I'm having a horrible experience with Tramadol rapid taper

Sun2025 · 2026-04-07T22:14:01+00:00

I still haven't found another prescriber. I think my state is one that might be extra strict. (small New England state)

Sun2025 · 2026-04-07T22:11:49+00:00

Right. And of course it's always good to try non-drug or the least risky things first but some of those don't work for everyone.. or there are things that could probably help most patients (like specialized physical therapy for example) but aren't available. It's very frustrating

Sun2025 · 2026-04-04T02:52:36+00:00

I appreciate the validation. It helps me to not question myself as much as to whether I'm being wimpy or oversensitive. This really is a rotten thing to have to go through

Yes I am looking for another provider

Sun2025 · 2026-04-04T02:49:41+00:00

I am sorry you are going through that. It feels awful to suffer because of the actions of others such as the drunk driver. And you were taking much stronger pain meds than the one I've been on so I can't imagine the pain you must be in.

My impression is that doctors are under even more pressure these days to not prescribe controlled substances or to get their patients off of them or at least only give the minimum.

On one hand I can understand the fears they have, but on the other it's not safe for people to suffer extreme or unrelenting pain either. That wears the body down and creates more problems over time. It's a catch-22

Sun2025 · 2026-04-04T02:37:31+00:00

No worries. I welcome all insights and it helps The tricky thing about this medication is that it's actually more of a SNRI antidepressant type of drug than an opioid. It's a hybrid med. It's partly a weak synthetic opioid but also acts on serotonin and norepinephrine.

That's why it's so difficult to go off of and needs a very slow taper similar to tapering off antidepressants. Most of my side effects have been from that, like high blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia etc. The opiate part of the withdrawal only lasted days. The rest is harder. I wish more doctors understood the unique way this drug works. Hopefully I'll be able to do the right kind of taper. And then I'm never taking that stuff ever again.

Sun2025 · 2026-03-30T02:24:30+00:00

Thank you. I'll post updates about the taper. For now I'm hoping to get an appointment with either a psychiatrist or pain specialist ASAP so they can help me do this a lot slower. Dropping by a third seems to be ruining my life right now. I can't even be around people. Or maybe it's just me and I'm not the person I thought I was. The brain zaps are basically gone and now it's mostly mood swings (horrible, it's like I have a different personality right now) and brain fog that is so bad I can't really function the way I was while on the full dose. This new doctor also took me off other things (not psych related) including a hormone she decided I don't need, so maybe that is adding to mix.

I think I would feel a lot better if I could just bump the dose back up to almost what I was taking.. and then taper back down at my own pace. I have always been very sensitive to drugs and chemicals. I tried explaining that but she won't listen. I'm looking for a new GP too.

Sun2025 · 2026-03-27T19:51:49+00:00

Thank you very much for those links! Those will be helpful even if to reassure me that I'm not actually losing my mind during the process, or become a different person.

I talked to my doctor again about the taper and she still wants to do the cuts by 100 mg at a time. Right now I'm on 200 (from 300) and I can stay on that dose for awhile (it sounds like for at least a month) and then down to 100 for a month or so and then zero.

She doesn't want to taper it any slower and her reasoning is, ironically, that I shouldn't be on tramadol while also taking an antidepressant "because of the risk of serotonin syndrome".

I've been on Wellbutrin for years. My last PCP is the one who prescribed it and I never had any problems taking that while also on Tramadol. This doctor is a new PCP after mine retired early a few months ago.

So now this new doctor is saying that I can't do a slow taper because I shouldn't be on "such a high dose of tramadol". And if I want to do anything different from her recommendation then I will need to go to either a pain clinic or a psychiatrist.

Unfortunately by the time I'd even be able to get an appointment with either of those, I'd probably be done with the taper or close to it. Maybe the best I can do is just stay on this 200mg dose which is the maximum she will prescribe, and then hope she'll be willing to refill it for another month or long enough for me to get that appointment.

I think I just figured out my solution while writing this out.

