Ultram Users

[treynor33]

I think that overall some people are more prone to addiction. I am an addictive person. I have never really quit anything that I started so to speak. That is why I am making a big effort to only use the Ultram when needed. So far it hasn't been that hard as my flare is finally subsiding I believe.

I generally, till recently, drink heavily on Saturdays, I smoke (but have been able to maintin half a pack or less a day), I have been betting the ponies since I was about 12, and I probably over do sex and masturbation. Now I believe that all of this together makes things worse for my anxiety, thus the chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome is worse.

I turned 45 a few weeks ago when things had just turned for the worse. That was it....45 is going to mean something, I am getting after reducing my addictions and the things that make my mental state worse.

Last weekend, no horses, no booze and no sexual activity. I already feel better. Now, I know I am not going to just magically quit them all at once. But work on reducing them. I can only imagine what a sustained effort to clean things up will do for me. I am dedicated this time and excited about it. Good lord I've even been sleeping better

I have been doing some deep breathing exercises every morning and minor stretching (which I plan on increasing as time goes on). However the PT available here in Omaha is very limited so I am kind of screwed on that. I have made another appt with my old pain management/cognitive behavior counselor and hope to start seeing him regularly. I really feel if I continue to work on the "mind" then I will get better.

This is where the Ultram comes in.....even if I don't take it, I know I have it....kind of like a gun in the closet, makes you feel more secure,

Key to all of this as most of us know and all people who are addicted to anything is to not fall back into the old habits. Hopefull this time I can get it done

[timberdoodle]

Scotsman wrote:

around 9 hours after my last dose of Ultram

A follow up question Richard--could you tell me what your dosage is and when you're taking the drug? I was taking 50mg spread out over the course of the day for a total of about 200mg. Are you able to take a "hit" when needed a feel better for a time? I only seemed to feel better if I took the full 200 mg throughout the day. Just curious how others are using the drug... Thanks.

[scotsman]

A follow up question Richard--could you tell me what your dosage is and when you're taking the drug? I was taking 50mg spread out over the course of the day for a total of about 200mg. Are you able to take a "hit" when needed a feel better for a time? I only seemed to feel better if I took the full 200 mg throughout the day. Just curious how others are using the drug... Thanks.

I take 100mg's when I get up in the morning, after my shower and before breakfast - around 7am.

I then take another 50mg's around 12:30pm - which seems to last me through. I used to take 100mg's at lunchtime but recently cut it back as my pain had been reducing (though I had a massive flare at the weekend and was back to 100mg's at lunchtime today).

I found that 50mg's in the morning didn't take enough of the edge away - hence increasing it to 100mg's. For me taking the larger dosage seems to quieten the area down for later on as well.

For me, taking it at the same time everyday makes me feel more in control of it as well - as taking hits when needed might mean I end up taking more and I kind of think I'd feel more dependent on it if I always had some with me ready for popping.

Richard.

[treynor33]

I kind of found in my brief history that even though it seems the mental effects wear off, the pain kill part of the drug continues. It is longer lasting than I first thought which is good. So even if you think you need another one, you probably don't, relax it is still working.

[bshaw99]

The odd thing about Ultram is that one of the neurotransmitters that cause it to act as an anti-depressant, noradrenaline, is also known to cause urinary hesitation and pain in certain individuals.

Any others experienced this problem?

I AM NOT A DOCTOR!

[drydoc]

I'm a physician and new user to this board, just posted something on another topic on Pelvic pain meds. Ultram/tramadol interacts with a lot of meds and it can cause seizures and drugs that inhibit its metabolism can increase that risk. I've seen Paxil and Ultram cause a seizure. Wellbutrin inhibits Ultram metabolism by blocking Cytochrome P450 2D6 metabolism in the liver; both drugs lower seizure threshold so you are really risking it combining the two. It's somewhat complex but one of the best sources is this table:
http://medicine.iupui.edu/flockhart/table.htm

Ultram/tramadol is a 2D6 substrate (metabolized by 2D6). Paxil, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Tagamet and bunch of other drugs are 2D6 inhibitors, so will raise blood levels. Grapefruit juice is a 3A4 inhibitor so will keep your cocaine buzz going longer but also St. John's wort will lower HIV medications.

Easiest way to monitor- use the same pharmacy for all your meds and ask the pharmacist if there's a drug interaction and read the materials they give you. Sometimes they give you printouts warning about these but won't tell you. Make sure all your doctors know what drugs you're on and any over-the-counter or herbals you take (garlic capsules can lower HIV drug blood levels by almost half).

That said, any drug that helps you is fine, just be careful. You wouldn't be reading these boards if you didn't want to be informed, just get multiple sources of info.

[kevin]

The odd thing about Ultram is that one of the neurotransmitters that cause it to act as an anti-depressant, noradrenaline, is also known to cause urinary hesitation and pain in certain individuals.

Any others experienced this problem?

I AM NOT A DOCTOR!

That's right; one of tramadol's effects is to increase noradrenaline (norepinephrine). The same goes for Elavil, Cymbalta, and other tricyclic antidepressants and SNRIs. In the spinal cord, norepinephrine is known to block pain; however, for chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome patients, the story is a bit more complicated, since increasing norepinephrine in the bladder neck can cause hesitancy and frequency. So there are positive and negative effects of using these drugs. It seems that for most people, the positive outweighs the negative. This is probably because the effect these drugs have on increasing norepinephrine in the bladder neck is not as strong as it is for, say, a decongestant like Sudafed.