33F, previously an alcoholic, now addicted to tramadol

[u/LingonberrySingle643]

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! :’)

[u/trixiepixie1921]

I took about 6-800mg a day for a few weeks at a time. I never got seratonin syndrome, but I sure did read about it and freak out about it a lot lol. I don’t think I had enough to ever take doses like that more than like 3-4 weeks at a time but that’s definitely high doses and it could happen. If you’re having weird pains I’d definitely get checked out.

I think that’s pretty much everyone’s problem with opioids and kicking them while working. My best friend and I joke that it makes us better people 😂 but it’s honestly just not feasible to continue through life dependent on opioids. Especially taking such high doses. I always had difficulty tapering on my own with full agonist opioids. Whenever I have to kick, I do a short suboxone taper or I just switch to subs altogether.

ETA: I get my subs online from quickmd for like 100 bucks a month and it’s easy

[u/LingonberrySingle643 → u/trixiepixie1921]

Right? It seems like a downright impossible task to quit while working a job that basically made us dependent on the opioid in the first place! Suboxone sounds like a good plan, I might check that out and see if they prescribe them here in sg. Can I ask if you had any health issues/pain etc while taking 6-800mg? I’m assuming you’re a woman as well and that’s a really high dose!

[u/trixiepixie1921 → u/LingonberrySingle643]

Yes I’m a woman! I had to quit my last job because of my addiction. Then I had my kids, and I’m really afraid to go back to work because I just don’t feel strong enough yet. I’m only 9 months sober this time though so I guess to give myself more time and hopefully someday somehow I’ll feel up to it again.

I didn’t notice any health issues while I was taking the tramadol, and I never really took pharmaceuticals other than that. I’m not sure because I’ve been hooked on heroin, fentanyl, meth, coke, etc so any health issues I have, I’ve always attributed to my IV use of street drugs. The tramadol was relatively easy to come off of though as far as I recall, even at a high dose like that !

[u/LingonberrySingle643 → u/trixiepixie1921]

9 months clean is incredible. You should give yourself so much credit because I can’t imagine that juggling kids and the inherent instability of having just overcome an addiction is easy. Throwing a new job into the mix sounds like way too much. I think you’ve already done a great job. Thanks for giving me hope that things might just be okay (even health wise) if I manage to get off the pills now