POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: weasel on May 23, 2013, 12:34:20 pm
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Hello All ,
Today's question is about Tramadol , It was prescribed
for chronic pain , But I have found that it is apparently easing my
depression .
I have taken many pills for depression and never really crossed into the
Happy Zone . But Right now I feel rather pleasant .
Not sure how well this works for pain , as I woke up in agony again this morning .
Any comments welcome .
Carl
P.s. : I have stopped my Citalapram for fear of a bad reaction . I also read
Tramadol has been prescribed for depression when all else fails , and I my opinion all else has failed :(
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Hi Carl . Tramadol is a narcotic pain medication so that's why its making you feel good .
That good feeling will be followed by addiction / dependency and issues with tolerance , I know because Im in pain management and Im dependent on pain meds . It was a decision that I didn't make lightly because for me to ever go back to being pain med free would entail expensive and painful detox .
So to answer your question , Tramadol isnt an antidepressant and should never be used as one .
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Thank you Jeff ,
I was also prescribed Cyclbenaphine HLC 10 mg. to be
taken four times a day !
I know if I take these four times a day I will be a Zombie !
I have put off taken pain meds for a very long time . But living in pain
is effecting my life to the point of stagnation .
Bob is not wanting me to take pain meds as I will become a lump on a log .
Carl
P.s. My boat has sailed so to speak :-[
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Thank you Jeff ,
I was also prescribed Cyclbenaphine HLC 10 mg. to be
taken four times a day !
I know if I take these four times a day I will be a Zombie !
I have put off taken pain meds for a very long time . But living in pain
is effecting my life to the point of stagnation .
Bob is not wanting me to take pain meds as I will become a lump on a log .
Carl
P.s. My boat has sailed so to speak :-[
If you and your doctor decides to prescribe pain meds it can be done at a dose that's not sedating . I'm not trying to sway you one way or another but I'm on pain meds and I get lots done , more than before actually .
The decision is between you and your doctor alone and you will know if the time comes that you need further treatment for pain . It is decision not to be taken lightly .
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Hi Carl , I see that some doctors do prescribe Tramadol as a off label treatment for depression .
I was so sure that it shouldn't be prescribed in that manner that I didn't even check , I still feel that treating depression with an addictive narcotic is an odd choice .
I take an antidepressant along with pain meds because it also helps with my pain management so I suppose if your pain plays a part in causing depression then treating it with pain meds could be seen as therapeutic for depression .
Just didn't want to mislead you bud .
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Thanks Jeff :)
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Hi weasel
tramadol was originally used as an antidepressant long ago, but it is now more widely prescribed as mild pain medication. It acts on the same receptors as codeine, but yes I took it for quite sometime and felt happier than I did on any antidepressant I ever took, not because of a high but it also affects serotonin in the brain as well. You do have to be careful and take as dr prescribed because it also can cause withdrawal just like hydrocodone
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Tramadol can be risky...
Sometimes this works just fine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolperisone
also known as mydocalm
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When I searched this drug, I see where sites say it is a "narcotic-like" drug. It is not a scheduled narcotic, except in a handful of states that have listed it as a Schedule IV.
While I do read it can be habit forming, I remember taking Ultram. I remember that was given to me in order to avoid being prescribed controlled narcotics. It is a weak analgesic. I know it felt like I was just taking Tylenol. If it helps your depression, I cannot see a reason not to use it, if your doc agrees. Ultram is heavily prescribed, in order to avoid potent narcotics. It is often one of the first meds given, before deciding whether patients need something more powerful. But, I'm no doc or pharmacologist. I have just never heard of someone hooked on it. Perhaps some do form dependence. I just can't imagine it being like hydrocodone to quit.
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When I searched this drug, I see where sites say it is a "narcotic-like" drug. It is not a scheduled narcotic, except in a handful of states that have listed it as a Schedule IV.
While I do read it can be habit forming, I remember taking Ultram. I remember that was given to me in order to avoid being prescribed controlled narcotics. It is a weak analgesic. I know it felt like I was just taking Tylenol. If it helps your depression, I cannot see a reason not to use it, if your doc agrees. Ultram is heavily prescribed, in order to avoid potent narcotics. It is often one of the first meds given, before deciding whether patients need something more powerful. But, I'm no doc or pharmacologist. I have just never heard of someone hooked on it. Perhaps some do form dependence. I just can't imagine it being like hydrocodone to quit.
My best friend, who was an addictions therapist for years, told me many doctors got hooked on Tramadol because of the idea that it was not addicting. Then they tried to stop it. It is addicting, though doesn't cause a "high" like, say, Vicodin would. I don't believe it's prescribed for more serious pain.
Carl, if it's working and all other antidepressants have failed, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to give it a go for your depression. The Citalopram was not working for your depression?
I would, though, talk with my doctor about stopping the Citalopram and let him/her know the Tramadol is helping the depression issue.
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I used Tramadol when I had a tooth canal done.
It made my sleepy and it was hard on my stomach (it made me wanna throw up, yuck).
I'm on low dose fluvoxamine [Luvox], melatonin and disulfiram.
Luvox is the oldest antidepressant, but it's a sigma-1 agonist:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigma-1_receptor
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My best friend, who was an addictions therapist for years, told me many doctors got hooked on Tramadol because of the idea that it was not addicting. Then they tried to stop it. It is addicting, though doesn't cause a "high" like, say, Vicodin would. I don't believe it's prescribed for more serious pain.
Carl, if it's working and all other antidepressants have failed, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to give it a go for your depression. The Citalopram was not working for your depression?
I would, though, talk with my doctor about stopping the Citalopram and let him/her know the Tramadol is helping the depression issue.
Thank You Betty , I will have to check with my Psycho Doctor and she what she has to say , The Citalapram really does nothing to make me feel happy ?
I am quite pleased to feel happy . It really does not appear to be that good of a pain killer , But
I will see how it plays out . Living with depression is awful , as we know . I can be happy and have pain .
Thank you all for responding to my question !
Carl :)
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Hey Carl,
Wish I had advice for your pain and depression. :(
AMG is around the corner!
Can't wait to meet you (and everyone) and think it might be a great diversion. :)
m.
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I can't say I've heard of Tramadol at all but I have taken another older anti depressant Trazodone for sleep sometimes, and it is amazing for me knocks me out like nothing flat! It's amazing how so many medications are out there and how they work uniquely for different people.
I do think some docs today are taking second looks at some of the older classes of anti depressants for specific issues.
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Guys , its important to remember that Tramadol has been used off label as an antidepressant of last resort and its controversial at best to do so among most
doctors .
Putting Carl's case aside , If someone wishes to use Tramadol as an antidepressant and it doesn't work out after few months then you would need to detox from it because Tramadol does cause dependency and addiction .
Some how Tramadol and its makers have managed along with the FDA to avoid labeling the drug as a class 5 narcotic in most states and in doing so has avoided the stigma and strong warnings that other pain drugs get , in my opinion that makes it even more dangerous . Im not making a case for or against using this drug but Im just saying the walk over to try it for depression may be a lot more fun than the walk back home it doesn't work out .
I had no idea that Tramadol had such a checkered history and I found it rather interesting reading up on it .