tramadol/ultram for anxiety and depression

[RockiNToM]

Hi all,

I've been a spot of bother recently with my stomach troubles, but they have now found out what's wrong with me. I seem to have a cyst as found by a recent scan of my abdomen. Anyway, long story short, I've been given tramadol for the pain I've been experiencing that recently put me in hospital. When I took it I really wasn't expecting anything other than it to take the pain away, but my god!! my mood is the best it's been in years, EVER.

I knew I heard of tramadol before but couldn't remember why so I looked it up, and sure enough, its anti-depressant like properties with the ruptake of serotonin and norepinephrine explain everything. I know it also works at the opioid receptor too; making it good for pain relief (while still not officially an 'opioid'). I also think the key thing to note with this medication is it works fast. It doesn't need to be taken for 2-4 weeks to for it to be in the system before it works. So because of that fast action relief, this is probably the best mood elevator I have taken for my depression.

Thing is, as you've probably already gathered is that there is that possibility of addiction. From what I've read from other users, if it's used at relatively low doses now and then, rather than high doses all the time, tolerance levels should remain pretty low still and your body doesn't have to face horrible withdrawals when you suddenly stop taking it. But this is just what I've read, it isn't by any means totally accurate.

So inevitably because my mood is elevated my anxiety has dropped and I feel more confident, happy and generally better in my own skin. I'm not sure it's fair to say the effect is like a 'high' because it doesn't really make me feel euphoric or anything, it just makes me feel how I used to feel when I was happy.

A lot of people give tramadol some stick because it's not as confidence boosting as say Ritalin or Adderall, but I think that's ok for me. Subtlety is all I need - I don't need big confidence boosting effects or euphoria. On top of this though, if there is no 'mood' to correct or fix because you have no problem with your mood, then you may find it will do absolutely nothing.

The biggest problem of all is that Tramadol is not licensed for depression or anxiety, it's used for pain relief. However there are cases (from where I've scouting the net) where it has been used off-label for depression, anxiety and ocd and found to be pretty effective. But finding a doctor/psychiatrist who will prescribe it for those things is going to be extremely rare and difficult. I can only hope this changes in the future.

The best thing of all that I like about tramadol is the minimal side-effects. No sexual dysfunction, no apathy, or that 'dumbing' down that I experience usually with anti-depressants on cognitive function. The side-effect I get is a bit of dizziness, nothing else at all. But there is a bit of a seizure warning, but these seem to be at really high abused doses. I only take 50 mg.

All in all for me this has been a godsend, but for how long? I know I probably won't be allowed this after my op to remove my cyst, which is the down side. I just wish it was approved more for other things than just pain relief so others out there can have some relief from their symptoms of anxiety and depression - rather than going through the motions of having to wait ages for a med to work and suffer from side-effects.


The information I have given is my own experience, and is not something to be taken as medical advice.

[Saqq]

It worked on me better than anything I've been on (including parnate) -- GL getting a prescription to it though with it being a synthetic opiad. 200mg worked the first few times, but then I had to double up to 400mg (which is pretty much the Max you should take for medical reasons).

I also think its OTC in Canada (but mixed with Acet. and only 37.5mg/pill -- not sure if cold water extraction works, possibly)

Although who knows these days with people getting adderall scripts, etc --

next time I'll ask for Tramadol + Adderall + Xanax and see what kind of reaction I get (Parnate ain't doing ****) -- neither does a boatload of benzos.

meh natural tolerence = lame.

[crayzyMed]

If you want to use opiates you should get memantine (or another nmda antagonis), ulra low dose naltrexone and proglumide to block tolerance.

If you dont you will develop a dependency and tolerance.

[RockiNToM]

Interesting, but isn't Tramadol a synthetic opiate? I don't think it's ever been classed officially as an 'opiate'.

I think the addictive side to this med more than anything, is the anti-depressant effect on how fast it works on people's mood - just like how fast acting benzos can be for reducing anxiety I suppose.

[crayzyMed]

Originally Posted by RockiNToM

Interesting, but isn't Tramadol a synthetic opiate? I don't think it's ever been classed officially as an 'opiate'.

I think the addictive side to this med more than anything, is the anti-depressant effect on how fast it works on people's mood - just like how fast acting benzos can be for reducing anxiety I suppose.

Those strategies work for other synthetic opiates like hydrocodone etc, i'm pretty sure it would also work for tramadol. If tramadol did anything for my anxiety i would probebly use it daily with the meds i posted about.

I think the most addictive thing is the euphoria, altough for anxious ppl feeling normal could be even more addictive.

With the right precautions its possible to use opiates as treatment tough

[UltraShy]

Ultram is useless, at least that was my experience. I have access to literally thousands of tablets of tramadol from excess my mother doesn't use.

I've tried it a number of time. Once I stayed on it for something like 6-8 weeks at 400 mg daily and I didn't notice any effects at all (good or bad).

