My body is so messed up!

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 8:52 pm

I ran out of Ultram, which I take at between 200 and 400 mg daily, and decided to wait on receiving it in the mail because according to the online pharmacy I would only need to miss one day. Last night was my one night to miss and from the moment I opened my bleary eyes this morning, I felt like I was going to die - nausea, chills, dizziness, diarrhea, heart palpitations, stomach cramps and on and on. I am so frustrated that my body is dependent on this drug and missing only one night can affect me like this. What is my liver going to look like in 30 years? Anyway, just feeling a little discouraged. My medds did come in the mail today and I've taken half of today's dose and expect to be feeling better shortly. I just needed to rant.

Neco · Post by **Neco** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 8:58 pm

Rant away.. my pharmacy is busy and I have to call them back, probably to find out I have to wait another hour or something..

But it's still better than waiting until Monday, hehe.. I was supposed to see the doctor tomorrow but he's sick, so I got my refills early.

Post by **ViewsAskew** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 9:00 pm

It sucks, doesn't it? It's easy to blithely say, "Well, since I'm stuck with RLS the rest of my life, why not take something to which I'll become physicially dependent?" Great, if you never miss it. Great, if you never have to stop it for some reason. And, maybe not-so-great: what is it doing long term? Hopefully nothing terrible.

I feel for you - hopefully the dose will help and within a few doses, you'll be back to "normal."

rfishburn · Post by **rfishburn** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:23 pm

So many people in the same boat....I can't get my ultram again till monday and have been without anything but ambien for a few days already..I am only at 50mg though.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:22 am

Neco · Post by **Neco** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:01 am

Psychologically I can attest that Ultram (tramadol) can produce an addictive high. When I was on it I read some experimental reports on erowid.. I know one guy was taking around 1gram or so for a while, and commented that the withdrawl was horrible (I think).

In my personal experiences I never really went about 700mg. Because I was worried about seizures, and when Ultram was in my system I would get weird side effects.. On the flight to Maryland last Jan I fell asleep and woke up "jerking" as if startled/falling dream. I wasn't sure if it was physically visible but it was very embarassing. This also happened to me on the Metro Rail ride back to where I was stayin, from D.C

I reported the jerky thing to my doctor and said I did not feel comfortable with it, although I admit I never really clued him in on how much I was taking.. To this day I can't stand the aftertaste of the pills going down your throat (the only ones that seem to do that) and I also still suffer from the jerky effect even though I stopped. If I am sitting upright in a car and trying to doze off I'll nod forward and jerk back awake, etc..

It's very different than an opiate high. You get a sense of lightness about you. A little lightheaded perhaps? Until you get used to it.. Then you just sit there, in a sort of ultra calm, serine kind of mood where you can enjoy whatever you are interested in on TV, or playing a game, etc..

Even at a low dose you can feel this if you've never had it before, or haven't taken it for a long time.. It was interesting actually, the first couple times I took it, I noticed that I woke up and felt refreshed, "light" not weighed down and slow.. And I was mentally happy.

Ultram can definitely be addictive in the wrong hands. I don't care what any doctor says otherwise. At the same time however, I dont know whether it was because of my "seizure" concerns, or just natural.. The drug was very easy to quit. I did go back to Vicodin so I didn't go through nasty withdrawal, however psychologically I had no cravings whatsoever; and at the doses I was taking I found it actually cause cross-tolerance with my Vicodin - which really pissed me off.

SquirmingSusan · Post by **SquirmingSusan** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 5:34 am

Make Mine Coffee wrote:
You're not alone. Don't torture yourself with feeling bad about being dependent on something...if it works, TAKE IT! You deserve to live a healthy life. Anything that makes that possible is a good thing!

Amen, Sister! I totally agree. And Emily, I do hope you find something that works.

My mother is one of those people who gets on my case for taking meds. But hey, she is "dependent" on her high blood pressure meds. But she won't take anything for her insomnia. Somehow she can function on no sleep whatsoever. She's 87, so who am I to tell her what to do.

