DOSE:

repeated

oral

Pharms - Tramadol

(pill / tablet)

BODY WEIGHT:

185 lb

I first ordered Tramadol over the Internet in about 2004. The pre-text was neck and knee pain (which I do have). The amount ordered was 100 50mg pills. I have a partiality to opiates or opioids. I started by taking about 4-6 pills at any one time. The experience was somewhat disappointing as Tramadol will NOT provide the same sort of buzz that can be achieved with other drugs such as codeine, hydrocodone, morphine, etc., etc. But, there is a mild opiate buzz. It was enough to keep experimenting.

I took the entire 100 pills during a 10-day vacation. I noticed some common side effects such as itching and constipation. Not serious. I stopped taking them cold turkey. I was not prepared for the withdrawal that I experienced after only about 10 days of use. It was fairly brutal. I felt sick much the same way I might with a bad flu. I could not sleep. I was irritable and distressed. After about a week, I felt much better and I told myself that it was the end of the Tramadol experience for me.

However, a month later, I ordered another 100 pills. I also ordered some Vicodin from someone over the internet. I started on the Tramadol first. When I did try the Vicodin, I did not experience the more intense Vicodin high that I had expected. I thought I had been sold some bad Vicodin.

I began to use the Tramadol on a regular basis. It was two pills upon waking, two pills upon going to bed, and 4-8 pills during the day. Always in twos. I got a mild buzz from it. It helped with my depression. I even lost some weight. At some point, I was doing 12 pills a day. I got lucky in that I escaped the seizures.

I got to the point where the itches practically dissipated. However, the constipation never did. I had to eat Raisin Bran to keep myself regular. The bowel movements where huge and hard. I had to use a toilet plunger most every day.

I was able to function fine at work and in some ways, it was a help as I was not as subject to acting out of poor temperaments. However, during the early days of the addiction, there was some suspicious sweating and a bit of loss of normal function.

However, the longer it went on, the more I realized I had to quit. I was spending about $100+ a month and I did not know what was really happening to my body.

Finally, after about 6 years, I decided to quit. Not cold turkey, mind you (the thought of that is not a pleasant one). I started by taking the dose down 1 pill each week. After taking 1 pill per day for one week, I quite entirely. Not bad this way, but even after several weeks I experience some form of akathisia on a daily basis.

In the meantime, I was taking stock of my health situation. The first concern was elevated levels of liver enzymes. After multiple blood tests, an abdominal ultrasound, CT scan and finally a liver biopsy, I do know that I have a weak liver with about 20% fatty content.

I have also been trying to get on a conventional anti-depressant program and it is just not working. I face some form of Akathisia with every turn in the process.

In summary, it can be tempting to have that nice little narcotic buzz to get us through the day. But, after 6 years of doing it, I found that Tramadol is not the drug of choice for me.

Exp Year: 2004	ExpID: 86880
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 50
Published: Nov 25, 2017	Views: 6,319
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Pharms - Tramadol (149) : Retrospective / Summary (11), Depression (15), Post Trip Problems (8), Addiction & Habituation (10), Alone (16)