Adderall and Tramadol RLS/ ADD

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jedsono27
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Adderall and Tramadol RLS/ ADD

Post by jedsono27 »

I have noticed thru reading some of the posts that many of the people with RLS also have ADD/ADHD. I have dealt with my add for awhile now with out medication but I am about to begin school again and I want to start taking adderall again. I am not sure how to ask my new doctor about getting a pill that relaxes me for my rls and then adderall which is an upper for lack of a better term.

How have your doctors reacted to asking for both tramadol and adderall? Is there any literature on this topic? In the past when I take adderall it does curve my symptons of RLS so I don't need to take my tramadol while I am taking my adderall.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am not looking forward to chatting with my new doctor about putting me on both of these medications because like everyone else I do not want to be labled a drug seeker.

This is so frustrating, I look forward to hearing from you

Jennifer

Neco
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Post by Neco »

Here's what I would do - and you are COMPLETELY justified in this..

You say, "Doc, I also have ADD. I am starting school and really want to not have to worry about my ADD so I would like to start taking medication for it again."


You need to treat them as two seperate issues to gain an advantage. This may sound funny coming from me, because I am always about "the truth" but in this case you have two legitimate conditions. Don't mention how taking them both works great, just say "these are the medicines I have taken for RLS & ADD, I would like to keep taking them".

Something along those lines. He/she has no right to judge your asking for two medications for two different conditions. And if it were me and they tried that drug seeker bit (momentarily forgetting my shady habits) I verbally rip him a new one, at LEAST loud enough for the staff to hear outside the room.

jedsono27
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ADD and RLS

Post by jedsono27 »

I will let you know how it works out. I think the hardest part of all of this is I am in the medical field and I know how we look at the drug seekers that come into the ER. I am by no means a drug seeker and haven't taken anything but tramadol for this condition but being in the medical field and seeing how some people treat these patients I just feel like I am at such a disadvantage. I guess it is because I am certain about my condition and this condition is so new to most doctors I have seen. When I have mentioned it to several other doctors they look at me like I am crazy which really makes me mad. Sometime I wish we could give them just a taste of what we are feeling for just one night and then I think they would feel completely different. I wish there was a list of doctors out there that suffer with RLS. That would be the easiest solution to all of our problems. Thanks for your help.

walkindafloors
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Post by walkindafloors »

Hey Jennifer,
I was taking Concerta ER before I ever started on any meds for rls ~ weird thing was the Concerta seemed to help the rls daytime symptoms for quite some time as well.

I still take the Concerta (hate having to go each month just for a script) along with all the rls meds and both my MD and neuro are both more than willing to write for the Concerta so whoever I am seeing that month writes it. You're probably more concerned in asking because you're in the medical field and see so much abuse. I'm a social worker with child protection services and see the same thing often...we call them "hospital hoppers!"
Who took the FUN out of disFUNctional?
Kim <><

jedsono27
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walkindafloors , Thanks

Post by jedsono27 »

Thanks for the kind words. I actually met with a new doctor on Thursday and unbeleivably it was very easy. I just told her what I needed and she gave it to me. I explained my symptoms and she didn't give me a hard time at all. It was really nice. Now I am not sure if she reviewed my chart before coming in to see me, so I am not sure if she knew I was in the medical field but it was nothing. I also explained that I had been PRN/Partime for so long with out insurance I guess that might have helped too.

Listen to me justifying it.

One very interesting point however the pharmacist mentioned to me regarding taking adderall and tramadol together. She mentioned 400 mg of tramadol could cause seizures. However , "Knock on wood" (which I just did before typing this) I have never had any adverse effects from taking tramadol excepts weird weird weird vidid vidid vidid dreams.

So she mentioned with the high dose of tramadol taking adderall could increase the chances of a seizure. Does anyone have any experience with this? I really don't take the tramadol on top of the adderall because the adderall sort of reduces the aggravation of the RLS, which might be like the concerta, or maybe it is just because we are so focused on what we are doing we don't realize it ?? hmmmm anyway.....I always make sure there are 4 - 5 hours between the adderall and the tramadol.