Me, I need my sleep, and will do what it takes. I hate it that I have chronic medical conditions, but that's my reality. It's hard to get the husband and kids to understand why I'm so trashed all the time, though. Today I had so much leg pain, I pretty much vegged out on Vicodin all day. Then the kids get on my case about "why should we do all these chores when you just lie around all day." It would take them about a half hour total; it's not like I'm some kind of slavedriver.

Oh blech. I'm getting way off topic here. Anyway, we do what we need to do and keep on plugging along. Every good day is a gift!

Susan

jan3213 · Post by **jan3213** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:55 am

Well, I have to jump in here. Quite a few years ago (I think at least 10, maybe longer), I was prescribed Mirapex and Klonopin and, thank God, I got relief after being totally miserable. I was so grateful to have medication that helped me, I didn't care what it did to me. I didn't even think about long term side effects.

I've been on Mirapex and Clonazepam ever since---they came out with a generic form of Klonopin after a few years. Anyway, I was told that Klonopin was "addictive"--that was the term my neurologist gave me. But, he said that I was going to have RLS forever---what did it matter if I was given a drug that was addictive. Now, I know the difference between "dependence" and "addiction."

Frankly, I was so desperate then, I would have taken anything. I've stated that I wish I could get off of Mirapex because of some side effects---weight gain, etc. But, after trying to get off of Clonazepam and discovering that my RLS was horrible without that, I'm back on my .5 mg. nightly and won't try coming off of it again. I like being able to sit still for awhile, rather than not at all. And, even though I still have trouble sleeping, I'm better now that I was a month ago.

So, I guess I'm saying the same thing as Emily. If it works, I choose to take it! I do wonder what my liver will be like in 10 years, but I also wonder what I would be like without any sleep in 10 years. It's a catch 22, that's for sure.

It's a personal choice and not always an easy one.

rfishburn · Post by **rfishburn** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:51 am

Glad my neurologist agree's....if it works then why not take it.

rfishburn · Post by **rfishburn** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 3:10 pm

How are you doing Brandy?

rfishburn · Post by **rfishburn** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 3:15 pm

How are you doing Brandy?

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 3:46 pm

Thanks for asking, Randy. I'm still struggling a bit. My Ultram came in, so I'm not having that problem, but I ran out of Ambien, so I'm not sleeping well at night. The problem is that with both Ambien CR and Lunesta, I require more than the prescribed dose to sleep, so I only get half as much sleep as I am prescribed and my doctor only gives me a month at a time, even though both of the drugs are approved for long term use. So, I haven't had a decent night's sleep in a week. I don't really know what to do.

Neco · Post by **Neco** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 5:25 pm

Do you receive them both at the same time or take one and then switch to the other? If you set up a more extensive rotating pattern instead of going until your tolerance hits full bore, it may be easier to manage.

rfishburn · Post by **rfishburn** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:00 pm

I am not sure about brandy but ultram tends to be a bit of stimulant for me. I need something for sleep in addition to the ultram. My neurologist said it's fairly common among the rls crowd. Good thing about that is I can take it durning the day without getting drowsy.

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:31 am

I didn't know that, Randy. Thanks. I do not take Lunesta and Ambien at the same time. I'll go until I feel like I can't handle another night without sleep, then I'll call my doctor and ask for either Lunesta or Ambien. She will prescribe me a month with no refills. I'm afraid to call as soon as the month is up to ask for more because I don't want to be seen as a seeker. So, I stand it as long as I can and then I call again. I would like to just have a regular prescription, but it doesn't seem that that is going to happen. Maybe I just need to find another doctor. And, I don't build up a tolerance to Ambien or Lunesta. It just takes a higher dose for me to sleep. I took a 12.5 mg Ambien and was awake until 6 AM. So, that's the situation. Thanks for your support.