Last week my doc started me on Tramadol (as well as Endep, which I told her I was on in the past and it didn't do anything, but she said to try it because I have a different type of pain right now) and I didn't realise it was likely from the Tramadol, but I took it at night (a very low dose), then the next morning I almost fainted and felt incredibly sick. It seemed to go away, so I just thought it was from something else (plus I've fainted numerous times over the years). However, last night was the first time I took the sustained release Tramadol because she gave me a new script after I told her the Tramadol she gave me did nothing for the pain. Then, today I almost fainted, threw up, felt very hot and very cold, was incredibly pale, etc. So the GP that I could get in to see just told me to stop taking that and start up the Endep again (GP told me to stop the Endep once she put me on the sustained release version), then see my normal GP next week.
Has anyone else had this kind of reaction to Tramadol? I'm feeling better for the most part, but still have incredible pain at the base of my skull / in my neck and feel a bit funny. My GP said she's afraid to prescribe me anything because my pain is chronic and she's worried I might become addicted, but what am I supposed to do if I'm in constant pain? Is there an alternative to the Tramadol to try out? Thanks for your help 🙂
Hi wernie,
Them and worse, and just not from Tramadol, a few people develop intolerances to most pain medications, often having to endure drug trials to find just one which deliver only mild pain relief with the least amount of side effects, for me it is one only, I don't consider myself addicted either, it is a slow release taken twice a day.
Saying pain patients become addicted is a contentious issue, addiction is associated with abuse, and one thing a chronic pain patient never consider doing, most patients are under guidance from pain specialist and their GP's, opiate medications are strictly controlled when prescribed, so abusing these drugs can not be achieved, sure we may be dependant on pain meds, but it not the same as being addicted, we don't seek meds for pleasure, hell most would gladly not take them if they were not necessary for making life a little bearable from endless pain.
We can't suggest alternatives as we are not medical professionals, and every pain sufferer is different on what and doesn't work, have you seen a pain specialist or a multidisciplinary pain clinic, if not it would be a good place to start, GP's can only go so far in treating pain, pain clinics cover the whole spectrum of professional support in dealing and controlling pain, all you need is a referral from your GP, there are private clinics, and major public hospitals also offer pain clinics, but public does have a long waiting list to get in.
Don
Hi Wernie,
Like Don says, if you are sensitive, it is going to be hard to find the right one for you. This means trialing them and when they make you ill, stopping them. And you will need to speak to all your doctors to get the information you need with regard any medication or therapies to help your chronic pain.
As for Tramadol. This drug doesn't have a good track record with people who suffer from chemical or drug sensitivities. I know of a few people, me included, who have ended up with serotonin syndrome from taking Tramadol. It can be a big problem if you react to it.
There are of course many people out there taking Tramadol and swear by it. Just like Lyrica. It either saves you from a life of serious pain, or it turns your life into a living hell.
Just do yourself a favour and take full control of your health. Don't take that rubbish that the doctor told you. You are not going to become addicted if you are properly managed.
Too many doctors are responsible for their patients becoming addicted, because they have poorly managed them.
Don't expect your GP to miraculously cure you and do all the work for you. If you have this attitude, you will do really well, because it will encourage you to root out the information you need to educate yourself so that you can learn to self manage your pain condition.
And also you need to know that it makes no difference what drugs you take, in the end your pain levels may very well out do the ability of the drug to mask it. So you have to decide whether to learn to handle the increase in pain through self management techniques and leave the medication at the same level, or take more meds and risk becoming addicted.
It's a good thing you are here asking, because it means you are already on the road to looking after your own health and self managing it.
Well done. Just keep talking to us!
Peter
I wish the ring (this Chronic Pain) had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened. (Frodo Baggins)
So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide, is what to do with the time that is given to us. (Gandalf the Grey)
Wernie, GPs have very limited treatment options. When you were in your GP's room, she had to give you something, even it's proven to be useless. A typical example is they put everyone on paracetamol which doesn't help back pain.
back pain / bulging disc
90% of pain gone after having both acupuncture and laser therapy while visiting my family in Brisbane (Thanks for the suggestions from the people here)
stay positive, be strong, never give up hope.
