# Tramadol



## Scotso (Jul 11, 2009)

I started taking tramadol (a pain medication) when I hurt my neck in a work accident a few years ago. After a while, I noticed that I had been able to enter more social situations without nerves, I could give presentations in school without turning bright red and sweating buckets, and I could relax and sleep with no problems. It gave me a pretty strong sense of euphoria and overall happiness with my life.

Unfortunately, I got so enamored with the effects that I began taking too much and after a few years my doctor cut me off. I feel, though, that this is some sort of miracle drug. I ended up taking a bit too much of it, but when I did take it, my anxiety, insomnia, and physical and mental pain were pretty much eliminated. I'm not sure if it cured my problem or just relaxed me so much that I didn't care about things, but I really had a great experience with it.

Has anyone else had experience with tramadol? I recently read that they're experimenting with using it as an anti-depressant (and I did find it to be better for this than any other prescription anti-depressants I ever took).

It's sad, but I wish every day I still had a big bottle of the stuff. I need to find a new doctor that doesn't care much.


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## soaringfalcon11 (Jun 7, 2009)

You can order it online for reliability cheap, but careful, it's addicting.

I took 10 a day for two months and experienced crippling insomnia and aching legs when I stopped abruptly. It did help my SA, but only at high doses, which zonked me out and made me sweat profusely.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

In addition to its weak opioid effects, tramadol also acts as an SNRI, similair to the antidepressant venlafaxine (Effexor). Several studies have suggested that tramadol could play a role in mood improvement.

http://jop.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/18/3/404


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

I have access to literally thousands of tramadol (Ultram) pills and have for the last 9 years. My mother has been using it for arthritis and doesn't need as much as is prescribed, so there are huge amounts left over.

I, unfortunately, do not find it to be a wonder drug. Being desperate to find anything that would work after my seemingly endless med failures, I have tried tramadol. There was a period of several weeks where I took 400 mg daily (the max recommended dose). Dose is limited as this drug can cause seizures at higher levels. I didn't notice any effects at all, neither positive nor negative.

I decided to try a huge single dose to see if that would have any effect. One time I tried 700 mg at once. Another time I tried 800 mg (16 pills) at once. Neither produced any effect at all. I mean absolutely none.

I've read the theory that Ultram could potentially help with anxiety and/or depression since it acts like a cross between a weak SSRIs and weak opioid. Well, that's the theory. Didn't work in practice for me.

As for addictive potential, that's frankly a big load of BS. It's based on 105 complaints that the FDA received after 5 million prescriptions had been written for it in the US. Even the ultra-uptight DEA doesn't make it a controlled substance. Those 105 complaints regarding misused, abuse, addiction were almost entirely from patients with a documented history of opioid addiction problems. I don't think a group of former heroin addicts is at all representative of the general population.

My mother had never found it addictive -- if it was addictive wouldn't she be taking every pill she could get her hands on rather than leaving thousands that I could use? I didn't find it addictive, nor did either of my brothers when they used it for back pain. My late brother, in fact, complained that it caused him dizziness if he took two doses too close together. Since he didn't find being dizzy fun, that would seem to seriously limit any potential for taking too much. (He died of eating a high fat diet that produced obesity and induced a heart attack -- Ultram didn't kill him.)


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## soaringfalcon11 (Jun 7, 2009)

UltraShy said:


> I have access to literally thousands of tramadol (Ultram) pills and have for the last 9 years. My mother has been using it for arthritis and doesn't need as much as is prescribed, so there are huge amounts left over.
> 
> I, unfortunately, do not find it to be a wonder drug. Being desperate to find anything that would work after my seemingly endless med failures, I have tried tramadol. There was a period of several weeks where I took 400 mg daily (the max recommended dose). Dose is limited as this drug can cause seizures at higher levels. I didn't notice any effects at all, neither positive nor negative.
> 
> ...


Sorry, but I think anyone with a half a brain would believe the thousands of anecdotes on the Internet over your claim that it's BS because your mother doesn't find it addicting, and it may not be for her, but how can you deny the thousands of people who claim withdraw symptoms?

Wikipedia says:

Tramadol causes typical opiate-like withdrawal symptoms as well as atypical withdrawal symptoms including seizures. The atypical withdrawal effects are probably related to tramadol's effect on serotonin and norepinephrin reuptake. Symptoms may include anxiety, depression, anguish, electric-shock sensations throughout body, pins and needles, sweating, palpitations, restless legs syndrome, sneezing, insomnia, tremors, among others. In most cases, tramadol withdrawal will set in 12 to 20 hours after the last dose, but this can vary. It should be noted that tramadol withdrawal lasts longer than that of other opioids.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

soaringfalcon11 said:


> Sorry, but I think anyone with a half a brain would believe the thousands of anecdotes on the Internet over your claim that it's BS because your mother doesn't find it addicting, and it may not be for her, but how can you deny the thousands of people who claim withdraw symptoms?


