Question for anyone taking Tramadol

[Blondie]

What about Dilaudid tablets? Have Lauri's docs ever prescribed that? I know it's right on up there with Morphine, but it's one of those meds with very few side effects and patients usually don't get the euphoria associated with most of the other narcotic pain meds. IV Dilauded is a whole other animal though and will knock you on your but. The pill form doesn't seem as strong.

A lot of docs don't want to prescribe narcotics and will resort to the NSAIDS and meds like Tramadol. Since Virginia is now a part of the Prescription Monitoring Program, doctors are running scared now more than ever.

 

[#1MMFan]

My husband had horrible pain with his kidney stone and they gave him this. It barely worked for him. I guess she'll have to try it out and see. I hope she can find something that does work for her though.

Well, that's because renal colic is thought to be the worst pain known to man (I'm not even going there with the pregnancy/women thing!!!). Renal colic needs morphine/pethidine.

 

[fabshelly]

I suffer from debilitating cramps, and my Dr. gave me Tramadol. I stopped taking it for six months because if I didn't take it, I'd get headaches and I didn't want to get addicted.

I now take it rarely, and only when in unmanageable pain. My head gets a little itchy when it's wearing off. I wonder why that is?

 

[thotfulspot]

I can't offer any concrete help, but please tell Lauri she's in my thoughts and prayers. I hope she's feeling much better soon, whether it comes from a new combination of meds or from eating the ears off all the chocolate Easter bunnies in the house!

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

So, carry a little bitty pill box with you. Most people in chronic pain who are also addicted (out of necessity) do that. If you can't find one, PM me an address you're comfortable with and I'll send you one. I've got about a dozen laying in a drawer.

She does carry a small amount of some of her meds with her in her purse. Taking them is another thing. Stubborn doesn't begin to describe her. She gets herself so hyped up on adrenaline at work that she blocks out the pain for the most part. Its on the trip home that she gets really bad - when her joints and muscles have had time to settle down.

It's von Willebrand's aka angiohemophilia. But I guess for Lauri it is spelled p-a-i-n

Yeah, what you said..lol All I know is if she isn't careful with her meds she will wake up the next day covered in softball sized bruises.

Is she Irish? Because God forbid we ever admit pain

Hoo yah. Half third generation Irish, half third generation German. 5'10" with long curly red hair. She has the german height and strength with the Irish personality and features. She refers to herself as the world's tallest leprachaun.

You want to know how stubborn she is with pain? Back before we got married we flew to Atlanta because friend's of my mom were having a bridal shower for her. The day before she snuck up behind me to tickle me. I threw my head back and cocked her hard right on the nose with the back of my head. I broke her nose. She refused to go to the hospital and went the entire trip with a broken nose, refusing to go to the doctor until a week later when she couldn't ignore it anymore. That Thanksgiving she was cooking dinner for the family and a pan with hot bacon grease in it slipped from her hand and spilled all over her other hand and onto the stove, setting the stove and her hand on fire. She ended up with second degree burns on two of her fingers. Did she go to the ER? No. She spent another FOUR hours cooking and serving dinner with her hand in a bucket of icewater. Finally she called her doctor's service and he called her back, told her to get her rear end to the ER. Met her there and gave her what for.

Definitely Irish. Sounds like if you guys trace your ancestory back you might find some common links

What about Dilaudid tablets? Have Lauri's docs ever prescribed that? I know it's right on up there with Morphine, but it's one of those meds with very few side effects and patients usually don't get the euphoria associated with most of the other narcotic pain meds. IV Dilauded is a whole other animal though and will knock you on your but. The pill form doesn't seem as strong.

Doesn't sound familiar. I'll have to ask her about that. About the euphoria, the morphine doesn't affect her mood or make her feel any different at all. She always says she doesn't know why people take that to get a high because she gets nothing from it. Is that normal? Is it something where if you have pain you don't get the high?


Thanks again, everyone, for all the help and all the wishes for Lauri. I know she really appreciates it! She's at work today (yes, working on Easter even with the store closed - told you she is a stubborn redhead) but maybe she will be able to get online a bit tonight and say hi

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

Please tell Lauri I'm thinking about her and hoping her pain gets manageable again.

They're wondering about her on the wpasadi board too...

 

[Eclpz314]

I have no medical information to offer. I wish I did have some sort of miracle that could help. I hope they can find some sort of med. combo that works better for her.