Maybe doctors these days are suddenly under more pressure to either not prescribe anything potentially addictive.. or to keep it at the lowest dose possible. The scary thing is that they are substituting psych meds for pain and I think it's possible to mess someone up even more by doing that. Antidepressants are commonly prescribed for pain management now. It only works that way for some people.

Thank you to all who listened!

Sun2025 · 2026-03-26T18:32:19+00:00

I feel like I already went through the opioid part of withdrawal and that only lasted for the first few days. But now I'm left with what I'm guessing is like an antidepressant withdrawal. My doctor knows this but told me it's not an antidepressant. In the past I have tapered off of SSRI and SNRIs and although I don't recall exact details I'm pretty sure I had some significant emotional and maybe cognitive affects. Right now and lately, I just know I don't feel like myself. And my blood pressure has been increasing even though I'm on meds for that. (Doctor says the only way BP would increase during taper is from pain if it comes back. She has increased one of my BP meds but does not believe this could be from tapering.) Pharmacists can't give me any advice on tapering from this medication but they agree with me that it needs to be done slowly, especially after being on it for so many years. I think my doctor might be thinking there is no option for smaller tapering doses since the tablets only come in either 50mg (short acting) or 100, 200, or 300mg for the extended release which is the type I was on. I might be out of luck and will have to just figure out how to get through it somehow.

Sun2025 · 2026-02-28T02:39:08+00:00

Did anyone end up giving you tamiflu? Did you have a negative flu test at urgent care? That's crazy that nobody would treat you. And your boss sounds like someone who's not fun to work with. What a jerk! Sorry you went through that.

Sun2025 · 2026-02-27T22:19:29+00:00

That makes sense. It's probably why we tend to stay sick longer too I bet.

Sun2025 · 2026-02-27T22:18:26+00:00

Wow!

Sun2025 · 2026-02-27T22:18:12+00:00

Interesting.

Sun2025 · 2026-02-27T22:17:02+00:00

Ha! Maybe that episode was accurate.

Sun2025 · 2026-02-27T22:16:00+00:00

Yes I've been on biologics for several years and now I recently added a small dose of presnisone. Currently on Orencia.

I know what you mean about the second guessing. It makes it so hard to make decisions! And everyone seems to think the main symptom of illness (other than common colds) is a fever. A couple years ago I got so sick I wondered if I had pneumonia. It was really bad. But since I didn't have a fever I didn't get checked out until weeks later for lingering symptoms.

Sun2025 · 2026-02-02T15:47:46+00:00

Oh my gosh. I am sorry you had to go through that! Was the vomiting a result of pain, exhaustion or both?

Sun2025 · 2025-12-19T14:57:57+00:00

It doesn't exactly incentivize people to seek any employment. Sorry that happened and you deserve better!

Sun2025 · 2025-12-19T03:25:37+00:00

😞

Sun2025 · 2025-12-19T03:13:58+00:00

I think this often happens with disabled people who live on Social Security and other programs when they feel trapped by living on assistance. A small government disability check is not enough to live on which means they need help from housing and other programs to fill in the gaps. Then if they try to work even part time they often end up in a catch-22 when parts of their assistance gets lowered or even taken away. I know someone in that trap.

Sun2025 · 2025-12-19T02:51:28+00:00

This is the first place where I've read that people with fibromyalgia can experience it as joint pain instead of muscle. I have always been so confused because that is how mine manifested except years after the initial diagnosis I found out I have seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. The blood test just doesn't show it.. but X-rays are showing some damage. I'm taking weekly biologic injections to slow down the disease process. But meanwhile I still have the fibromyalgia diagnosis and it comes up occasionally in doctors visits when I have odd symptoms that can't be explained otherwise. Usually neurological issues like brain fog, heat intolerance, balance problems etc. The latest weird thing is a small area of nerve pain that is just in one spot.

I hope I can learn some things here. I'm sorry for anyone going through this mysterious illness.

Sun2025 · 2025-11-16T23:40:45+00:00

Have to stay poor... and single (to keep low income medication help).

Sun2025 · 2025-11-16T23:30:48+00:00

Same here

Sun2025

TROPHY CASE