ache, diarrhea, dizzy, and a general all over awful feeling. Excedrin x 2 helped some as did the Imodium.
This is going to be bad I was thinking but I can do this. Then came bed time! Completely unable to sleep. Severe restless leg syndrome. Heavy cold sweat enough to soak my bed clothes. In hind sight, the first 24hrs were the worse but the next two were little better. The second night, I took a Vicodin before bed and got 2-3 hours of sleep but all other symptoms continued. I was able to tough out night 3 but still no sleep.
Day 4 started out with almost complete exhaustion, Plus all the withdrawal symptoms but there was no way I was giving up after all the suffering I had endured. The night of the 4th day I actually got a little real sleep but it was a series of naps of an hour or so each. By day 5, I thought I was starting to maybe feel a little better. I still had all the withdrawal symptoms, but they didnt seem so severe. Still, sleep didnt come that night so about 3am I took another Vicodin and got a solid 5 hours after that.
That seemed to be a turning point. The next few days I was getting noticeably better: no more diarrhea, less stomach ache, the Excedrin was able to better control the aches and pains, I still had the full range of flu symptoms, headaches, sweating, etc., but I did feel less depress and helpless with the withdrawal. Week 5 starts in a couple days. I still have most of the flu symptoms including sneezing and runny nose. Still dizzy and weak at times and I still cant get a full nights sleep, but I understand all this will pass in time.
The depression is gone. I savor the memory of the pains and suffering so I will never be tempted to go back to Tramadol. A few points I want to make. Milestones: Getting past day 3. Making it past day 5. Getting into week 3. Do not ever, ever think Tramadol is non-addictive and harmless. It is very tempting to replace Tramadol with Vicodin; Don’t! Just don’t trade one addiction for another. And lastly, if a 70 year old can kick this crap cold turkey, YOU have no excuse!
I (60yrs) have been on tramadol 50mg, 6 times daily for 22 months for arthritis in my hands. I’m scheduled for arthroplasty surgery in January. Neither my family physician or the surgeon have said a word about getting off tramadol before surgery. I involuntarily quit cold turkey December 10 because I ran out before my next refill arrives (mail in pharmacy).
As many others have stated, NO ONE told me tramadol is addictive (prescribing physician actually said it was NOT addictive) or that when I quit it would be best to taper off. What was their plan before surgery, just continue up until surgery and then go through withdrawal and surgery recovery at the same time???? The only way I’ve learned about withdrawal is reading all these posts, when I couldn’t figure out what was going on. I’ve never been on pain Meds long term of any kind before so I had no idea. And like I said, naively I trusted my doctor.
It seems they are all so concerned about meeting all the federal regulations and paperwork required of them, they forget to be a concerned competent doctor! Anyway, my main symptom is insomnia. I can’t get my legs and/or body to relax enough to sleep. I’ve never had trouble sleeping before so this sent me into a panic. Tossing and turning, getting up to walk, going to another location to sleep. Four nights now with only a few (although disrupted) hours of sleep.
The only thing that helped was putting the hot tub jets right on my calves for 30 min or so. And getting a sinus infection with a horrendous headache which took my mind off the RLS! I dread the nighttime now because I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep, and without sleep I have trouble coping with just getting out of bed. I’m exhausted. But I think I will continue with the withdrawal because I don’t want to go through this again!! I wish I had been told how hard this would be.
John I loved your post! I especially appreciated you revealing your age! You are a trooper and super admiral. I have never had to take Tramadol long term, but my sweet grandfather had to take it for severe nerve pain in his legs and feet. He was on it for many years and took it until the day he died, so thankfully he never had to experience the horrific withdrawal.
I am so glad he didn’t have to go through that and I am so angry that this is given to people left and right with out them being fully informed of what will come if they decide to end treatment with Tramadol. I am glad your Doctor was kind enough to give you a thorough run down of what to expect! Nice of you to pass along pointers to others going through what you did.
Hi John, Wondering how long you felt depression symptoms. I tapered down from my regular dose for 2-3 Mos 50 MG 2x a day to 12.5 MG 2x a day over three weeks, and then 12.5 MG a day for a few days, then stopped. It’s been about 10 days now. I am still having anxiety, depression mostly in the morning. Hard time getting up today. Anyway, I see at your week 4-5 you say depression gone. How long and how bad was it?
I just recently found out that as of August Tramadol had been put in the same class as vicodin, Percocet and other opioids. I have taken tramadol for a couple year now for back pain, and arthritis pain. I cannot take anti-inflammatory meds so that seemed like a good choice. Suddenly I get a phone call from my primary M.D. office and I’m told that she will no longer prescribe tramadol. Last week was the first week off this med cold turkey and it has not been fun.