I stated my opinion regarding level of addictive potential which I deem to be exceedingly low.

Anecdotes on the internet are very highly biased. You're only going to read ones from people that are really pissed as they have the most motivation to write about their experience. Those who experience no addiction aren't at all likely to go out of their way to post "it wasn't addictive at all".

I'm sure you'll also find vastly more forums devoted to alcohol abuse than you will find forums devoted to discussing how non-addictive members have found alcohol to be. If you're not addicted there isn't much to discuss, after all.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

Patients who get opioids prescribed to ease the pain caused by a physical disease (like arthritis or cancer...) seldom abuse those drugs.


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## Cast Away (Feb 12, 2009)

Yes tramadol is a wonderful drug. It is very helpful for SA. When i take 200mg i get a opiod like euphoria. It enhances my mood greatly and whats great is it lasts 8-10 hours unlike other opiates. Its a (hush hush) non addictivd non narcotic ( wink wink). But im telling you its very addicting and ive heard the withdrawl is bad. Its a enjoyable drug but just be careful with it.


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## Cast Away (Feb 12, 2009)

BTW ive heard a number of people say it sucks and they get no effect off of it so i guess its not for everybody.


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## arthur56 (Jul 31, 2005)

I took it for artritus for several months and found nothing other than pain relief, its supposed to be a synthetic opiate


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

someone i know (a.k.a. my dealer) was friendly enough to give me a sample of tramadol (free of charge!) without me even asking for anything when i mentioned i had been feeling a bit down that day. he said i'll have to pay for any if i wanted more but what a nice guy for voluntarily giving me another drug for free that happens to be highly addictive, despite me not even wanting to take anything more and him knowing i am already on enough meds.

i don't plan on taking it, i might even get rid of it. i don't want to risk nor do i actually need yet another negative and self-destructive coping habit, i have my favourites for most mental/physical problems i encounter anyway.


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## flapjacker (Nov 30, 2008)

THe high from tramadol is quite amazing for a non-narcotic. I just received a 30 day prescrip for them for a kidney infection. Of course immediately I ate 9 of them (50mg each).

It is a wonderful recreational drug, and it has a positive effect on those who are socially anxious. I can vouch for this. It offers an amazing high when abused considering it's a non-narcotic. Very similar to codeine. There is a relatively high addiction rate for abusers. I found myself just last night looking for an online pharmacy to purchase about 180 pills, just to continue getting high. I really enjoy it. I also have friends who are needle junkies who use tramadol as a means of coping with the withdrawal symptoms of heroin.

Basically, it really does have a positive effect for the socially anxious because of it's chemical stucture. It can act similarly to SSRIs, and about an hour after ingestion, it binds to opioid receptors giving a high, near-euphoric effect.

It's quite a complex drug, which I see a lot of benefits from. But I also understand why they are abused.

One of the major issues, though, is that tramadol lowers a person's siezure threshold. And if you take an SSRI, then it further lowers your siezure threshold. However, if you take in conjunction with benzos, the threshold is increased a bit. There are also quite a few withdrawal symptoms.

I see its potential as relief for the socially anxious, but you really have to have the discipline and restraint to use them responsibly as they give quite an enjoyable high when taken in doses over 100mg.


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## flapjacker (Nov 30, 2008)

pardon my sh*tty grammar, im a little drunk right now


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## Cast Away (Feb 12, 2009)

You ate 9! **** thats alot, but anyways they do help my anxiety and also make you a little high at the same time. I know its a big no no talking about online pharmacies but since tramadol is a non narcotic could you get in trouble for ordering them online? The only reason i mention a online pharmacy is i wouldnt be able to convince my psychiatrist a pain pill helps my anxiety ocd and deppresion.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Again I lose. I can't get any effect at all even when I tried 16 pills (800 mg) in a single dose, yet the rest of you are flying high. I never dared go higher than that already probably not-so-prudent amount due to risk of seizure.

I also would not call is an opioid. There is debate as to whether or not it deserves to be classed as such. Putting Ultram in the same class as OxyContin, morphine, heroin and the like seems like putting a BB gun in the same class as a machine gun.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

The SNRI & opioid Tramadol has never done much for me. I tried it out a few times also with the maximum dose, but there were no euphoric or relaxing effects. It does work as a pain killer for me though.


