Tramadol 100mg ER

[carbonevo]

So guys, as some of you might know, ever since I discovered about the psychological connection to this syndrome my symptoms either drastically reduced or completely disappeared (for instance the prostate pain or golf ball in butt feeling is pretty much gone most of the time) however when stressful events occur my pain tends to return back. So far I was not much successful in beating those conditioned responses to stress/ emotional load. The great thing is that tramadol pretty much always takes ALL the pain away no matter how bad it gets - especially when it kicks in really well (like after 2-3 hours) since I always take an extended release type it remains like this till the next day in the morning. There is a drawback to it which is that it gets me high and groggy.

Want your opinion guys, especially you webslave, why do you think that in my case tramadol takes away all the pain? I know a lot of people actually praised it as a miracle drug but there were others to whom it did absolutely nothing.

Also, I am 100% sure that there is nothing structurally wrong with me, my pain is a result of increased tension and hypersensitivity (psychological -> induced in to the pelvic muscles and nerves) if there was something else, I would be in constant pain.

What really interests me, how this thing works? Is it that it numbs the brain's chatter which in it's turn reduces the tension? That's what I suspect actually as the pain disappears immediately after I start to feel light-headed. Or does it affects the muscles and nerves directly? Valium or Elavil had no effect on me.

[webslave]

Well, a few things could be going on.

1. Opioids work by binding to opioid receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and other areas of the body. They reduce the sending of pain messages to the brain and reduce feelings of pain. Pelvic spasm and clenching creates pain signals that opioids can block.
2. Drugs work differently in different people, depending on the genetic makeup. You respond well to opioids.
3. Some people experience a euphoric response to opioid medications, since these drugs also affect the brain regions involved in reward. You are one of these people.
4. Opioids have profound psychological impacts on people. See the article: Are Opioids the Next Antidepressant? This mood modification may be what's removing the root cause of the pain for you.

Interestingly, the antidepressant venlafaxine (Effexor) is closely related to tramadol.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18364623

venlafaxine-tramadol.png

[carbonevo]

Wow webslave you hold so much knowledge, thanks man!

1,2,3 are super true but 4. seems to be what's behind the drastic pain reduction. It's immediate and obvious, once I get lightheaded on tramadol = most of the pain is gone.

Could it be the war going on in Syria? I have origins in Syria and spent there half of my life.. my family had to escape from there and it's eating me up how the country's become. Especially that the worst dictator in the last 80 years is winning the war.. there could be an unconscious storm in my brain, sorrow, rage, guilt... don't know, just thinking out loud.. Maybe need to check with a psychiatrist

[webslave]

Identifying any cause of tension in your life is very useful. Many men with CPPS have little or no self-awareness and it makes it difficult for them (and me) to work out what's stressing them.

[Cree]

I tried Tramadol and it did absolutely nothing for the pain. In fact no drug, nerve block, or surgical procedure has affected my pain in any way, ever. The only way I get relief is PT, stretches, and having little to no stress.

[carbonevo]

yup cree, doesnt work for everybody, even some people reported that it caused constipation and thus worsening their condition... however for me it kills all the pelvic pain.
The only time it did not work is when I read Sarnos books and my prostate pain disappeared but I started to get tip of penis pain ( Sarno said that your brain will try to find something else to occupy you with) well that was it.. I never ever had pain at the tip of penis and it indeed was awful. Tramadol did nothing to the pain I remember. Thanfully though it disappeared within few days later and hasnt come back since

[Cree]

That's a very good indication that you have TMS, having pain in one spot and then moving onto another spot. In my case, the pain has never left the same area for as long as I've had chronic pain (right testicle), so I often think what I have is not really TMS but a structural problem which is exacerbated by psychological issues (OCD, anxiety).

[carbonevo]

But in your case doesnt it disappear completely and then returns back? The fact that it disappears and returns back is one of the TMS hallmarks (unless there is an infection and you get re-infected each time ofcourse).

[Cree]

Yes, good point. I have had "episodes" of testicular and ejaculation pain (unilateral only) on an off since I was in college. First episode was for about a year in college, cleared up with antibiotics after being diagnosed with epididymitis. Then in my late 20s in law school, for about two years (diagnosed with epididymitis and orchitis, antibiotics didn't help), then another episode in mid 30s (diagnosed with epididymitis, but antibiotics didn't work), for a few years, then my current episode. With the exception of the very first episode, where antibiotics appeared to work, the condition just burned out on its own.

[carbonevo]

Cree, if it burned out by itself, why give in to it? I would probably do nothing and wait till it disappears on itself as it did before.
Only make sure, there is nothing else structural going on.