I wish my M.D.would have had me taper off because the withdraw symptoms have been awful. Headaches, restless legs, insomnia, exhaustion. Ugh! At least I know I’ll servive. BUT, if an M.D. prescribes a medication they should know of possible withdrawal issues and help make the transition going off of them. I just had my first appointment at a pain clinic last night and this guy knows his stuff. He does a holistic approach that I’m more than excited to try. Enough of these horrible meds the medical community don’t fully understand.
I have read a few comments from professionals that tramadol doesn’t have withdrawal symptoms… umm read the comments made from those who have taken this drug and now have had to come off of it. I know first hand that there are withdrawal symptoms, and they are not fun. I’m looking for the silver lining, and that’s no more pain meds. I’m hopeful for a natural approach to pain management.
That’s not true, Tramadol has not been put on the same schedule as Vicodin and Percocet. Tramadol is now schedule 4, Vicodin is schedule 3 or 2 depending on formulation and Percocet is schedule 2. I’ve got through Tramadol withdrawal 6 times in 10 years, I know it’s a nightmare but Tramadol is not as addicting as more traditional opioids. I survived, you’ll survive. I’ve been off it 7 months now and don’t ever want to take that big pharma poison again.
I was prescribed tramadol by my back specialist for lower back pain. Never having had prescription painkillers before I was careful to check with him that this drug was safe, non addicting and non drowsy. The good news is that after over a year of treatment I found a personal trainer and osteo that specialise in injury rehab. Within four weeks their treatment saw me finally being pain free, so I stopped taking the tramadol as I thankfully had no further need for it. The bad news? I was never told that tramadol causes physical addiction with subsequent withdrawal symptoms. Four days after stopping I’m sick as a dog with my most severe symptoms being restless leg, insomia, racing heart and unrelenting nausea. I wish I had never accepted my doctors advice! Tramadol is horrendous and not worth the misery I’m in!!!
All the doctors are just legal drug pushers that are pushing these big pharma poison drugs on us. Soooooo sad!!!! All about keeping us sick not to make us better!!! Greed & Money and trying to keep us down as a people. I have this physical addiction also from what started as a low back problem. I am going on 2 weeks cold turkey. I know what you are going through, also feeling the worst of all the withdrawal pains. Wish you well.
Hi Chuck. I am in complete agreement with your comment. Western medicine is so ridiculous! All about lining the pockets of the big pharmaceutical companies and, if everyone is healed, there is no more money coming in to line their bulging pockets. I have taken Tramadol only from time to time for short periods to treat flair ups of arthritis and fibromyalgia, so I have not personally experienced withdrawals as you and others have.
I am quite infuriated to learn about how severe withdrawal from Tramadol can be considering how it is portrayed as safe and many doctors say it is a non narcotic. Unfortunately, I am not at all surprised though. I now suffer from RA and Fybromialgia after taking the word of a team of Doctors, nurses, and Midwives about a “miracle” birth control that has “absolutely no side effects.”
They forgot to mention that it would change my life forever and leave me with irreversible auto immune diseases. Hey, but now I have to keep paying for meds to make life bearable. So I am pretty sure they knew what they were doing. I have experienced withdrawal symptoms with other medications and they were some of the most difficult periods of my life, so I truly pray and wish the best for all of you here that are going through this! Best Wishes, Dana
I have been on this pain med poison for 15 yrs along with klonopin and have been off cold turkey a week now. I can can hardly function and feel like I am dying. I am saving money to go to mexico for ibogaine treatment did much research and seems to be a miracle cure but of course it is not legal in the USA. Anyone know of this ? I am trying to find a affordable quality place to go and do it. Have found hardly any negative things about it. Any comments that anyone may have would be truly appreciated. Best to all that are trying to get off of this poison. Thanks much.
Of course Ibogaine is illegal in this country, big pharma doesn’t want people stopping anything. I considered it myself before stopping for good 7 months ago. I’ve gone through withdrawal 6 times in 10 years, the first 4 were a horrible nightmare but the last two didn’t seem quite as severe.
Toward the end I was taking 400 mg at a time (that’s right, 8 pills at once) and I would do that 4 or sometimes 5 times a day (that’s right, about 1600 to 2000 mg per day). Yes it’s very fortunate I’m not dead. Yes I had lots of seizures, the last one cracked half my teeth.
I hate Tramdol, I hope never ever to take one again. I used to love pain medication but no more, I feel entirely different about it now. It never keeps working and you always have to take more to maintain relief. Good luck to all.
