Osteoarthritis and Tramadol

I was prescribed them but found the side effects so bad I stopped. I felt totally out of it, as though I was floating but unsteadily, also felt sick. So now I am on morphine, still a very strong drug but no side effects at all and I have been taking it it for nearly two years now. I take 5mg once a day, usually bed time, not every day, I can go weeks without it but when I get a flare up like now it’s everyday.

A GP prescribed Tramadol for me when I had severe sciatica a few years ago. When I told him it had made me sick he said that happens with 33% of people.

Tramadol doesn’t work when my back goes into spasm without the help of 800mg ibuprofen.

Another here who can’t tolerate Tramadol. Prescribed for global pain I got no further than the first two, such a confused head and an exhausted body. en. Couldn’t get out of bed. Now I take slow release ibuprofen and eight paracetamol a day, neither stop my head functioning and they do take the edge off the pain.

I was given it with paracetamol for extreme bowel pain and it suits me very well except yes it does constipate. I use it PRN only. None of other symptoms described above. Slight "high" feeling but not unpleasant.

I'm not sure how much more addictive Tramadol is that the other very major painkillers? But my greatest concern is that as far as I know most of us are not medics here, maybe we should be cautious recommending or not recommending drugs that might be very indicated or contraindicated for certain conditions?

I’ve been talking it for a couple of years, as well as pregabalin.

Like TeacherAnne I was prescribed up to eight a day.
I only ever took, at the maximum, 5 a day.

I don’t drive, and if I did wouldn’t have. Due to the pain and mobility problems that I was taking the tramadol for, I wouldn’t have been able to even if I’d wanted to.

I was in agonising and chronic nerve pain down my leg which was caused by problems with my hip (which had absolutely had it)
Most days I would literally cry with pain.
Sometimes the nerve pain would affect my eye and jaw.

I definitely needed them, and I don’t know how I could have survived without them.

It’s not good practice for GPs to say that they wouldn’t prescribe opiates under any circumstances.

I am now weening myself off them under the guidance of my GP.
I take two at night and it stops me from getting withdrawal headaches.

OP, have they tried you with Amytriptiline? They tried that with me before the tramadol.

I hope that you get some relief soon

I was on Tramadol when I had an operation on my spine and I was fine on it, I was also on loads of other pills.

MissOops is on them now after her knee replacement and has no problems, she can’t do much at the moment anyway, but certainly couldn’t take them normally as they make her sleep , you can take up to 8 a day safely. She is on around 5 a day plus other opioids.

The problem with Arthritis is that it will get worse and Tramadol isn’t something I would like to be on for ever as I can’t function normally, but after an op it’s a great pain reliever.

Best get back to your GP and find out a bit more about her thoughts on this drugs long term usage for you.