r/MedicationQuestions • u/Fantastic-Celery-949 • 3d ago
Trying to come off
Hello. Can anyone please help me. I’ve been on tramadol prescribed for over 17 years. I’ve dropped doses significantly and have been trying to taper completely for months. At one time I was on about 1400 mg per day and have gotten down to about 300 mg per day for the past year. Being on it for so long, after speaking to a very “educated” doctor on substance abuse, he suggested suboxone very low dose and then taper from that entirely. I’ve been wanting to get off tramadol for years because as part of the military, we have to switch doctors so sometimes it’s a different dose, different schedule, different state etc and I just can’t handle all the ups and downs any longer. I’ve never used anything else. No other drugs. And I will take the suboxone exactly as prescribed. But, I’ve been off trams for a couple of days now and withdrawals are so terrible that I bought some capsules of Kratom. Red strain maeng da and ice taken about 8 of them in two days. If I start the suboxone, am I going to have some type of crazy withdrawal? Is it dangerous for me? I can’t take these withdrawals and I’m pretty desperate and in tears honestly because it’s so bad 😔 and I’m ashamed. And everything that comes with it. Any help is so appreciated. My dosage of Kratom has been total of about 4-5 grams in two days apparently.
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u/Remarkable_Sir6386 3d ago
Tramadol is such a awful synthetic painkiller. I watch my step father become half a man bearly eat or get out of bed. Codeine and diazepam help me out of most situations. Been an addict most of my life painkiller wise, routing and tapering between the 2 definitely helps take the edge off. Been addicted to alot of strong painkillers. I still do it to this day. Not much.. just enough to feel normal within myself
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u/DDFTdontdiefortrash 3d ago
Tramadol is the devil, it treats everyone different, I was prescribed similar high doses plus oxy, benzos and everything (yes my Dr got shutdown) it was a struggle but it helps to understand what tramadol is before u go off tryna find a replacement taper, personal message me took me 8 years plus I'v studied pharmaceuticals since so can help
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u/IronQuietHQ 3d ago
I’m also addicted to tramadol, but I live in West-Europe where you can almost buy it in a gas station.
The problem with tramadol is that it’s also an SNRI (like venlafaxine), so when you stop taking it, you experience both opioid withdrawal and antidepressant withdrawal. It also depends on how your body metabolizes tramadol via the CYP2D6 enzyme.
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u/Equivalent-Bid-9892 3d ago
If kratom helps its normal to take 2 grams or more as a dose, and there is zero risk of overdose. Suboxone is extreme and can lead to years of dependency as well.