Since that didn't work, I have tried it at single doses of of up to 800 mg at once. That would be 16 pills. Don't try that at home, boys & girls. Dosage is limited due to risk of seizures at excessive doses and that would clearly be excessive. Still zero effect even at that sky high level.

Seems to work OK for a back ache, but sure doesn't do anything for any mental issues.

I've never had to deal with the toxic Tylenol in Ultracet. I have access to pure tramadol, not that adulterated garbage.

[StPatrick317]

The deal with this is rapid tolerance. Of course if Opiates worked indefinitely they would be fantastic for Depression. Im on Suboxone, which is a partial Opiate. I have very resistant depression, but its been the 2nd most effective med I've tried out of 30+ ones. It still works 8+ months later. I remember Ultram fading quickly.

Oxycodone, Morphine etc who knows, it's kind of gambling because if they stop working then you have to withdraw & that will be difficult. I'm not going to outright say they are useless for depression, there are studies that show they work in some people who respond to almost nothing. But Ultram, I doubt it. Maybe your one of the few people who don't get tolerant.

[RockiNToM]

Originally Posted by UltraShy

Ultram is useless, at least that was my experience. I have access to literally thousands of tablets of tramadol from excess my mother doesn't use.

I've tried it a number of time. Once I stayed on it for something like 6-8 weeks at 400 mg daily and I didn't notice any effects at all (good or bad).

Since that didn't work, I have tried it at single doses of of up to 800 mg at once. That would be 16 pills. Don't try that at home, boys & girls. Dosage is limited due to risk of seizures at excessive doses and that would clearly be excessive. Still zero effect even at that sky high level.

Seems to work OK for a back ache, but sure doesn't do anything for any mental issues.

I've never had to deal with the toxic Tylenol in Ultracet. I have access to pure tramadol, not that adulterated garbage.

But can I just ask, you don't have any problems with your mood no? If your problems don't stem from your mood (I mean from what I've read you only take benzos for anxiety) then of course you're not going to feel a great deal of difference - there is nothing to fix.

For me it fixed my mood; made me happier, brighter, less negative, more optimistic, which then impacted my anxiety too, for me.

[crayzyMed]

Originally Posted by StPatrick317

The deal with this is rapid tolerance. Of course if Opiates worked indefinitely they would be fantastic for Depression. Im on Suboxone, which is a partial Opiate. I have very resistant depression, but its been the 2nd most effective med I've tried out of 30+ ones. It still works 8+ months later. I remember Ultram fading quickly.

Oxycodone, Morphine etc who knows, it's kind of gambling because if they stop working then you have to withdraw & that will be difficult. I'm not going to outright say they are useless for depression, there are studies that show they work in some people who respond to almost nothing. But Ultram, I doubt it. Maybe your one of the few people who don't get tolerant.

Yes suboxone is a very good antidepressant and hasnt much tolerance issues compared to other opiates. Its also a kappa receptor antagonist.

[Vini Vidi Vici]

i got addicted to Tramadol, even a low dose can be really addictive and hard to get off of, like 3-5 50mg pills a day. Tramadol has so many random pharmacologic actions...alot more than just its weak opiate properties. Id take it for as short a time as possible.........it did help me a ton with nearly all my problems like OCD, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain, but when i had to stop it was worse. its a very useful drug if it didn't cause so much dependence......it looks like it actually is, besides a weak opiate, an SNRI, and an NMDA antagonist...so it could prevent some of its own tolerance...

[ippa]

Tramadol worked for me too, its a very good drug against sa, when i was talking with friends about tramadol they said they wanted to do good things under it like working on something, doing something in the house, talking more polite with people, and what good is with this drug is that it doesnt have psychedelic properties, so u feel less sa while your thinking is clear and not changed in bad way like it can be with many other drugs, but the problem is the people think its very bad drug very addictive and people die from it constantly, i think its more bull**** then truth.

[euphoria]

People's reports of tramadol use are scary. Some of them increased their dose to large amounts over time, and got seizures (apparently a common risk if dose gets high enough).

[meyaj]

Opiates definitely make you feel good and not depressed, but as someone with both social anxiety and LOTS of experience with opiates, I have trouble seeing how it will help SA.

Keep in mind this is strictly anecdotal, the experience may be different for others (who may or may not be honest with themselves), but when I'm high on opiates, other people IRRITATE the hell out of me. It's no longer social anxiety, I just very easily annoyed.

[RockiNToM]

Well, for me personally, I think my SA root cause stems from my mood. If my mood is bad, like I'm feeling down, seeing things generally negative, my SA is much worse. But I can understand for a lot of people who just have SA that their mood would be unaffected.

So far I'm pretty sensible with my tramadol, I only take 1x 50mg a day of Tramadol, nothing more and this is what I've been prescribed for my pain by a doctor (my doctor actually prescribed me to take it 2x a day). The effects of it reducing my pain have been pretty great but the added bonus is it helping my mood.

