Tramadol

[Mr Gearchange]

I pulled a muscle in my back whilst playing golf in Mexico last week - I asked the Mrs to pick me up some painkillers whilst in the local town.

She came back with a 200 x 100mg tablets of Tramadol. I elected not to take them as I was drinking each day and I'm guessing opiates don't mix with Tequila too well.

Anyway they are now sat in the medicine cupboard. I looked up dosage and it says to start at 25mg to treat pain. I have 100mg tablets.

Have I bought a massive box full of painkillers that are far too strong unless I have some kind of serious injury? I'm inclined to keep them for the next time I break a bone or tear ligaments mountain biking - but I'm kind of worried that I've been sold something over the counter that a UK GP would never prescribe.

Any advice/ experience?

[DE1975]

It's a prescription only medicine in the UK, not available OTC. It's a pretty strong painkiller, it's an opioid, but not as strong as morphine. 100mg shouldn't do you any harm but will probably make you feel woozy and definitely not recommended with a tequila chaser. For mild pain, 100mg is overkill. If it's a tablet, you could split it in half

[Sheets Tabuer]

I use it for excruciating back pain, where I feel like I've been stabbed and movement takes your breath away feeling like you've just had a hot poker shoved right up your jacksy...

2x 50mg and that sometimes makes me go for a lay down, Can I suggest if you didn't need them last week you really don't need them this week either,

Try paracetamol and ibuprofen.

[Mr Gearchange]

Right, so overkill for a hangover then. Gotcha.

I'll invariably end up breaking some bones at some point - I'll keep them for such an occasion.

[meehaja]

100mg is fine, but might cause nausea and constipation. Try anti inflammatories?

[thebraketester]

Voltarol is good for back pain

[Jer_1974]

I had them in hospital when I had a DVT and PE. Takes the edge of the boredom.

Just edited to add PE as in Pulmonary embolism not Penis enlargement or Premature ejaculation. Should really be more specific talking to people about my PE.

Edited by Jer_1974 on Friday 5th May 21:59

[IanA2]

If they were not prescribed for you by a doctor in this country, to be on the safe side, you possibly need to check the legality of being in possession of a schedule 3 controlled drug.

See: http://www.mims.co.uk/tramadol-reclassified-contro...

[cheddar]

100mg, over the counter!!!!

Doctors here really try not to prescribe these at all, I've got 50mg capsules and I cut the top off and take half, they work wonders but I only take one a week.
Read some of the drug forums, they're very addictive.

[Squadrone Rosso]

I normally have 150mg a day but I've had double that today.

Chronic back pain since 2005 despite numerous surgeries & psoriatic arthritis.

Part of my daily & weekly pain management package.

[kev b]

I was given tramadol for shingles, I took one, very soon I felt extremely dizzy and woke up on the floor eight hours later.

Certainly masked the pain but I have never been tempted to use it again.

[Squadrone Rosso]

kev b said:

I was given tramadol for shingles, I took one, very soon I felt extremely dizzy and woke up on the floor eight hours later.

Certainly masked the pain but I have never been tempted to use it again.

You quickly acclimatise to the bad side effects.

They are a good painkiller. I cannot understand the recreational appeal though

[dreamer75]

I took them for a while after back surgery. Coming off them was interesting - I had no idea what was happening to me until I realised it was withdrawal. So be careful!

[shirt]

Took 100mg once (prescribed to my mates mrs who had spinal disc replacement surgery, so you know that's a serious painkiller). No ill effects other than incredibly realistic dreams which were unsettling enough that I'd be cautious to try them again.

[TVR1]

Tramadol, Valium and Lactulose for me. Tramadol by IV. Quite painful with a few broken bones.

Valium to calm me down on the weeks that followed and Lactulose to help the gut move again.

A fall off a 2nd story balcony onto a concrete floor, so a big hit.

[dandarez]

THAT name!

I'd rather pain. Any day!

I'd gone to the docs for something stronger to stop my back pain (ruptured disc).

'This is a good painkiller.'

Pharmacy gave me a box of Zytram - that's what it said on the box of 60.

I think (that's the right word! as you - well, I was no longer able to - think ...anymore) I took half a doz in total, I can't remember, certainly not many.

I lived through the sex, drugs and rock and roll of the 60s as a teenager, and I have NEVER been away with the fairies in my life.
Until I took Zytram (ie better known as TRAMADOL).

So, my advice, take a couple and if your mind is no longer yours, don't take any more!
I gave the rest (I know, I know) to my bro in law who had had two hip replacements. He just nodded off taking them. No other effect, at all.

Me? I almost think the pain was preferable. And it was intense.

I even read about a guy who had similar consequences, not knowing where he was or what he was doing while on them. He stopped after he became ill and the docs told him he'd had a seizure!

So, just remember, drugs (any of them) can work completely different on you to how they may work on someone else.

[tuffer]

I have boxes of 50mg Tramadol, was prescribed them for back issues, I can take loads with little to no effect so I stopped taking them. I now have Naproxen which I find far better, just one tablet when I really need it otherwise I just use the pain as a reminder that I am doing something wrong.
Weird one today, was simply walking along the corridor at work when my leg seemed to twitch and I took one slightly longer pace, almost like an electric shock had gone down my leg. No pain as such in my back but a very big twinge in the base of my spine to the point I was nearly sick on the spot. Most bizarre.

[AlfaPapa]

Amazing stuff, highly addictive, made me behave bizarrely (7 tickets to see Kenton Cool talk in a Scout Hut in Lichfield, 11 tickets to see Prodigy, an industrial box of earplugs delivered to a girlfriend for her birthday... it goes on).

I recognised I was becoming dependent on it to sleep and wanted to be less fuzzy during the day so started to ween myself off taking it. The first week was not particularly pleasant, the world suddenly became very bright and loud and shiny.

If you don't need it, don't go near it.

[Granfondo]

Mr Gearchange said:

I pulled a muscle in my back whilst playing golf in Mexico last week - I asked the Mrs to pick me up some painkillers whilst in the local town.

She came back with a 200 x 100mg tablets of Tramadol. I elected not to take them as I was drinking each day and I'm guessing opiates don't mix with Tequila too well.

Anyway they are now sat in the medicine cupboard. I looked up dosage and it says to start at 25mg to treat pain. I have 100mg tablets.

Have I bought a massive box full of painkillers that are far too strong unless I have some kind of serious injury? I'm inclined to keep them for the next time I break a bone or tear ligaments mountain biking - but I'm kind of worried that I've been sold something over the counter that a UK GP would never prescribe.

Any advice/ experience?

Team Sky drug of choice!

[Mr Gearchange]

Jesus.

I have a fairly high tolerance to painkillers mainly because I've taken a lot of them over the last few years - mountain biking has seen me suffer with.
10 broken ribs (not all in the same crash)
Broken Shoulder
Torn Rotator Cuff
Dislocated elbow
Broken Collar Bone
Punctured Lung etc etc.

I've had a lot of oramorph (morphine) whilst in hospital then they send me home with Naproxen and Co-Codamol (30/500).

I found Naproxen to be pretty useless - the Co-Codamol took the edge off but no more than that and the constipation was pretty awful.

Sounds like my 100mg Tramadol is destined to stay locked in the medicine cabinet unless I unwittingly amputate a limb doing the gardening.