I thought I was the only one in the world taking 2000 MG tramadol a day…
Today is my last day on tramadol. I took my last one at 8:10am. I have been on it for months at 50mg or 25mg per day. I took 50 mg today. I am scared. I am not tapering as I have no more meds so I am starting cold turkey. Please tell me what over the counter meds will help. What is the best thing to eat or drink. What vitamins I need to get to help me.
How have you done? I took my last 25mg yesterday morning. I’m scared also. I’m already feeling anxious, and terrified of my RLS kicking in soon. I also can’t focus on anything.
Buy some powdered vitamin C and start mega dosing the vitamin C. You should have started earlier to enable your system to get used to mega doses of vitamin C. Look it up on the internet its all over the internet. I had a great pain management doctor, but lost him due to my own stupidity. Now that I look back as my doctor said, “sometimes out of bad comes good.”
I’m totally off every thing and I have been on opiates for 18 years a lot of them. The Vitamin C mega dosing does work you have to keep taking it during the day and it really helps the withdrawal. I had a couple of seizures and could not eat or sleep for 3 weeks. Of course I was on them for years. Good luck and look up Mega dosing Vitamin C.
I am on day 5 of no dosage – cold turkey. I was on since 2009. I would take 100mg in morning and 100mg at night. I feel very lucky to not have had such terrible detox symptoms. However, I gathered items that would help me: over the counter L-Theanine tabs for calming, over the counter Melatonin for help sleeping, a good over the counter probiotic for my tummy, prescribed flexeril for muscle relaxing, and prescribed ativan for if I had anxiety attacks (have not had to use ativan, yet).
I have not tried, but have read about ingesting high potassium foods and taking magnesium salt baths (to pull out toxins from your body). Drink water (ginger infused sparkling water, ginger tea etc) for flushing out your system. I also have turmeric root on hand to help with inflammation (foot pain!!). ALWAYS try to have a medical professional involved if you want to try over the counter solutions.
I am NOT advising that what I used will work for others. You must be sure what you do doesn’t work against you. If you have someone to help, have them rub your legs for the restless times. If you do massage, get one scheduled and let them push the toxins out of your muscles. Massage isn’t just for pampering! It can help a great deal with making you more comfortable.
Best of luck to anyone trying to ditch this monkey. I keep telling myself, if I could quit a 19 year smoking habit, I can kick the tramadol.
I have been taking regular tramadol and tramadol with APAP for a few years now and my advice for anyone who has been recently prescribed this drug, STOP while you can! It is highly addictive and the withdrawal symptoms are horrific! I continue to try and try but eventually give in after just a few days of the side effects. It’s sad to see so many ppl going through the same struggle I am. I just went to my doc on 10/10/14 to get a refill and they said that Tramadol is now labeled a controlled substance. My prayers are with all of you and hopefully we can all come clean off this drug!
Same here. I am just now starting cold turkey.
I have been on Tramadol for a year now. I had been on smaller doses in the past with no problems getting off of it. This time, however, has been horrid. My last day was 10/4. (Cold turkey) The body aches and the nausea/dizziness have been the worst. Finding certain websites explaining withdrawl and knowing it’s not just in my head have been very helpful. Wishing everyone the best in getting control of their lives back. Good luck.
Hey Robyn. After breaking some vertebrae after a fall from a ladder, I was first introduced to Percocet my a fast-script writing doc. I’d had no experience with addiction whatsoever, trusted the doc when he told me to take em two at a time. For six months I used way too much and then one day got a steroid injection. Not knowing better, I just quick taking the Percocet. I went through withdrawal but didn’t know what it was..thought I was having a bad reaction to the steroid.
When I went for a checkup 5 days later I was still in withdrawal, which the doc recognized, and he offered to give me more meds in order to help the symptoms. I declined, since I figured I was pretty much over it. I tried many injections for the back pn., trigger point injections, radiofrequency nerve burns, even botox in the back. Nothing really worked so the doc finally gave me tramadol. I took it for years before I finally decided I wanted to be done with all the shit.
Figured I’d just hunker down for 3 days and get it over with….REALLY rough withdrawal. Much worse than the Percocet,probably because I was on it longer. I didn’t taper, just quite (which is so me) but did have a couple of seizures and some pretty fucked up hallucinations. Day 3 was the worse, as I could feel the chemicals “peeling” off my cells in wave after wicked hot wave as my body searched for the chemical.
When I finally came out of the fog – after a good 12 hours of hard, hard withdrawal on day 3, it took probably 5 days before I slept even one hour, and my body shook so badly I couldn’t even plug in the cell phone. Walking around the condo was a huge feat and it was days before I trusted myself to stand in the shower. I was alone and didn’t tell anyone I was doing it…maybe not the smartest thing but once again, that’s how I am.