 

[Rhongepooh]

Doesn't sound familiar. I'll have to ask her about that. About the euphoria, the morphine doesn't affect her mood or make her feel any different at all. She always says she doesn't know why people take that to get a high because she gets nothing from it. Is that normal? Is it something where if you have pain you don't get the high?

I have had an illness known as Intersititial Cystitis for 10 years now. It is a disorder where the lining of my bladder has been destroyed and I have ulcers in my bladder. It causes extreme pain increased urgency (needing to go to the bathroom, sometimes up to 30 to 40 times a day) and often total renal retention (sometimes I have to catherize myself to go pee). I've been on several different types of pain medicine and been to 3 different pain management doctors (I don't really like pain management doctors because they prescribe WAY too many pain medicines and regular doctors prescribe WAY too few pain medicines). I have been on oxycontin twice and refuse to go on it again due to dependancy problems. One thing that ALL the doctors have stressed to me is that there is a difference between pain medicine ADDICTION and pain medicine DEPENDANCY. Pain medicine ADDICTION comes when pain medicine is not used correctly (to decrease physical pain) and is often used when you feel down and out or other reasons BESIDES for pain. Pain dependancy, like pain addiction, is when your body needs the pain medicine to function but unlike pain addiction people who use pain medicine to control pain (especially for chronic pain) rarely get the "high" that other people get. I take different medicines for different types of pain. I also have frequent kidney stones (and YES they ARE worse than having a baby!) and frequent UTIs which can be very painful due to my condition of my bladder. I take medicines as strong as mephrigan (demeral and phenagren) at times and sometimes I can manage with something as little as Ultram or just benadryl. The taking the depression drug for pain is also a common thing. I take (and have taken for 10 years now) elivil for the same thing. Ultram can work IF you take it at the VERY BEGINNING OF PAIN but if my pain level gets any higher than about a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10 then it doesn't do much for me.

It's very hard to live the life of someone who has a condition of chronic pain. Many people in my small town think that I'm a drug addict (although I'm a single mom with a full time job as a teacher and don't drink, take recreational drugs or party). It use to bother me alot. Then I had a wonderful doctor that explained to me that I had to worry about myself and not what people thought of me. My closest friends and my bosses know about my illnesses. I don't take pain medicine when I teach or when I have to drive. Many peole including my parents don't even realize when I've taken my medicine and when I haven't. It's a totally different road when your in pain and take the medication that you need to help you. My prayers will be with both of you. Please tell her if she EVER wants to talk I'd be MORE than happy to talk with her because I totally understand what people who have chronic pain go through.

 

[luvthatduke]

I just started taking Tramadol about 3 weeks ago for Fybro.
I also take Skelaxin (muscle reliever)
and Nabumetone (management pain med),
I've been on them since last year.

Honestly, the first 2 times I took the Tramadol
it was *heaven*, but now my pain has increased
to where I can barely function these past 2 weeks
and the Tramadol doesn't seem to be doing too much
except making me feel woozy (you can read that as *good*).
Definitely makes me sleepy, so I only take it at night,
although it's prescribed by my Rheum for 1-2 pills/day
whenever I need it.

I have read many posts by you, and I am amazed
that Lauri can still work - I truly do not know how she does it!
I pray for her regularly .

 

[Poppinsme]

Have been taking Tramadol 50 mg. TID for years now to go with my Vicodin TID. I have a really bad knee (hurt in a car accident in 2000). No side effects. Also take Motrin 800 mg. TID. Dependency? Pain relief so I can have a somewhat normal life, yes. Drug addiction? Well sure. But its how you look at it. My drugs keep me fairly pain free so I can work and lead a good life. When I'm not in pain my head is clear and my mood is fine. Why? Because I'm not in PAIN! My knee is not going to all of a sudden heal its self so the next best thing is drugs. I see my DR every 3 months and get blood work every 6 months. And I DON'T take drugs to get high. I'm not Anna Nicole Smith or Rush Limbaugh.
Also I'm in health care so have access to all the new research and drugs for treating pain. My DR has been after me to get on something stronger because my pain gets worse and worse. But for right now I handle the severe pain with these drugs I take and meditation. It drives my DH crazy because he knows when I'm in pain and wishes I would consider taking something stronger but I'm stubborn. Hard on DH to live with me at times.
Buy the way another thing that I should do and don't is take my drugs faithfully as prescribed TID, I don't. I wait until the pain is so bad and then take. This is stupid of me. So now I am making myself take like I should so there is not as much pain. Does that make sense? Take your medicine as prescribed. Whoops I think I talked to much. But I cant help defend pain medication thats what it was invented for!! Why live with pain?