Thanks for all of the replies. She had given me the regular Tramadol last week, along with Endep and the suggestion to take paracetamol (although I didn't take the paracetamol because I know it doesn't help me!), but then switched to this long release Tramadol this week when I said it felt like I didn't even take anything with the Tramadol from last week.
Grappers - that makes a lot of sense in saying being dependent on medication versus an addiction. I've always tried to avoid medications if I could, but it's at the point now where I just need something to at least make the pain more manageable!
From reading the responses, I'm thinking it's best to just get my GP to refer me to a pain clinic. She told me to do this new stuff with a different physio and try that for 6-8 weeks, then I will have tried pretty much everything and she would refer me to a neurosurgeon. But, I think if she can still refer me to a pain clinic and they can help with management of the pain for the next 2 months, then that will be better than what she is limited with in terms of dealing with chronic pain, meds, etc. I go to see her next week, so I'm thinking that's probably what's best to do. Feeling better this morning for the most part, so I guess the Tramadol is out of my system now!
Hi wernie,
The thing with chronic pain is it can't be cured, it comes down to management, the only part medication plays is to mask pain, and that is only when it works, other factors come into play when dealing with chronic pain, you can't keep doing activities which cause the pain to increase and expect meds to control the pain, our bodies don't work like that, and you can't keep increasing dosage to cope with the increasing pain, so it comes down to management, and we as chronic pain patients have the biggest control over that, it means looking at how you manage your pain daily, by what you do and how you do it.
Thats why we recommend multidisciplinary pain clinics, apart from all the health professionals being in one unit who only deal with pain, they offer courses to help you self manage your pain, learning the art of pacing, distraction, meditation, mindfulness and lots of other tools to help you daily to minimize how much pain living throws at you, it will mean lifestyle changes, and also acceptance, it is one disease medical science can not cure, for the long term we have to take control on how to make life better, medication can only do so little, the rest it up to us in how we limit the amount of pain we have, and how to keep getting the best of life while still dealing with chronic pain.
I have been with this forum for many years now, I joined at my lowest point, these were during my drug trial days, I was suicidal, mainly because of the drugs prescribed and the pain increasing as a result, I was placed on multiple medications all at once, side effects were horrendous, some caused me to become violent and aggressive, most caused side effects worse than the pain itself, it almost cost me my marriage.
That all changed with the psychiatrist from within the pain clinic, all meds were stopped, and were trialled one at a time, until one was found that I could tolerate, the second good thing was to get me into a pain management course, why these course are not offered upfront when a patient is diagnosed I don't understand, we rely too much on medicine for a cure, when we ourselves can learn to better control our pain by ourselves, in conjunction with pain medications.
The third thing this fellow did was get me pushed up the list for a spinal stimulator, this device is not for all people though, just like medication it has to be trailed, chronic pain is the most difficult disease to treat, as not one single person can be treated the same, what works for one doesn't work for others, and that is why people find it hard living with chronic pain and why this support forum was setup, unless you live with chronic pain, they don't understand what each person has to live with, here we listen and support people in chronic pain, we are all volunteers living with chronic pain supporting one another.
Don
The conclusion that "chronic pain can't be cured" seems to be unbalanced, even a bit extreme .
Sorry, I have to say that. I have been following a discussion on Whirlpool forum. Many people talked about how they cured their chronic back pain. Here is the link: http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2421089
One guy said he put off surgery because he had to work in Germany. During his stay in Germany (for a month), he swam twice a day every day, and then his pain disappeared and cured. So, chronic pain cure is still possible. There are several other guys saying their back pain was cured with surgery, acupuncture, herbal medicine, even cold laser. Everyone is different. The out come which happened to one person doesn't necessarily happen to others.
Chronic pain is defined as the pain lasting for more than three months.
back pain / bulging disc
90% of pain gone after having both acupuncture and laser therapy while visiting my family in Brisbane (Thanks for the suggestions from the people here)
stay positive, be strong, never give up hope.
John,
There is a big difference between chronic back pain that is cured and chronic pain. They are two completely different animals.