I understand it is addictive but I have no intention of going up the dose - I feel great where I am. However, I do fear that when I've had my op to remove the cyst they will stop prescribing me tramadol. I kinda wish they hadn't given me it, because it helps so much more than just treating the pain. I just don't know what will happen when the time comes when I have to come off, will I be able to just come off or will I be facing horrendous withdrawals that won't allow me to? On top of all that, the time between now and my op is quite a wait, there isn't even a date for my op yet... We could be talking over a month or two. But I suppose it could be worse, they could have given me a proper opiate to take and be addicted to.

[crayzyMed]

Originally Posted by RockiNToM

Well, for me personally, I think my SA root cause stems from my mood. If my mood is bad, like I'm feeling down, seeing things generally negative, my SA is much worse. But I can understand for a lot of people who just have SA that their mood would be unaffected.

So far I'm pretty sensible with my tramadol, I only take 1x 50mg a day of Tramadol, nothing more and this is what I've been prescribed for my pain by a doctor (my doctor actually prescribed me to take it 2x a day). The effects of it reducing my pain have been pretty great but the added bonus is it helping my mood.

I understand it is addictive but I have no intention of going up the dose - I feel great where I am. However, I do fear that when I've had my op to remove the cyst they will stop prescribing me tramadol. I kinda wish they hadn't given me it, because it helps so much more than just treating the pain. I just don't know what will happen when the time comes when I have to come off, will I be able to just come off or will I be facing horrendous withdrawals that won't allow me to? On top of all that, the time between now and my op is quite a wait, there isn't even a date for my op yet... We could be talking over a month or two. But I suppose it could be worse, they could have given me a proper opiate to take and be addicted to.

Take a few days off once in awhile, you can avoid addiction by doing that.

[Dangerous]

One warning about the tramadol, it's very easy to have a seizure taking it. You can tell I am not a medical doctor that is pretty obvious..lmao But, my neighbor was in pain and she took four all at once and had a seizure on the ground and was shaking like ozzy Osbourne. This is not the first time I heard of this happening. Also, I took it before and over a long period of time, even though it's a pretty weak opiate, the withdrawal were similar to other opiates. (if taken over a period of time)

[RockiNToM]

The seizure thing is I must admit pretty scary, but luckily I am only taking 50mg, I have been told to take upto 100mg a day. I suppose if I keep my dose as low as possible I should be ok, but for how long? How long until it stops working and I have to go higher? I hope that doesn't happen.

The problem also is, if I go back to my doc and say "the tramadol isn't really for me" I will probably be given something more addictive for example like Dihydrocodeine. Either way I guess I'm screwed because none of the over counter pains meds work for my type of pain.

[Vini Vidi Vici]

Originally Posted by RockiNToM

The seizure thing is I must admit pretty scary, but luckily I am only taking 50mg, I have been told to take upto 100mg a day. I suppose if I keep my dose as low as possible I should be ok, but for how long? How long until it stops working and I have to go higher? I hope that doesn't happen.

The problem also is, if I go back to my doc and say "the tramadol isn't really for me" I will probably be given something more addictive for example like Dihydrocodeine. Either way I guess I'm screwed because none of the over counter pains meds work for my type of pain.

honestly, this might sound extremely stupid....but maybe, it might be a better idea to just go and get a real opiate... something that doctors recognize as being "addictive" of course its a horrible thing to be addicted to opiates....nevertheless...if you do develop tolerance/dependence, then the doctor will recognize it for what it is. you could possibly get treatment for dependence on a real opiate...however, if you tell a doctor your dependent on tramadol, there is a chance that they wont beleive you...theyll just say that tramadol isn't addictive. many people react differently and have different amounts of withdrawal syndrome....but when u take tramadol, you are taking an opiate....50 mgs isn't very much though. but i still had withdrawal from half a pill a day. and tramadol withdrawal can last alot longer than withdrawal from other opiates, especially the psychic symptoms such as depression

[meyaj]

lol... Dihydrocodeine is kiddy stuff as well, I wouldn't be too scared of that

opiate dependence takes quite a bit of use to develop. I was on pretty hardcore opiates (100mcg/hr fentanyl patches + 8mg hydromorphone for breakthrough pain) 24/7 (literally, because of the patches) for over a month and had zero problem stopping use cold turkey.

Opiates are so demonized because people find them really enjoyable/rewarding leading a LOT of people to compulsive use, and so the media sensationalizes it as an epidemic because it's a popular drug of abuse. It's not that the physical dependence is particularly serious (although long-term, high-dose addicts have it much more difficult), withdrawal is not life-threatening and at worst is comparable to a very bad flu.

In my opinion, pain relief is pretty much ALWAYS worth this trade-off, and if you're particularly concerned about seizures I'd say stronger/more addictive opiates are the lesser two evils.

[Vini Vidi Vici]

lol im happy somebody besides me recommended real opiates. lol i thought everybody might think i was a complete idiot for saying its better to take a stronger opiate than a weaker one.....but tramadol is a really dirty drug....if u get addicted, and have to stop, you have more than just opiate withdrawal...it can be really confusing and scary...and doctors wont be able to help cuz they dont believe there is such a thing as tramadol dependence.