 

[Poppinsme]

I have had an illness known as Intersititial Cystitis for 10 years now. It is a disorder where the lining of my bladder has been destroyed and I have ulcers in my bladder. It causes extreme pain increased urgency (needing to go to the bathroom, sometimes up to 30 to 40 times a day) and often total renal retention (sometimes I have to catherize myself to go pee). I've been on several different types of pain medicine and been to 3 different pain management doctors (I don't really like pain management doctors because they prescribe WAY too many pain medicines and regular doctors prescribe WAY too few pain medicines). I have been on oxycontin twice and refuse to go on it again due to dependancy problems. One thing that ALL the doctors have stressed to me is that there is a difference between pain medicine ADDICTION and pain medicine DEPENDANCY. Pain medicine ADDICTION comes when pain medicine is not used correctly (to decrease physical pain) and is often used when you feel down and out or other reasons BESIDES for pain. Pain dependancy, like pain addiction, is when your body needs the pain medicine to function but unlike pain addiction people who use pain medicine to control pain (especially for chronic pain) rarely get the "high" that other people get. I take different medicines for different types of pain. I also have frequent kidney stones (and YES they ARE worse than having a baby!) and frequent UTIs which can be very painful due to my condition of my bladder. I take medicines as strong as mephrigan (demeral and phenagren) at times and sometimes I can manage with something as little as Ultram or just benadryl. The taking the depression drug for pain is also a common thing. I take (and have taken for 10 years now) elivil for the same thing. Ultram can work IF you take it at the VERY BEGINNING OF PAIN but if my pain level gets any higher than about a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10 then it doesn't do much for me.

It's very hard to live the life of someone who has a condition of chronic pain. Many people in my small town think that I'm a drug addict (although I'm a single mom with a full time job as a teacher and don't drink, take recreational drugs or party). It use to bother me alot. Then I had a wonderful doctor that explained to me that I had to worry about myself and not what people thought of me. My closest friends and my bosses know about my illnesses. I don't take pain medicine when I teach or when I have to drive. Many peole including my parents don't even realize when I've taken my medicine and when I haven't. It's a totally different road when your in pain and take the medication that you need to help you. My prayers will be with both of you. Please tell her if she EVER wants to talk I'd be MORE than happy to talk with her because I totally understand what people who have chronic pain go through.

From one chronic to another....good for you!!!
I live with pain 24/7 365 and function quite well thank you.
And don't let other people make you upset by what you have to do to get through your day. Your the one that lives it.
When I limp out of work in the morning in agony from being on my feet for sometimes 12 hours there is a feeling of accomplishment. I have made it through another night and I have done a good job besides. Thank god I can walk as there are plenty of people that cant. This is what keeps me going.
Anyway good for you.

 

[Rhongepooh]

From one chronic to another....good for you!!!
I live with pain 24/7 365 and function quite well thank you.
And don't let other people make you upset by what you have to do to get through your day. Your the one that lives it.
When I limp out of work in the morning in agony from being on my feet for sometimes 12 hours there is a feeling of accomplishment. I have made it through another night and I have done a good job besides. Thank god I can walk as there are plenty of people that cant. This is what keeps me going.
Anyway good for you.

Thanks! I really appreciate that because my job is on the line tonight as the school board is once again voting on the hiring of teachers (unfortunately most people don't realize we are on contracts year to year and in Mississippi there is no tenure so they can decide to not hire us back at any point). Well, I've missed about 20 or so days this year due to kidney stones from right before Christmas until just a couple of weeks ago SOLID!!!!! ONE WOULD PASS AND ANOTHER WOULD FORM!!!! I didn't go into the hospital but had 2 surgeries to remove them (and both times went back to work the next day). However I was informed by my boss this morning although I got excellent reviews by my principal and all my parents LOVE me I might not be rehired because the school board (5 people who I think only 1 has higher than a high school education) are cracking down on people who are out a lot and since I was out more than 10 days (even though I had Dr. excuses for all the absences, was docked for the extra days AND had to pay a substitute out of my own paycheck) I might not get rehired. The superintendent wanted me to take disability. I'm a single mom with my own house I can't afford to be on disability and besides that I enjoy teaching too much. So thanks a lot you don't know how much that post helped me out tonight! I've been praying non stop since 2:00 and my boss is suppose to let me know as soon as the meeting is over. Thanks again~!