hi , i just wanted to add to your tramadol post--what happened to me. i had a total of 6 grand mal seizures on tramadol i was up to 40-50, 50mg pills a day. gettin them off the net--although they were first prescribed to me by a docotr who knew i was a recovering opiate addict. said they were "safe and non-addicting" BS!!! thank god i was never driving during the seizure, but 5 of them happened at work and all ended up in an ambulance trip to the er. i split my upper lip in half after crashing face first into a concrete floor, the next time, the back of my head got stitches, plus numerous other injuries. at first i tried to say it wasn't the ultram, cause i sure didn't want to give them up. i found out that many people have had seizures on just NORMAL doses. this is a very dangerous drug, and even more dangerous if you are mixing it with certain anti-depressants. the withdrawl for me was just as bad as when i withdrew from 80 10mg lortab a day. the anxiety was worse with the ultram. i cringe everytime i read that a recovering addict is prescribed ultram--especially when the dr. knows about their previous addiction to opiates. at the end i was taking the ultrams with more lortab and had to use suboxone. a decision i am still ambivelant about . yes, the sub stopped the withdrawls and cravings, but now i've been on sub for 4 months and am trying to taper off--and that is NO EASY feat!! i would say keep tapering your ultram by 1 pill a day--that would probably be the best way. but if anyone is taking ultram--i hope you read this!! this is a dangerous, addictive drug!!

alot of people consider tramadol a weak opiate, but it is very hard to get off !the opiate receptors in our brains don't care if it's a "weak" opiate or not--it's just as abuseable. lots of people going in-patient to detox from ultram. getting other treatment like na/aa is very important!! i can not stress that enough! doesn't have to be a 12 step program--but it's got to be something! getting off the drugs is hard, but staying off is the real test--stay strong!!

[QUOTE=reachout;3590787]Hello Droop

Good job on working the dose down. I tapered off the opiate Oxycodone. When I was done, I moved into a taper from Xanax. What I learned for me in both tapers is that as we near the end, the cuts need to be smaller. I tried to keep in the 10% range on cuts and at the end of both tapers, I was taking crumbs of the tabs as I finished. Like you, I chose not to add any other narcotics to the mix as I tapered. I did, however, use some of the suggestions found in the second thread on this board, "Sample Home Detox."

I would start breaking one of the tabs into halves or quarteres and decreasing by that amount at this point. When your body and mind level off, make the next cut. Slow and steady wins the taper race.

I wish you continued success in your plan, but need to share a big concern with you....To truly get out of the bondage of addiction truly takes more than just getting off the pills. We need support in the needed changing in our thinking. The changes involve more than just "Don't do drugs." We need to discover what in our thinking allowed us to seek the overkillmof the drugs' effects. From that starting point, we can work to change all the thinking that causes the triggers and sometimes, sadly, relapse.

Any plan to stop he abuse needs to contain an aftercare plan. We need others whether peers or professionals, we need other live, 3-D people in our total plans. This is not a luxury to our plans, but a necessary component. Once off the pills, we need help in learning to live again in a restored state of being. It does not just happen; it takes a lot of work.

There is a state of excitement in withdrawing, a kind of euphoric high emotionally that we are finally tackling this burden head on. Similar to a kid's excitement as Christmas approaches, you know? However, we need to plan on how to handle life after the withdrawal is accomplished. NA, private therapy, whatever our personal choice might be, it needs to get put into place. Think about it, okay?

In the meantime, congratulations again on working to find recovery and restoration in your life. Stick around and share your journey, your thoughts, your questions. This board is a place of hope.

Best wishes
reach

Thanks for the insight, reach. This is the scariest time for me. Tramadol has consumed my life for so long it will be a struggle to stay clean. I will taper down by half a pill from here on out and stay on that amount for several days and advance. I will keep you guys informed on the progress and where I go after the tapering is over. Thanks for the support!

[QUOTE=kellibear;3590984]alot of people consider tramadol a weak opiate, but it is very hard to get off !the opiate receptors in our brains don't care if it's a "weak" opiate or not--it's just as abuseable. lots of people going in-patient to detox from ultram. getting other treatment like na/aa is very important!! i can not stress that enough! doesn't have to be a 12 step program--but it's got to be something! getting off the drugs is hard, but staying off is the real test--stay strong!!

I just can't believe how easy it is to get this drug. From the internet sites and from the contact I had I probably spent 15k on these things, maybe upwards of 20k.

Hello,

I am up to 6 or so a day of Tram. My drug counselor has suggested putting me on Suboxone program. Is this a good idea? Good luck with tapering down! I tried and I could not do it alone. I already attend AA about 5 times a week and have been off of alcohol for many years. I am hoping Sub will help my get safely off of the Tramadol. What a mess!!!

Dear Reach,

Wondering how the tapering down off Tramadol is going? I am thinking of doing this myself. I am only up to 5-6 a day. Thinking of dropping dose by 1 a week until I'm doing 1/2 a day, then every other day, then out.

Good luck with your endeavor!