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## korey (Apr 25, 2006)

A cousin of tramadol was recently released as a CII painkiller in the US: http://www.nucynta.com/

It's weird how tramadol isn't a controlled substance yet this related stuff is CII. It was intended to be CIII by its manufacturer, but the powers that be disagreed and stuck it up there with morphine and oxy.


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## Scotso (Jul 11, 2009)

Cast Away said:


> Yes tramadol is a wonderful drug. It is very helpful for SA. When i take 200mg i get a opiod like euphoria. It enhances my mood greatly and whats great is it lasts 8-10 hours unlike other opiates.


Very true. The effects linger for a while, which is the best part of the drug, imo.


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## Scotso (Jul 11, 2009)

flapjacker said:


> THe high from tramadol is quite amazing for a non-narcotic. I just received a 30 day prescrip for them for a kidney infection. Of course immediately I ate 9 of them (50mg each).


I find the high to be better than anything I've taken, to be honest. I haven't used hard drugs or morphine or anything, but SWIM tells me that it's better than marijuana for them... none of the negative effects.



flapjacker said:


> It is a wonderful recreational drug, and it has a positive effect on those who are socially anxious. I can vouch for this. It offers an amazing high when abused considering it's a non-narcotic. Very similar to codeine. There is a relatively high addiction rate for abusers. I found myself just last night looking for an online pharmacy to purchase about 180 pills, just to continue getting high. I really enjoy it. I also have friends who are needle junkies who use tramadol as a means of coping with the withdrawal symptoms of heroin.
> 
> Basically, it really does have a positive effect for the socially anxious because of it's chemical stucture. It can act similarly to SSRIs, and about an hour after ingestion, it binds to opioid receptors giving a high, near-euphoric effect.
> 
> ...


Thus my problem, I think I have an addictive personality, because as soon as I start feeling the effects my first thought it always, "this is great... if I take more I'll feel even more amazing." Which is true for tramadol, but probably not the best of ideas.

I did get addicted to it, and I think I'm going to get more. I'm really going to try to be more responsible with it this time, and hopefully only take it every few days or when I'm going into a social situation. But it really did treat my social anxiety better than anything I've taken... including xanax, which I found to be mostly worthless.


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## Scotso (Jul 11, 2009)

Cast Away said:


> You ate 9! **** thats alot, but anyways they do help my anxiety and also make you a little high at the same time. I know its a big no no talking about online pharmacies but since tramadol is a non narcotic could you get in trouble for ordering them online? The only reason i mention a online pharmacy is i wouldnt be able to convince my psychiatrist a pain pill helps my anxiety ocd and deppresion.


If he or she is any good at their job, you might be able to. As I said, tramadol is being studied for all of these things with positive results thus far. If you make a good case, s/he might listen. It's worth a try before you resort to other measures.



Medline said:


> The SNRI & opioid Tramadol has never done much for me. I tried it out a few times also with the maximum dose, but there were no euphoric or relaxing effects. It does work as a pain killer for me though.


It seems to be different for everyone. People either think it gives amazing euphoria or none at all. I haven't seen middle ground, which probably eliminates placebo explanations. Probably just something about people's chemical makeup that has it affecting them differently.


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## Cast Away (Feb 12, 2009)

Yeah but my psychiatrist is old, strange and really just out of date on every condition and medication out there. Trust me i just asked him about adderral with my benzos and i thought he was going to have a heart attack, he told me adderall was only effective for add and did not reduce anxiety or have pro social effects and would only cancel out my benzos. BTW what dose of xanax are you taking?


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## MissMay1977 (Oct 25, 2008)

This drug aggravates epilepsy and your seizure threshold yet my bf with a history of epilepsy is still on 100mgs of Tramadol(Ralivia). He says it does little for his pain and mainly takes it for headaches and migraines for which they work well against.


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## euphoria (Jan 21, 2009)

UltraShy said:


> I've read the theory that Ultram could potentially help with anxiety and/or depression since it acts like a cross between a weak SSRIs and weak opioid. Well, that's the theory. Didn't work in practice for me.


Its best effects would most likely take 2-4 weeks to appear; SNRI effects would counter the "happy" opioid effects until then (to some extent). I bet if you took it longer, it'd be different.



> As for addictive potential, that's frankly a big load of BS. It's based on 105 complaints that the FDA received after 5 million prescriptions had been written for it in the US. Even the ultra-uptight DEA doesn't make it a controlled substance. Those 105 complaints regarding misused, abuse, addiction were almost entirely from patients with a documented history of opioid addiction problems. I don't think a group of former heroin addicts is at all representative of the general population.