Many people have had chronic back pain cured with the right treatment, be it physio, exercises or both, or even sugery. Most people who are treated at the right time or don't have the right conditions all happening at once to cause true chronic pain, can often be healed of the chronically sore joint, back etc.
For some reason or another, chronic pain often doesn't stick around to the one area. It has a tendency to spread. It may start there, but it often spreads and eventually the whole person can suffer from this. This form of chronic body wide pain, is something that is very difficult to get rid of.
I know little about it, except to say that I have had it for 55 years and believe me, it's a real pain. Hehehe!
Be careful of what you read and believe in. Those who get cures, were always going to be cured, IF they received the correct treatment and support at the right time. So there is no miraculous cure there. They just hadn't really developed the type of chronic pain that plagues many people who are members of this forum. That kind of pain goes on and on and on.
Peter
I wish the ring (this Chronic Pain) had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened. (Frodo Baggins)
So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide, is what to do with the time that is given to us. (Gandalf the Grey)
Hi，Peter，I understand what you talked about. One of my relatives has fibromyalgia as well. Chronic Pain from fibromyalgia has no cure. However chronic back pain，which I refered to in my previous post，is a different story. Some chronic back pain can be cured，some chronic back pain can be improved，whilst some chronic back pain resists to any treatment. Chronic back pain and neck pain are the commonest chronic pain，according to National Pain Week survey 2014. So I don't think it's accurate to say “Chronic pain has no cure” simply because the pain due to fibromyalgia has no cure. Again the definition for chronic pain is any kind of pain lasting for more than 3 month （It doesn't have to be years.）Also everyone is different， and everything is possible. I believe “Chronic pain has no cure” is a bit extreme because it excludes all other possible outcomes.
back pain / bulging disc
90% of pain gone after having both acupuncture and laser therapy while visiting my family in Brisbane (Thanks for the suggestions from the people here)
stay positive, be strong, never give up hope.
John01,
Twenty Six years ago I had surgery to correct a slipped disk, I now have nerve damage bilaterally from L5S1, Chronic shoulder cramps, Chronic lower back Pain, Chronic Leg pain, Major depression, inflammation in my knees, elbows and ankles.
All of that arose from the Surgery going wrong, it caused a cascade effect that has now nearly crippled me.
So even if I was to have the Nerve damage repaired (which at the moment can't be done) all of the other symptoms are self perpetuating it has now become a Chronic condition caused by Pain.
Yes had my surgery went well I may now not be where I am, and yes many other people who have Chronic pain caused by a repairable condition can be cured, But if they don't get that cure early enough then they end up like me.
When we talk of Chronic pain we mean all that above and more, and sometimes we forget that not everyone has the same definition as us.
So yes you are correct some Chronic Pain (3 Months or more) can be treated and Cured.
But once your condition moves from that into this the cure becomes at the very least almost impossible to find.
But you will also notice that none of us stop looking, for where there is hope there is life, and without hope their is no life. Not sure where the quote comes from the Lyrica ate my memory with my leg pain but you get the point.
Illeatyu
“All the elements in your body were forged many, many millions of years ago, in the heart of a far away star that exploded and died. That explosion scattered those elements across the desolations of deep space. And came together to form you, you are unique in the universe.
Hi Wernie a bit late and probably unlikely but hopefully you didnt chew the ER tablets this would cause a big reaction. as you would get 24 hrs all at once.. Some time ago with pain levels up around 9/10 for over 1 month I took 400 mg of tramadol and numerous panadiene forte but I have myasthenia gravis which can stop me breathing so eventually I went cold turkey for over a month just laying on the bed until it disappated and I gradually recovered.
As far as addiction goes recent studies on the NIH site show that doctors generally have little correct upto date knowledge in this area. Particularly local GP and many hospital staff. Sad but this is what I have learnt..
There are many alternative to Tramadol/oxycontin and paracetamol. Sometime its like going to the supermarket to find the right one for you. Dont give up keep trying. Tra ra Arjay
I was given Tamadol, quite a few years ago and it did work quite well but after about 4 to 6 hours I was violently ill every time I had taken one, I tried it again about 18 months ago in desperation but same outcome as I had b4