Posted by Quintal on May 1, 2007, at 16:36:07
In reply to Ultram Er and withdrawal-, posted by spriggy on May 1, 2007, at 14:57:27
I once quit tramadol from 800mg/day cold turkey, and yes it was as awful as you say. I think comparing it to Heroin might be an exaggeration though. There also seems to be some confusion between addiction and dependence. From what you say it sounds more like tolerance and dependence, which happens with many meds that are taken long term. Apparently Lamictal can reduce or even prevent opiate tolerance, which might be worth looking into if you still need an opiate?
The best way to come off tramadol would be to reduce the dose in small steps over a month or two. The size of the decrements and the length of the taper depends on the dose you've been taking. It's entirely possible to withdraw from tramadol comfortably (unless of course it's actually still helping your pain to some extent and this is unmasked as the dose is reduced).
Q
poster:Quintal
thread:754950
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070426/msgs/754982.html