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View Full Version : Tramadol:Best kept miracle antidepressant/anti-apathy med?



hardy har har
29-09-16, 12:58
Two days ago my friend gave me a few 50mg tramadol tablets to help with a moderately bad episode of cervical arthritis pain. I don`t take anything but ibuprophen for it and never have used any opioids. I've recently been suffering from chronic apathetic depression...you know the type, tired,fatigue,hopelessness about the future, no drive or motivation to take care of yourself, sleep too much,rarely shower and the house is a mess.I wake up about 7:00 - 8:00am with the feeling of impending doom and gloom that my death is not very far away(although I am healthy). I haven`t had a normal awakening for many yrs now. You know, when it feels good when you wake and lay there calm with the relaxed feeling you had a restful night. Not for me. I need to get up and get some coffee into me which helps the doom and gloom fade into my general low mood chronic apathetic malaise.

Well, I took a 50mg tramadol before bed. I woke up at 10:45 the next morning and I was shocked that I was feeling good, relaxed and had the sense I had a full night of restful sleep! My depression was fully gone! I have taken benzodiazapines to help me sleep many times before, but this was not anything like that. I felt human again. I was alive. No sedation or any drug related feeling at all. So I went to the kitchen to make coffee as I usually do, but instead of turning on the tv, I felt I wanted to play some music instead.This is a sure sign I was not depressed and had a positive outlook for the future. I usually just zombie with crap tv all day, it`s pitiful I know, a sign of apathy and loneliness. My kitchen,bathroom and house in general is a mess,like me, and I am ashamed. It gives me grief but I am stifled to tackle it. I can only see the immensity of the task and it`s overwhelming to me. Well, not this morning. I happened to look at the stove and in my mind I said "Ok, stand up and clean this." I just started doing it, without fear, overthinking the details! I didn`t stop there. I continued cleaning around, taking little sit down breaks for a few minutes then continuing until a few hrs later I got tired and stopped.

This was highly unusual behavior for me, and again I wasn`t feeling speedy or medicated/high. Later I did some research on the psychiatric effects of tramadol and found that my experience is not only common but documented in a few medical journals I came across. I`m not going to go into those details but I invite you to just look at these anecdotal experiences from MANY people who have noted the same things.

https://www.drugs.com/comments/tramadol/for-depression.html

So far I have not seen any real psychiatric applications concerning the unique effects of this drug, but have read neurological data showing significant efficacy towards alleviation of apathy/depression and activation of brain structures concerned with drive and motivation. I can only guess this lack of interest may be because it`s an old drug with no commercial licensing potential for pharmaceutical companies.

To end, I pray this drug gives me some time to live again. I have been ill for the better part of 20 odd yrs, and now i`m 61 with little hope that my life will be anything but a downward descent. People on tramadol are claiming a feeling of re-birth and still going strong for yrs. :byebye:

Debs21uk
29-09-16, 21:47
That's very interesting I've never heard of that before. I'll certainly read up on it.

:)

hardy har har
29-09-16, 23:32
That's very interesting I've never heard of that before. I'll certainly read up on it.

:)
It sure is! I took 50mg today as well and spent a few hrs cleaning the whole bathroom. haha. Really needed it.

The only antidepressant i've responded to was the MAOI Nardil. That was 1991 and I was able to get a good 10 yrs out of it...then nothing. When I 1st responded to it, I remember getting what was then called 'carbohydrate craving'. That lasted for a week or two if I remember correctly. I have that now I think with tramadol. I have been craving and buying candy and nacho chips, and I don`t normally crave that stuff.haha That's a good sign that it is acting like a drug i've responding to in the past, as I did with Nardil.

I don't yet have a script for Tramadol. I have a few more left from those my friend gave to me. I see my GP doctor tomorrow and hope he won't jerk me off and not write the script. If not I'll need to make an appointment with the arthritis doctor and hope he understands.

I'll be back with updates as things advance. Read that link I left, it's astounding what ppl are saying!

Maggy May
30-09-16, 00:04
I would be careful taking them without advice from a doctor as it interacts with a number of other drugs, tramadol is very addictive and can have bad side effects with long term use. It is very interesting the fact so many people have found them so helpful with depression, I had never heard of that.

All the best

hardy har har
30-09-16, 00:28
I would be careful taking them without advice from a doctor as it interacts with a number of other drugs, tramadol is very addictive and can have bad side effects with long term use. It is very interesting the fact so many people have found them so helpful with depression, I had never heard of that.

All the best
I agree, but it's common sense to be educated before taking any drug. I hope i'm not talking to the stupid. As for your other claims for being very addictive with bad side effects, you could'nt be more wrong. It appears the antidepressant effect is between a therapeutic window of 50 -100mg a day, which is relatively sub-clinical for moderate pain relief as it's indicated. The consensus is showing no side effects of any concern or tolerance at lows doses.

If one is already on an AD, you would need to be cautious to avoid 'serotonin syndrome'. Ppl on an AD have said they no longer needed the AD when taking Tramadol, or if both, under the advice of their doctor.

hardy har har
03-10-16, 01:42
Update: As I mention above, my 1st 3 -4 days of dosing 50mg was given to me by a friend. I've since received a script from my GP doctor which I filled.
This is a different generic manufacturer then what my friend gave to me and may be the reason I am feeling somewhat different. I plan to look into this, comparing the other again. My script makes me feel more like i'm on an opioid pain drug. The other did not. It could just be a matter of quality.
I also stepped up the dose to 50mg twice daily, as prescribed, but i'll be happy to go back to just 50mg if that's best.

Aside from the total disappearance of my depression since i've been on this over the past 5 days or so, it is very apparent I am feeling completely calm when I usually deal with chronic GAD anxiety. My car is being serviced and the mechanic made a serious mistake which is very inconveniencing to me, but I was amazed to realize how much I was taking it in stride and didn't feel anxious.

That's about all for now.
Here is some great study data concerning tramadol as an antidepressant;
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/50998428_Examining_the_Use_of_Tramadol_Hydrochlori de_as_an_Antidepressant

Please chime in here and let me know if your interested in my post. :)

hardy har har
10-10-16, 01:39
Tramadol has significant antidepressant/anxiolitic properties.
I`m presently taking 25mg every 6 hrs.
I want a little more time to completely evaluate it before I make a final conclusion and post it here.
One thing I can surely say is, if you are depressed w/anxiety or some combination of the two or maybe some OCD or fears, tramadol can be a low risk medication trial with a high chance for success. This happens more or less overnight with no side effects attributed with typical antidepressants.

I`m evaluating dosage over the day and later, time released.

I`ll be back.

hardy har har
16-10-16, 02:48
This is my last post concerning tramadol.
Remaining on 25mg every 6-8 hrs has been consistent.
If I happen to feel a bit down, it goes away the same day.

The motivating feeling I had the 1st few days went away and didn't return...shame.
I have not had any feelings of worry, fear, depression to speak of while taking tramadol. If i'm developing any tolerance to it, i'm not aware of it.
I have no desire to take larger doses. If anything i'm more tired (at times) then I want to be on this drug. Waking after 4-5 hrs sleep at night has been causing me to sleep the other 4 hrs during the afternoon. I need to sort that out. Other then that tramadol for the relief of depression/worry/anxiety has been amazing.