My biggest problem is the RLS…because this is something that I’ve struggled with my whole life. Now just exasperated by the withdrawal. I’m going to break down and go to my doc now for medication for the RLS…something I’d not had to deal with while on the pills. I’ve since learned that tramadol is sometimes even prescribed for severe RLS. But I feel free for the first time in years, and even though it seriously sucks, I’d urge anyone to do it and get on with your life.
In the big picture of things it’s not that much time. Get some sleeping aids (the big dog kind if y0u can score them) and meds for RLS would help greatly. Then just go for it. It’ll be worth it to be free of this bullshit controlling your life. Best of luck…I mean that. You’ll need it, but you can do it.
Nice comment. Was on tramadol for chronic sinus pain at 600mg/day for five years. Brought it down to 400mg/day a little over a week ago and stopped three days ago. I waited til my wife was away for a week and am simply sweating it out. The RLS is very troublesome but oddly, sleeping on the floor helps. The buzzing sensation every time I change my gaze is really annoying. But the bottom line for anyone considering it is, cold turkey from tramadol is no picnic but it’s doable. At three days the worst symptoms are already beginning to subside. Stick with it and free yourself.
“The buzzing sensation every time I change my gaze is really annoying.” This is the best description I have found of what I am going through as well with quitting Tramadol! I’m on day 6 and as stated earlier it has gotten easier, but has still been hell! I just really want to know then the depression and the “rebuilding” of serotonin will begin? I’m so over this feeling and having NO energy… Sleep seems to get better each night, but awake usually with anxiety or panic attacks for 1-2 hours… That’s sucks too! Anymore helpful words from anyone!? Oh and THANKS EVERYONE who comes in here and shares their experience. It’s all I have been reading for 6 days and I can only say it’s the reason I HAVE NOT given up.
The reason I HAVE NOT relapsed. This forum has really helped me understand withdrawal symptoms and how to cope with them day by day! Very much appreciated!!!
I know this sounds funny, but I found that taking Dramamine once a day has helped with the dizziness. It’s the stuffy head and congestion that’s killing me. Headaches are the worst, I’ve had a stiff neck for days and my head feels hot and very heavy.
Your comment is pretty bang on to my experience, so it encouraging to know it’s normal what I am going through. I’d have to say the leg pain/RLS has been the worst of it, couple with insomnia. It’s been 8 days now, and I feel mostly good at times, then come the dreaded night. How long did your symptoms last? I can’t function much more on 2-3 hrs a night… thanks.
Thank you for that! Needed it!
I was on Tramadol for about 6 weeks and as the pain stopped decided to stop taking them. Talk about cold turkey, I have been off them for 6 days now and do not feel any better with dizziness, diarrhea and insomnia. A nurse told me to stick it out but it is very hard going. Frank
Hello Frank,
I read your post today (10/3/2014) while I have been researching Tramadol withdrawal. I have a close relative who was referred to a Rheumatologist by her PCP. I had seen this doctor also (only once as I thought he was an idiot). This doctor saw her once and told her to stop taking Tramadol immediately and put her on something else (not an actual pain med). Subsequently, I noticed immediately that she seemed to be suffering from withdrawal. It has been 3 days and she seems to be getting worse. I have to tell her what is most likely happening to her.
I just wanted to thank you for your post and to share that someone else is going through the same thing. I have read so many times that withdrawing from Tramadol is NOT recommended and that DOCTOR supervised tapering is required. I read about a formula for tapering…1/4 of the time one has been taking Tramadol equals the amount of time tapering should take. Personally, I would not take the word of a nurse (no offense nurses). Good luck to you Frank. I hope you speak with your doctor.
Be brave and keep the faith brother. Your courage will prevail.
I’m glad to see this article. This is definitely the hardest drug I’ve ever withdrawn from and I’ve taken percocet, vicodin, and even oxycontin. When I withdrew from those I got depressed and dizzy for a couple days. I began tapering from tramadol last week of June/first week of July. I have sacroiliac joint dysfunction and have been on and off pain meds since February 2013. After getting an si joint injection in June of this year, I finally started feeling better by early July. So I cut back on the tramadol. Immediately got withdrawal symptoms. I tried to white knuckle it through a weekend but couldn’t do it. So I took a full dosage and started the slow taper over again. I’ve been out of work for weeks now. I stopped entirely two weeks ago exactly and I still have dizziness, insomnia and severe anxiety. The anxiety is the worst. The only thing that’s helped make it bearable is benadryl. I take 50 mg at a time and this calms me down enough to function. I’ve read this could take a month. I wish I had never taken it in the first place. Now I have to go see a psychiatrist to get put on ssri’s so I can cope.