Any suggestions would be great. It really freaked me out when she mentioned this to me but again I think she was talking more about taking the two drugs together.

Thanks for all the help

Jennifer

MattNW
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Location: Indiana

Post by MattNW »

Sorry for necroing these older threads but I've been searching the forum for info on RLS and ADHD. I have ADHD too. I was diagnosed at age 10 and took Ritalin until I was 14. Recently I've started the Ritalin again and have started to have a lot of RLS issues.

That's not the point of this post however, just some background. I'm posting this because of jedsono27's experience with the doctor and hopefully others reading this post can also find some help in dealing with their doctors.

I've generally found that doctors tend to pay more attention to patients who do their "homework". If you just go to your doctor and say, "Doc I got this (name of disorder) and I want (name of commonly abused drug). Could you write a prescription for me"? You probably won't get much from your doctor. If however you go in with some knowledge and impress on your doctor that you know what you are asking for and provide support for your request you will get much farther with most doctors.

That is how I've dealt with my doctor and he's pretty good now at giving me what I ask for. When I was just restarting the Ritalin I even got one over on my him. At first he prescribed a dosage calculated by my weight. I found right away that it was way too much. After taking the medicine I would bounce from focusing on a spot on the wall to climbing said wall.

I told the doctor that the dosage was too much and I wanted to try a lower dose. He replied that the dosage was right for my weight so I had to point out that treating ADHD is different from treating other disorders.

ADHD treatment uses a "replacement" model for treatment. In short the brain is lacking a certain amount of a neurotransmitter and any treatment must replace this. Too much won't work just as too little won't work and the dosage that works best differs from person to person depending on the level of neurotransmitter needed. I'm beginning to believe this is the case with RLS also.

On the other hand many other disorders especially non-neurological disorders use a "saturation" model where enough medicine must reach the blood stream to do whatever it is supposed to do. I even provided him with some research about the subject.

Luckily my doctor takes constructive criticism well otherwise he would have tossed me out of his office. :lol:

The point is however when you approach your doctor in this manner you are much more likely to get the medication you need just as jedsono27 did. Of course you have to return the favor. Be open to what your doctor tells you. He does know a lot more about reactions to different meds than you even if you have studied a lot of material. By working together you have the best chance of finding a solution to your problems.

ctravel12
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Post by ctravel12 »

Excellent post Matt. It is so true to be educated before seeing your dr. I was not and it took me some time to find someone who really understood what I was going through.

I guess when you ask a dr for a certain med for rls and they do not even ask why (and still give it to you) that should send some alarms off. I guess you can say that I learned by trial and error.
Charlene
Taking one day at a time

MattNW
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Post by MattNW »

What would set of alarms for me is a doctor giving whatever you want on the first visit or after only a short time as a patient. If you have a doctor who you have known for some time or one who really studies your medical records the fact that they will usually give you what you want is more a sign that they realze you know yourself and your symptoms well enough to go with what you suggest.

A patient usually only comes to a doctor with a single problem. At worst only a few. You can research those few much better than the doctor who must know hundreds if not thousands of disorders and ailments so if you seem educated in the problem and potential treatments a doctor will be more prone to listen to you.

I've heard many horror stories from people seeking treatment for ADHD. Doctors who still believe ADHD is a disorder found only children even though it has been in the DSM (Diagnostic Statistic Manual) for over ten years or others who suspect everyone seeking stimulant meds are just addicts trying to get drugs. This evening I've read a few similar stories about RLS. In fact it seems that a lot of the medications work remarkably similar and some can even be used for both disorders. That and the fact that there seems to be more than the usual number of RLS sufferers who have ADHD I kind of wonder if both disorders aren't comorbid to some extent.

