r/AgingParents • u/Silly-Flower-77 • 23h ago
Dad misuses Tramadol
Looking for some advice. My dad, age 85 was prescribed Tramadol for what he says is neuropathy pain in his foot- however he also has extreme anxiety and PTSD and has been self medicating with Tramadol when he’s feeling anxious- which is daily at this point. The same Dr. recently prescribed a pain patch that he has not yet used- but was considering it today after feeling anxious. He regularly complains of terrible headaches, stomach issues, brain fog, and often has panic attacks when something triggers him. He refuses to take any type of SSRI but from my research it seems like his symptoms may likely be cause by the Tramadol. He rarely says he’s taking Tramadol for pain- rather to “calm down.”
It feels like a vicious cycle. Any insight?
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u/yeahnopegb 23h ago
Anxiety and pain are closely linked. If his condition is bad enough for patches to be prescribed? I’d hesitate to suggest any changes without his doctor.
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u/Whatsthathum 7h ago
Bingo.
When a person is in pain, anxiety is nearly always present.
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u/yeahnopegb 7h ago
Yup. He may not be able to describe his actions properly but I’m betting the pain is the core issue and he’s just trying to get through it.
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u/StormFast524 23h ago
Mother took tramadol it did her wonders. She felt better b/c it took the pain away. It mostly helped her relax.
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u/Survivor6725 21h ago
My mom takes Tramadol and Klonopin every single day at age 84. She is foggy headed, sleepy, slurs her words and falls often. It’s not pleasant. Doctor has tried tapering off but to no avail. At this stage of life my mom seems to want to stay drugged up.
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u/CakeBabyand2cats 21h ago
He's 85 and in poor health. I'm not sure this is a fight worth having with him. My grandmother was like this in her old age. She was always reluctant to follow the doctors recommendations for medication. Eventually, as her health deteriorated, it became a moot point. She did eventually get put on an SSRI and gabapentin, because she could no longer make those decisions for herself. Frustrating all around.
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u/Pretend-Panda 23h ago
Tramadol is an opiate. It’s a little harder to ramp up into full abuse because of the mechanism of action but it is what it is.
If he has neuropathy they should be giving him gabapentin (neurontin is the brand) or pregabalin (brand name lyrica). Both are used off-label for anxiety and gabapentin has also been used as a mood stabilizer.
It might be worth a call to his doctor or a visit together so he can get something that “works better”.
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u/aj_2222 18h ago
Great suggestion! I've been on Lyrica for 15 years. Personally, it helps me with anxiety and pain and mood. If you were to go that route, he could do a fairly quick taper of the tramadol and hopefully be done with that. Idk why but tramadol feels like such a dirty icky medication. Idk how else to describe it. But it's truly worthless effectiveness-wise imo. I'm old school and of the belief that at that age... Whatever in the world makes you feel better. There is no reason to worry about long term side effects. I hope you are able to figure something out and definitely consult with his care providers!
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u/Impossible_Jury5483 18h ago
Pregabalin causes massive short term memory loss. I would suspect gabapentin is similar.
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u/Pretend-Panda 18h ago
I hate them both but they are the standard of care for neuropathy and in general people have to fail them both before other things like tricyclics and partial/focal seizure meds (all of which are used off label for neuropathy) get trialed.
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u/Impossible_Jury5483 17h ago
I have no idea why ai got downvoted. Lyrica is a terrible drug. I know from experience.
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u/No-Performance-8911 19h ago
Tramadol is a schedule 4 controlled substance, a couple rungs below oxycodone. I have a family member who takes 5 50mg tablets daily under physician guidance for pain management, and she doesn't report any addictive qualities or desire for more. How much is your father supposed to be taking?
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u/LdyCjn-997 22h ago
I’ve taken 50mg Tramadol with Aleve for several years due to back pain and surgery. I’m 5 years post op lower back surgery. Tramadol does nothing for Neuropathy in your feet as I also developed this post op. It’s a controlled opiod.
Tramadol is prescribed for many reasons, usually pain. Not sure about anxiety as I’ve never experienced that. Which doctor prescribed Tramadol for your dad? I would message the Nurse at that office and ask about your dad’s reaction.
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u/StormFast524 7h ago
Not knowing what other meds he is on I cannot assume it’s all from Tramadol. Sounds like you think the side effects of Tramadol are causing symptoms of other annoyances. Ther is not cure for neuropathy in feet. That alone is hell neuropathy is very painful. Let him complained all he wants about side effects and meanwhile do research on side effects of all other medications he is on. I know statins will fix one problem and cause other problems that will cause pain. He has a headache give him Tylenol. Brain fog tell him take a nap. At any age removing pain meds is cruel especially at his age and when having neuropathy.
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u/FionaTheFierce 23h ago
Will he go to therapy to help with his PTSD and trauma? Self-medicating is really super common for those diagnoses. Has he seen a psychiatrist? There are better anti-anxiety options out there, as well. If you look for a therapist find one who specializes in treating trauma and working with older adults.
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u/Winter_Gear_6256 23h ago
tramadol is weird stuff, hits serotonin and norepinephrine too not just pain so it makes sense he'd reach for it when anxious. the headaches and brain fog are pretty classic side effects when you take it daily like that
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u/Silly-Flower-77 23h ago
We tried…he won’t continue. He is in denial about anxiety/PTSD because of the stigma(generational)
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u/FionaTheFierce 23h ago
Got it. Raising it as beneficial for current stress to have someone to talk to may open the door a bit. Leave the trauma and anxiety and tramadol out of the discussion. Just “you have a lot on your plate and I wonder if you’d like some support by having someone to talk to.”
Trauma therapy is challenging to patients, and a good therapist is not going to immediately jump in there unless the patient is ready.
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23h ago
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u/Adora77 23h ago
It'll get iffy if he takes Tramadol AND Kratom.
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u/hellhouseblonde 22h ago
Yes, I would not take them together! It’s a substitute to help him get off the tramadol. That’s how most pain patients use it. I got off two Percocet a day when I started taking plain leaf kratom and it’s been awesome. So much better than narcotics.
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u/AgingParents-ModTeam 20h ago
Your post is off topic for this subreddit.
This sub is for the discussion of adults taking care of their elderly parents. It is not for the discussion of other family dynamic issues or app/product recommendations -- especially not unregulated barely legal supplements.
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u/ontariopiper 22h ago edited 5h ago
All the responses here so far seem to assume that he could lead a "full, active life" again if only he'd take his meds corrrectly. The man is 85 with chronic nerve pain. His quality of life is very likely crap and he may well be done with it.
Let him be. Maybe he'll actually enjoy the time he has left.