[CMT23]

Just wanted to chime in on Tramadol. It's often presented as completely safe because it's not a true opioid. I found that taking 100mg 4 to 5 times a day really cut down my discomfort. However, it drastically affected my mood, from almost manic to deep depression. I would also sweat incredible amounts while sleeping and be half awake almost watching my thoughts while asleep. When I went off of it after a few weeks, I felt incredibly anxious and depressed. That went away after a few weeks. I know that it works wonders for some people, but just wanted to share that it's not without any possible side effects.

[Cree]

Hey Carb:

Good point. The thing is I feel empowered by doing home physical therapy in conjunction with just waiting it out. The PT may or may not be helping alleviate the pain (placebo effect) but nevertheless I feel more in charge of my disorder and that helps my mood. I have had physical therapy at one of the best places in NYC (Beyond Basics), and my PT said I was extremely tight and had trigger points, so who knows maybe the PT has a true curative effect.

[carbonevo]

Cree.. honestly I feel the therapists tell this to everybody. I was told by 1 chiro and two therapists that my muscles are extremely tight and that they are causing this havoc while all I needed was to reduce stresses and stop fearing the pain.
Changing jobs by the end of the month, and some of my symptoms are back.. Its all unconscious, all this CPPS lives in our primitive brain which when feels danger reacts immediately with pain and sensitization. I havent been to work in 2 weeks and pretty much did nothing other than chilling with gf, yet the pain was there (when not completely distracted by something).. I feel like we get only the echo of the brains unconscious activity in form of pain. Alan gordon said do not bother your self to figure out what caused your flare up as 95% of the brain's activity is completely unconscious.. so it really makes sense... on the surface you are happy enjoying free time and all is fine while unconsciously you are stressed out by the change and hence getting pain.
Stay with the physical therapy if it helps.. afterall, all we need is to feel in charge and not let it affect our life. I guess tramadol is my PT lol

[Cree]

I hear ya Carb. Mine is a very complicated case. The last time I had pelvic and ejaculation pain, I had it for about a year before going to a pain management guy in my mid-thirties. He gave me a testicular exam and found no masses. Being the hypochondriac that I am I was relieved that I did not have testicular cancer. And you know what happened, all that pain disappeared over the next 1-2 days, and it was completely gone for years! (For that one year I did no treatment whatsoever, just chalked it up to yet another resilient case of epididymitis.)

Similarly, I had chronic/daily tension headaches in my early thirties for about 3 months straight and the same thing happened. Went to a neurologist, got an MRI, and boom after getting no negative news, the headache pain never returned.

The pain came back when I was 40 and I've had this now going on 3 years with no end in sight. I wish more than anything else that I could have that switch just "shut off" as it did in such a beautiful and simple way before but its much harder now that I'm invested in physical therapy, massage, stretching, and the science of pelvic pain. I feel like I'm in too deep for that to happen once again, that is whats really scary for me!

The whole problem with CPPS is that its so damn complicated to figure out because pain science is so complicated itself, we are dealing with a very complicated area of the body (pelvis) and all the mindbody science is just as complicated. My only goal at this juncture is to keep experimenting and NEVER EVER QUITTING.

[carbonevo]

Wow Cree, I really find myself in your words. Regarding the doctors diagnosis, Alan Gordon said that it's extremely helpful to get a confirmation from a doctor that there is nothing wrong going on with you, he said sometimes that's all some of his clients need.

I had a rather severe problem with a kidney stone stuck in my ureter... It probably was there for months, it took the docs two surgeries to get it out and they told me that the ureter is really messed up and will probably form scar tissue and so on..

Guess what, months after I had the kidney stone out I was getting pain on and off on the right flank, once it got so bad I stayed all the night awake thinking I have another bout of kidney stones... finally decided to see my uro. He's a nice guy, did all the tests, sent me to CT, everything negative, sends me home that my kidney and ureter are perfectly healthy. I walked out of the door and never had pain on the right side again. Coincidence? definitely not. But a clear message to the primitive brain that there is NO danger. Just like happened with you.

And that is what we probably need with the CPPS, our nerves are extremely sensitized because we simply CARE about every twinge of pain we get down there and the primitive brain still feels the danger. That is why its so hard to beat CPPS completely. I so much relate to your words that we got so DEEP into this. That's the real problem. It's imprinted on the deepest levels of our memmory that there is CPPS there is danger. Do some reading on the TMS board, you will see you are a clear TMSer. So I am.

We'll beat this completely, it just takes a while for things to settle down ;)

Read the last success story I posted in that section... that guy beat CPPS just like you did the previous time. Completely the same way.