Generally I've discovered that patients who approach a doctor with some knowledge and are also willing to listen to the doctor's view and intelligently defend their own are much more likely to get medication that relieves their symptoms than those who just say they want a certain drug and leave it at that.

Of course there are the exceptions. I knew one mother with a son who had severe ADHD. The boy responded to Ritalin very well but her husband was in the military so they moved from one base to another a lot. Each time they moved there was a new doctor with different views on treatment. One doctor was adamant about non-medical treatment. After arguing with the doctor a while the mother staged a sit down protest as her 8 year old systematically destroyed the doctor's office. At the point when he was climbing the file cabinets using the handles like a ladder the doctor finally wrote the prescription. :lol:

mackjergens
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Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2007 5:10 am

Post by mackjergens »

400 mgs of Tramdol sounds like alot.(IMHO). I take tramadol for my rls and usually a 50 mg pill will work fine, at times I have to take 2 pills, but would never dream of taking 400 mgs of Tramdol.

Maybe you should email Dr B. (www.rlshelp.org) and ask him what is the limit for tramadol and rls.

Anyone else take Tramdol? what dose do you take?

Sojourner
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Post by Sojourner »

Think I also read someplace that 400 mg of ultram is at the extreme upper limit due to seizures or other concerns. Can't reference that, however. Thought Zach had some experience with that so maybe he will post again.

M.
This post simply reflects opinion. Quantities are limited while supplies last. Some assembly required.

mackjergens
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Post by mackjergens »

Found this Ultram information, I hope it proves helpful

About ULTRAM®
(tramadol hydrochloride tablets)

What ULTRAM® is
What ULTRAM® is NOT
Dosage
Warnings
Side Effects

What ULTRAM® is
ULTRAM® (tramadol hydrochloride tablets) is a prescription medication indicated for the management of moderate to moderately severe pain. ULTRAM received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in March 1995. Tramadol has been prescribed in more than 55 million patients worldwide and ULTRAM has been prescribed in more than 21 million patients in the United States. See What is ULTRAM® and How Does It Work? in the Frequently Asked Question section for more information.
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What ULTRAM® is NOT
ULTRAM is a centrally acting synthetic analgesic, not a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). ULTRAM has no anti-inflammatory activity and no potential for prostaglandin-mediated side effects. Unlike NSAIDs, ULTRAM does not have the potential to compromise the efficacy of certain antihypertensive agents (diuretics, beta blockers, and ACE-inhibitors). See What is ULTRAM® and How Does It Work? in the Frequently Asked Question section for more information.
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Dosage and Administration—Adults (17 years of age and over)
For patients with moderate to moderately severe chronic pain not requiring rapid onset of analgesic effect, the tolerability of ULTRAM can be improved by initiating therapy with the following titration regimen: ULTRAM should be started at 25 mg/day qAM and titrated in 25 mg increments as separate doses every 3 days to reach 100 mg/day (25 mg q.i.d.). Thereafter the total daily dose may be increased by 50 mg as tolerated every 3 days to reach 200 mg/day (50 mg q.i.d.). After titration, ULTRAM 50 to 100 mg can be administered as needed for pain relief every 4 to 6 hours not to exceed 400 mg/day.

For the subset of patients for whom rapid onset of analgesic effect is required and for whom the benefits outweigh the risk of discontinuation due to adverse events associated with higher initial doses, ULTRAM 50 mg to 100 mg can be administered as needed for pain relief every four to six hours, not to exceed 400 mg per day. See How Should I Take ULTRAM®? in the Frequently Asked Questions section for more information.
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Warnings
Seizures have been reported in-patients receiving ULTRAM. The risk of seizures is increased with doses of ULTRAM above the recommended range. ULTRAM increases the seizure risk in patients taking certain medications (e.g. tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, opioids) and may enhance the seizure risk in patients taking MAO inhibitors, neuroleptics, or other drugs that reduce the seizure threshold or in patients with a medical history that may suggest increased risk of seizure. Please see full U.S. Prescribing Information. See Who Should Not Take ULTRAM®? and Can I Take ULTRAM® Along With Other Medications? in the Frequently Asked Question section for more information.

