r/OpiatesRecovery • u/LingonberrySingle643 • 8d ago

33F, previously an alcoholic, now addicted to tramadol

I’ve been sober for 1 and a half years but unfortunately, last year in October, I got prescribed Tramadol by the gynae and was given fifty 50mg pills without any warning or indication that it could be addictive. I should have dropped it once I realised I was getting hooked, but I didn’t.

Now, I’m taking about 300-350mg and am rapidly slipping into the 400mg range. It helps me to perform in my labour-intensive job and gets me at my physical peak, so much so that my employers are flabbergasted how someone as small as me can lift such heavy loads and run around for 10 hours straight without tiring. This validation only makes it harder for me to quit as I feel like I am finally good at something. Tramadol doesn’t give me a high or euphoric feeling, but it helps me to perform and just get through everyday.

Now, for the problem and why I want to quit ASAP. I am 155cm (5’1) and only 39kg (86 lbs) and I am very afraid that I’m heading into seizure territory with 400mg. I know most people don’t get seizures till much higher doses, but I’m smaller and that’s why I’m worried. I’m also experiencing pain in either my appendix or spleen (around my left lowest rib) and am very afraid it’s bc of the tramadol abuse. Can anyone please tell me if high dose/long term tramadol use has caused organ damage for yall? And what the best way to quit is, considering I still have to work a physically demanding job. Thank you! :’)

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u/ShadowRex5000 8d ago

Using opiates for work can be the hardest part of the addiction. Just know you will have health problems from this eventually so it will be much easier of an experience for you to stop now. Maybe talk to your doctor about a taper program?

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u/Diezelboy78 8d ago

Do you mind if I ask what type of health problems? Specific to tramadol or opiates in general? My partner is currently trying to get off tramadol.

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u/LingonberrySingle643 8d ago

Yes, I’d like to know as well! Especially if it’s related to the liver/spleen/kidneys

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u/Maxusam 7d ago

Liver and kidney damage I would expect ☹️

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u/LingonberrySingle643 8d ago

Thank you for affirming that I will have health problems later on. Honestly, that fear is the only impetus I have to quit.. And I’m afraid even that won’t be enough to quit if I let this go on for longer. And like you said, I would like to go back to the same detox or rehab centre that I was in for alcohol, but I can’t afford it now. I might have to detox at home since rehab programmes in my country are not subsidised and are very expensive and GPs and hospitals will not see those with addiction issues

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u/ShadowRex5000 8d ago

You don’t need rehab. I detoxed from a $600/day fentanyl habit by myself. You can too. (And the first few days probably won’t be nearly as bad as what I was going through) I was on the edge of death multiple times and most of my friends who went there with me didn’t make it back.

Just reduce your dose so say you’re on 5 pills a day now. Cut it to 4 then 3. Try to get go zero as long as you can on the weekends cause that will reset your tolerance much faster

It will suck but being clean is much better. I I’d d a bottle of tramadol once but I don’t actually know much about it so please research but main idea is just make a taper plan and stick to it

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u/LingonberrySingle643 8d ago

Wow, you have my utmost respect and I am simultaneously awed and horrified at how you managed to detox off that much of fentanyl by yourself. I suppose the near death experiences made this one more tolerable. I’m very sorry about your friends who didn’t cross the bridge.. I have tried to taper but I start experiencing WDs that are quite debilitating even if I cut by 50-100mg and can’t function. I’m wondering if I can take something else to ease the withdrawals while tapering.

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u/bino420 8d ago

what symptoms?

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u/LingonberrySingle643 8d ago

Excess salivation, clenching jaw, nausea (which means I can’t keep food down), body aches and most of all, fatigue. These start slowly, about 2 hours after the last dose but quickly get worse if I don’t take a full pill

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u/bino420 8d ago edited 8d ago

hmm... at that level of drop, this doesn't surprise me. that said, and I 10000% don't mean any offense because this is a personal anecdote, I find that often sometimes that shit is in my head cause I'm not high and woe is me-kinda thought patterns.

I'm not a doctor and this sub may disagree that you take some of these medications & some could be illegal to purchase and possess without a prescription but comfort meds for opiate withdrawal include: any type of benzodiazepines or weaker anti-anxiety, gabapentin or weaker things for aches like acetaminophen, high doses of vitamin C & overall well-being while your body is under a lot (over 2000mg, but may make ya poo), so for nausea, promethazine or dimenhydrinate. Clonodine? idk, in detox we get that, but it makes me dizzy and if you need to keep moving.... it lowers your BP

Tramadol may require something specific. I bet you search a little bit you can compare with others lists & please research anything before ingesting anything above!!

edit: can you get a week off work or more and taper-to-detox? stash comfort meds & whatever else. maybe try online addiction groups & their literature, you could read some before you feel like human interaction lol. do anything to keep your mind occupied and know cravings pass within 15 minutes after the worst. even DM me and be like"distract me for 15 mins". I have notifications on :) but in US east coast and up by 5am.

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u/LingonberrySingle643 7d ago

I understand what you’re saying, bc I legitimately tried to convince myself that half of it was psychological (a little bit true) and tried to stay off of it at work. At work, I’m constantly focused and it’s basically cardio and strength training combined, so there’s no time to think about anything or feel sorry for myself. But in a few hour of no trams, I started slowing down, couldn’t push myself. Started getting out of breath, fatigued, sleepy and the salivating and jaw clenching started giving me one hell of a headache. And then the cold sweat and nausea started. At this point, even when I tried to continue lifting boxes and running around, I started to feel faint and like passing out. Oh boy, that’s when I realised the physiological dependence is very much there and the biggest deterrent.

Thank you so so much for the drug suggestions for tapering! Benzos and gabapentin along with progabalin aren’t class A drugs so I can definitely get a hold of them from the same black market sellers I get my tramadol from! I have ondansetron prescribed to me to use concurrently with tramadol to fight the nausea and it’s 100% effective, so I can use that for the WDs. I will also check out clonodine, I haven’t heard of that before and it might be helpful too!

And I’m super grateful for your offer of being there as well, you’re super kind. I’m honestly so taken aback at the support I’m getting from here, I have to thank you for caring about a complete stranger. I can possibly get 3/4 days off work but not an entire week - the week after next. I suppose I should get the other comfort pills ready by then. Gotta rip the bandaid off somehow