The thing I said above would also apply to addictive potential. However, I know a ton of people who even like tramadol's immediate effects enough to use it a lot.

Due to the seizure threshold, its addiction potential will always be limited. It is a mu opioid agonist though, like heroin, so it's the functional equivalent of taking an SNRI with a very restricted dose of proper opioid. Definitely some addiction potential there, and dependence potential. Probably similar to low strength codeine/paracetamol tablets, which isn't that much addictiveness.



> My mother had never found it addictive -- if it was addictive wouldn't she be taking every pill she could get her hands on rather than leaving thousands that I could use? I didn't find it addictive, nor did either of my brothers when they used it for back pain. My late brother, in fact, complained that it caused him dizziness if he took two doses too close together. Since he didn't find being dizzy fun, that would seem to seriously limit any potential for taking too much. (He died of eating a high fat diet that produced obesity and induced a heart attack -- Ultram didn't kill him.)


NRIs do produce an increase in heart rate and blood pressure...


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## Scotso (Jul 11, 2009)

Cast Away said:


> Yeah but my psychiatrist is old, strange and really just out of date on every condition and medication out there. Trust me i just asked him about adderral with my benzos and i thought he was going to have a heart attack, he told me adderall was only effective for add and did not reduce anxiety or have pro social effects and would only cancel out my benzos. BTW what dose of xanax are you taking?


I don't take xanax anymore. I didn't think it did anything for me, so I quit.


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## Cast Away (Feb 12, 2009)

Even when you first started xanax or at high doses you didnt feel anything?


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## rolltidemiller1225 (Jun 10, 2012)

*tramadol is addictive to the guy who said it wasnt*



UltraShy said:


> I have access to literally thousands of tramadol (Ultram) pills and have for the last 9 years. My mother has been using it for arthritis and doesn't need as much as is prescribed, so there are huge amounts left over.
> 
> I, unfortunately, do not find it to be a wonder drug. Being desperate to find anything that would work after my seemingly endless med failures, I have tried tramadol. There was a period of several weeks where I took 400 mg daily (the max recommended dose). Dose is limited as this drug can cause seizures at higher levels. I didn't notice any effects at all, neither positive nor negative.
> 
> ...


who ever said tramadol dont cause with drawls and are not addicting, has lost there mind. its the terriblest withdrawls i ever had, worse than vicodin withdrawl. But tramadol is the best pain med i have done. it takes away ever ounce of pain and puts me in a great mood. I have expierenced seizures though only twice. when im taking vicodin, i always wake up hurting, but on tramadol i wake up with no pain what so ever. the most ive took at once is 15, wich is pretty stupid, because 5 will do just the same. so to the guy who said tramadol is not addicting and doesnt work, they are very mis lead... its better than vicodin and percocet. My doctor even informed me it was addicting and said he was on it for two weeks due to a broken hand, he said its the best sleep he evr had, but when he stopped taking it he could not sleep at all, same way here, i cant sleep with out em, i take 8 a day as prescribed.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

rolltidemiller1225 said:


> who ever said tramadol dont cause with drawls and are not addicting, has lost there mind.


Seems I've totally lost my mind then as it wasn't addictive nor did it cause any withdrawal for me.

I never said it was impossible for such to happen to somebody. (Possible, though not likely.)


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

Nothing works for Ultrashy though, so he's not to be taken as a reference 

What do you think of my latest arrival btw:


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## tryingtofindanout (Jun 10, 2013)

i have recently had a similar issue and i was rather freaked out by it all but so excited at the same time. i started taking tramodol for my horrible toothache that still hasnt let up. i have been on four different kinds of anti depressants and been to doctors and mental health and i cant seem to get the help i need to get better. NOTHING WORKS!! but after taking i higher dosage of the tramodol i began to notice i was happier, calmer, energised, relaxed, motivated... all the things ive been wishing i could get back to in my life... but cant.... all from these tablets. i was unsure if i was just taking too much and getting a buzz or wether there was something to it and i believed there was so i googled it. and i found others that have had same experiences. i love how i feel wen i have taken these, and i wish i could take them everyday so that my family could have a happy mother and a happy partner again.. but i love who i am again when i am on these... is this wrong? i just want to live happily again and these seem to work.


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## SoWrongItsRight (May 9, 2012)

It's a very addictive drug


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## Konami (Jul 5, 2011)

Inshallah said:


> Nothing works for Ultrashy though, so he's not to be taken as a reference
> 
> What do you think of my latest arrival btw:


sugar pills do effect on him.
also street drugs and amphetamines. questions is:
is he depressed ? or just likes to get stoned?


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