Patients with a history of severe, life-threatening allergic (anaphylactoid) reactions to codeine and other opioids may be at risk and therefore should not receive ULTRAM.

Cases of abuse and dependence on ULTRAM have been reported. ULTRAM should not be used in opioid-dependent patients. Since ULTRAM can reinitiate physical dependence, it is not recommended for patients with a tendency to drug abuse, a history of drug dependence, or chronically using opioids.
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Side Effects
The most frequently reported side effects experienced with ULTRAM were constipation, nausea, dizziness, headache, somnolence, and vomiting. See Does ULTRAM® Have Side Effects? in the Frequently Asked Question section for more information.
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Neco
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Post by Neco »

I had a seizure due to a drug interaction, yeah..

But also I progressed to the point where even a couple hundred milligrams or maybe even less, will make me twitch and stuff.. I actually still suffer from random twitching but I'm not sure if its related to the tramadol. It's not very severe but just "at rest" jerks and whatnot.

I did have terrible trouble with losing control and falling, etc when I was on the stuff regularly... thank god I got onto methadone, or I dunno what I'd be doing right now

bharrod
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Re: Adderall and Tramadol RLS/ ADD

Post by bharrod »

I did a search on Ultram and came across this post. I too have ADD and RLS. Right now I am on 2mg of Requip at night to control my RLS and 15mg 2X daily of Adderall for my ADD.

However, I just went to see a Neurologist and told him that I hate the requip due to Augmentation and I want to get off of it. He didn't seem to think that Augmentation was a good enough reason to quit the Requip, because the Requip is working for my night time RLS, it works great actually. But I feel very tired and groggy the next morning.

Anyway, he prescribed me 25 mg nightly of Ultram, and lowered the Requip down to 1mg nightly.

So now I am terrified, because I am taking a ton of meds that can increase my risk of seizures.

I am supposed to be taking 7 medications daily, however I only take 3 because I am terrified to have a drug interaction with all of these pills.

I currently take:

1. Wellbutrin 300mg daily for depression
2. Adderall 15mg/twice daily for ADD
3. Requip 2 mg at night for RLS

But I am supposed to also be taking:

4. Ultram 25mg at night for RLS and lower the requip to 1mg at night
5. Provera for a cyst I have on my ovary
6. Prilosec for my severe heartburn
7. Chantix to help me quit smoking again

I am terrified to mix all of these together. And 5 different doctors gave me these meds and I am not sure if I told them all what meds I am taking and what ones that I should also be taking.

Geez, I wish I didn't have to take any damn pills at all.








jedsono27 wrote:I have noticed thru reading some of the posts that many of the people with RLS also have ADD/ADHD. I have dealt with my add for awhile now with out medication but I am about to begin school again and I want to start taking adderall again. I am not sure how to ask my new doctor about getting a pill that relaxes me for my rls and then adderall which is an upper for lack of a better term.

How have your doctors reacted to asking for both tramadol and adderall? Is there any literature on this topic? In the past when I take adderall it does curve my symptons of RLS so I don't need to take my tramadol while I am taking my adderall.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am not looking forward to chatting with my new doctor about putting me on both of these medications because like everyone else I do not want to be labled a drug seeker.

This is so frustrating, I look forward to hearing from you

Jennifer

MattNW
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Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2007 2:01 am
Location: Indiana

Post by MattNW »

bharrod,

Ask your Pharmacist about the meds. They can look at the whole list and alert you to any meds that may interact with each other.

Neco
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Post by Neco »

yes I agree, take a whole list of all medications you take to your pharmacist and ask them if it is safe to mix them all together.

Better to know if there is a problem now instead of finding out later.

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