Tramadol for anxiety relief

[Aho]

Should I listen to a qualified practising psychiatrist or an amateur psychiatrist on a forum? To be honest, I don't know.

Tramadol has had a lot of bad press. In Gaza it's the drug of choice because they can't get hold of anything else. They buy off Egyptian fishing boats. Where the Egyptians get it is anybody's guess since it is really illegal there. You'll all have read about the poor English housewife in prison for 3 years for unwittingly bringing a packet of Tramadol for pain relief for her sick husband.

The correct dosage for pain is 2 x 50mg 3 times a day at 6 hour intervals. The abuser will take all 6 tablets in one go. If taken correctly, you can take a whole week without getting dependent on it.

Wouldn't life be great if none of these medications were necessary

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yes, we all know full well about the British woman who illegally obtained Tramadol in the UK to illegally take it out of the UK to her husband. You will find public sentiment over here is that she should serve a sentence over there.

It gets bad press here too because it is a drug of abuse but also doctors themselves have poorly prescribed it leading to patients addicted to it. It's in widespread use though, doctors have access to many meds that are the same after all.

[Aho]

No thread would be complete without a closing comment from John Terry. When John speaks, everyone listens. No reply is possible. John reads Daily Mail online.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I don't know about him but I tend to read the law and since Tramadol was ungraded to a Class C in 2014 I obviously know it's illegal to have in possession...and obviously illegal to transport/import, etc. Of course, a doctor can prescribe it but I doubt that doctor will be happy for you to transport it through customs with the intention of supplying it to a 3rd party. Well, not unless your doctor is also happy for you to sell it on.

But hey, that's the law for you.

[stars1976]

Tramadol for anxiety??? see you in rehab

[RadioGaGa]

I haven't read the replies to this thread (I've only read the OP's question) so I do apologise if I'm "duplicating" advice.

You're going down a rabbit hole that will be very difficult to come out of. The reason the maxitram is "helping" your anxiety is because you're essentially experiencing the euphoric effects it provides. This is why palliative care patients are given such high doses - obviously pain control is the reason, but any honest doctor will tell you that they also give opiates and benzos for the very reason you describe - e.g. anxiolysis. This makes people more comfortable and relaxed as they approach "the end of life".

I say this humbly but also having suffered the same - only with alcohol. Yes it's nice that it provides anxiety relief, but in the long-term the effect wears off and even increased dosing won't provide you with the same effect. "Chasing the dragon" it's called. You're already reporting tolerance to the effects.

You need to address this with your doctor, because you're using this drug for the wrong reasons - and it never ends well... There is no "magic" in substances.

Good luck

[RadioGaGa]

I also want to add that I've seen a few posts on here, where it's clear there's a bit of a problem as to why people are taking alcohol or medication (this is hardly surprising, it's an anxiety forum after all, and anxiety + substance misuse are closely linked). Although the posts aren't as frequent/common as I would expect. Nevertheless:

There was a poster I replied to a while ago who was taking lyrica, and found it no longer "worked" at the prescribed dose (as soon as I hear people say "not working" with regards to psychotropics, I worry). They were told to increase the dose, found it worked and wanted other people's advice on it. This was under their psychiatrist. I do not claim to know this persons background, but that was a massive "red flag". When it comes to these drugs, "take more" is almost never the correct answer. (It could be argued it is never the correct answer, but there are certain situations where it could be).

My advice is quite simple, and I'll use my own personal experience as an example:

When I first began drinking, alcohol made me feel invincible - when I was drunk, I didn't care about anything. The main reason I began drinking (my fear of glioblastoma) no longer scared me. When I was drunk, this disease scared me as much as the common cold - in other words, not at all. But it's fickle. My "honeymoon" period with alcohol lasted quite a while - it was about one year of daily, heavy "nightly" drinking before I began to experience tolerance (in some people it develops in days, others in weeks, sometimes it takes years, although the latter is very rare). Invariably, tolerance always appears.

That second tolerance appears, generally you have a problem (not always e.g. you've got terminal cancer, you require high doses, and addiction isn't a concern, but otherwise, "yes" you do).

Tolerance break? Forget it. You'll (again, generally/99.9% of the time) never experience the drug again like you did in your "naive" days. Increasing your dose will work for a while (if at all), but it will NEVER be like those days when you first started taking it. This behaviour of seeking that "first hit' is whats known as chasing the dragon.

I tried everything with alcohol to see if it would work:
* Tolerance breaks
* Changing drink (e.g. switching from vodka to gin) to see if I could "trick" my brain
* Drinking quicker
* Mixing drinks (e.g. having wine and gin)
* Drinking on an empty stomach


All to no avail - that feeling you get in your "honeymoon period" will never return. And the sooner anyone with a drug or alcohol problem realises that, the better. Although sadly, most people who begin this "journey" don't recover.

Sorry for such a depressing post - but I do hope it can help prevent anyone reading this from "beginning" that journey.

[Aho]

Thanks for the input my star-spangled buddy and Ladio Gaga. Man I hate that song but I don't hate you.

Good to see this thread chugging along under its own impetus. It seems to have struck a raw nerve which is no bad thing. The experiences of a user are a far better guide than any scare story in the Daily Telegraph.

This is a good forum but like any mental health forum there are some mad people around 🚻☸

[Aho]

I thought I'd revive this thread just as s prime example of what makes this forum so bad. It's a shame because it's very nicely and detailed laid out making navigation very easy.

My low opinion comes from the way new topics are replied to. When a person is clearly wanting help and support, they are not after half baked opinions of the medications they are on. Comfort and empathy is what it is all about, not a competition as to who can outdo the other with their pseudo amateur psychiatry skills or lack of such.

Phrases such as "I'm sorry to hear that ...." and "from my personal experience..." will never go amiss. Distressed persons need to know they are not alone.

If any moderator is reading please delete my account, but it doesn't really matter because I'll log off anyway and remove from favourites.

Au revoir!

[nomorepanic]

We will close the account in 24 hours for you.

Good luck with the future.