Health Organization for Pudendal Education

Hi Everyone,

Is anyone taking tramadol for PN? I have been taking 50 mg two times a day for about 2 years now and i am starting to notice I am nervous a lot, especially when my dose runs out of my body and its time for another pill. Pretty much I have anxiety symptoms now and the dr's arent sure if its from tramadol or true anxiety related to the PN and health issues it brings. can anyone say anything about tramadol and pn? It is pretty much the only pill thats helps with the pain. Does anyone have any other opiate like drugs they recommend besides tramadol, xanax, valium ect...

I'm one of the people that meds just don't work for. tried them all. It's great you are getting relief with Tramadol. It's not a super-powerful drug, so you have many more options to explore if need be.

cari

Tramadol gave me anxiety and did not help my pain, so I only lasted a few days on it. Valium, xanax, and clonazepam are not opiates but belong to a group called benzodiazepines which are prescribed for anxiety, muscle relaxation and sleep. They will be likely to help your anxiety, and are used by many people with PN. The only thing against them is that they can be difficult to get off of. I have taken clonazepam for years and it does help me sleep, but does not help my pain.

Valium in particular is often prescribed as a muscle relaxant.
Hope you get some help soon, anxiety is miserable.

Read this post and see if a medication change might be in order for you. The drug mentioned is one that is sometimes given to performers in a low dose to combat the anxiety of stage fright. The side effects don't sound like a problem so maybe it is something to bring up with your doctor.

http://www.pudendalhope.info/forum/view ... 932#p22932

You could be experiencing withdrawal. Your body/brain is telling you that it needs more opiates than it is getting. I usually have to stop taking opiates within a week or two of starting them because I start experiencing withdrawal effects before the next dose (anxiety, agitation, sleeplessness). Sure I could always increase the dose but am afraid where that would lead me. I don't like a drug telling me to take it (when, how much, how frequent) rather than the other way 'round. Cora had to wean herself from narcotics after taking them for two years because of withdrawal effects. There is a thread somewhere about her experience with narcotics.

I will take narcotics during a pain flare from time to time but will wean myself off them after about a week when I start experiencing agitation.

Hi MMathis,
I took Tramadol for 5 months on and of for pain flares.I agree that is very good for PN pain, I took 100 mg and would get pretty much 8 hours pain relief.The only initial side effect was terrible insomnia and I felt really speedy and a bit hyper like Id had 20 coffees.But then out of the blue it made me horrendously nauseous.I tried taking it with food etc , but in the end gave up.It took 3-4 months for the nausea to subside completely, as I think it really inflamed my stomach....nausea is a well known side effect.
It didnt make me anxious as such, just really agitated and hyper. Now I take 1 Panadeine Forte and 1 Panadeine, and lots of magnesium with it to avoid constipation.Its not nearly as good ad tramadol, but I really couldnt bear the nause.Good luck.
Mirandamolly

I'd agree with Lernica - sounds like withdrawal. Tramadol can cause anxiety when it is stopped too quickly, symptoms of tramadol withdrawal can be similar to SSRI withdrawal - it is actually used (off label) to help with anxiety and depression.

Maybe time for a med review? I take it that you are already on the slow release or modified release form, as you are only taking it twice a day.

By the way tramadol is not technically an opiate - its action is more complex than that - although it does bind weakly to opiate receptors. And, as has been said already, xanax and valium are not opiates either, they are benzodiazepines.

in 2003 i had to b hospitalised because of all the narcs i was on.i was about dead..not sure of all the medical stuff but the meds were poisoning my whole body..they gave me i.v. drip of morphine plus other stuff for a week..when i came out 3 weeks later the only pain med i was on was ultram 50mg every 6 hrs..it worked wonders for along time but i never had any agitation from it.i still take it but unfornately for some reason the pain got worse and even in my rectum..i am on 100mg every 4-6 hrs with another narc again..hydro codone ..if u get any relief from ultram..try to keep it..it is not no where as bad as other meds..

Hi 2180
I'm taking Tramdol for PN pain and it's fine. I had TG surgery Nov. 1, 2011 and I was given Percocet in addition to the Vallium suppositories, gabapentin and Tramadol. I got off of the Percocet very quickly because it made me sick and really didn't do much after a few hours. I stopped taking the Valium Jan.1 2012 and except for this AM when I knew I had a 4 hour drive back to VT from Dr. Conways office in NH. The drive down and the exam started to give me a bit more pain so I broke down and took it. Other than today, the Tramadol, 100 mg. every 6 hours is just fine. I don't remember having any added anxiety because of the drug. I know I was anxious but at the time I started Tramadol, I still didn't know what I had and I was going from doc to doc. That's enough to drive anyone nuts, as I'm sure you know. Personnaly, I find the lesser drug of Tramadol to be the best. When I have a few more months of recuperation under my belt, I will slowly get off of it. I also take 300 mgs. of gabapentin 3 times per day. That stuff worries me more than the Tramadol, so it's going to take a ride first.
Hope this helps a bit;
Doreen

What you are describing are typical withdrawal symptoms. Tramadol is usually not too addictive. Some people however do get addicted to it and it is not rare to read stories of people that take up to 25-30 pills/day.
You should talk about it to your doctor.