Tramadol for Fibromyalgia

Hi! this is all about my experiences with tramadol, both on it and coming off it. You can watch my video on this topic or read the transcript below it. Don't forget to read some of the comments where you will get a wider understanding of tramadol for fibromyalgia from many people.

TRANSCRIPT:

• • Tramadol is a centrally acting analgesic which is prescribed for 
  moderately severe pain.  It works in the brain to change both the perception of pain and the response to pain. It is not an opiod but it has some opiate like characteristics. 

When I started taking this medication it was explained to me that it needed to be taken at a regular time once a day and that I would probably have nausea at first for about a week and to make sure to take it with food. I did as prescribed and sure enough I had nausea for one week and then it subsided. 

I used Tramadol regularly for a long time and it did relieve the pain and helped me to lose a little weight but it also helped me to lose interest in life.  The main reason I lost weight was that I had no interest in food or in cooking or in looking after myself. I became like a drug addict but did not realise it. 

One day after about a year my daughter said she felt like she had lost her mother - she cried and said I was behind a cloud and she could not get to me. This made me realise that I was just sitting on the lounge all day doing nothing and I decided to stop taking Tramadol. 

At this point I made a very foolish mistake and decided to go cold turkey. OMG I experienced 7 days of extremely bad withdrawal symptoms the worst of which was the muscle pains and irritability. There was also watering eyes and a runny nose like a bad flu, nausea and sweating and shaking all over. These are all known symptoms if you suddenly stop using this medication but obviously, because of the drug itself, I was not thinking right when I made the decision to just stop taking it without consulting my doctor. He would have told me to come off it slowly in increments. 

In retrospect I could see that the Tramadol was causing major drowsiness in me. When it was completely out of my system I realised that many of the symptoms I had started taking it for had gone - that is the nature of Fibromyalgia, I think, it changes all the time.

Also I feel it is essential to remind you that when taking any medication, especially long term, that you should be made aware of the possible side effects. 

"When choosing between equally effective analgesics, relative safety is important. In the case of tramadol, adverse effects are common and sometimes serious. Tramadol binds weakly to opioid receptors, so at normal doses constipation and respiratory depression occur less frequently than with opioids. However, these effects can, and do, occur at higher doses. Tramadol is metabolised in the liver and excreted by the kidneys, so doses should be adjusted in patients with impaired liver or kidney function, and in the elderly." ~ NPSMEDICINEWISE

Side effects associated with use of Tramadol, according to RxList, include the following:

• constipation
• nausea
• dizziness
• vertigo
• headache
• drowsiness
• vomiting
• agitation
• anxiety
• mood swings
• euphoria
• hallucinations
• nervousness
• muscle spasms or stiffness
• indigestion
• weakness
• itching
• diarrhea
• dry mouth
• sweating
• feeling unwell (malaise)
• menopausal symptoms
• rash
• urinary frequency
• urinary retention
• dilation of blood vessels 
• visual disturbances
• abnormal gait
• amnesia
• cognitive dysfunction
• depression

For a complete list please visit RxList

If your medical doctor is using this medicine to treat your pain, your doctor or chemist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with your doctor, health care provider or pharmacist first.

Severe Interactions of Tramadol Include:

• Alvimopan
• Procarbazine
• Rasagiline
• Selegiline

You might also be interested in reading my experiences with Cyclobenzaprine for Fibromyalgia and all the natural treatments I have tried.

There are many interesting comments below that show people's differing experiences with tramadol for fibro. I hope you have time to read some of them. 

Cyclobenzaprine for fibromyalgia

My muscles feel like they are being clenched all the time, especially the muscles in my upper arms, buttocks, thighs and calves. This is a feeling that rarely ever goes away except when I am in warm water at a temperature of 33 to 35 degrees or I am having a massage. 

There are around 650 muscles in the human body! This is a lot of muscles. We may be able to name a few of them such as quadriceps and biceps. But unless we are a medical styudent there are muscles that we have not even heard the names of. 

My muscles sometimes go into spasms like cramps and this is especially bad and immobolizing when the larger muscles are involved. One day I stood up but could not move for about 15 minutes due to pain in my buttocks. This has happened 3 times now. It was quite frightening the first time but now I understand what is happening, at least.

 My muscles are in pain, even as I sit here on a comfortable lounge writing this. My wrists and forearms ache from typing and my legs are just in constant pain. I also get restless leg syndrome quite often where my legs are so irritated I cannot get to sleep. The best way I can describe it is that they feel electrified.

I am explaining all this because I have just heard about a medication used in Fibromyalgia for relaxing the muscles called Cyclobenzaprine. It's brand name is Flexeril and I don't understand why it has never been recommended to me by a doctor as it seems to cover these muscle symptoms. As a matter of fact I have never been prescribed any of the muscle relaxants:

• Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril)
• Methocarbamol (Robaxin)
• Diazepam (Valium)
• Carisoprodol (Soma)

So on first investigation Cyclobenzaprine gets a good rap:

Cyclobenzaprine has also shown effectiveness in the treatment of fibromyalgia symptoms, with a report of 4.8 patients needing treatment for each (1) patient reporting pain reduction (but no change in fatigue or tender points). Conclusion: Cyclobenzaprine-treated patients were 3 times as likely to report overall improvement and to report moderate reductions in individual symptoms, particularly sleep. Treatment of fibromyalgia with cyclobenzaprine: A meta-analysis

On further investigation many people suffer side effects from Cyclobenzaprine which can range from headache and a tired feeling to dizziness, drowsiness, trouble concentrating, blurred vision, dry mouth or throat, altered sense of taste, nausea, upset stomach and constipation. In elderly patients it can cause confusion, delirium, and cognitive impairment according to the Duke Clinical Research Institute. (PDF)

I would love to hear from you if you have taken any of these muscle relaxants to help your muscle pain or for any other reasons.

Natural Treatments for Fibromyalgia

I love natural treatments for my fibromyalgia because not only can they help they usually do no harm. Some people call them alternative treatments or complementary treatments for Fibro. I must say I am someone who is very sensitive to medications and that I usually suffer bad side effects so finding treatments that help relieve some of my fibromyalgia symptoms, without any bad side effects, has been a priority for me. 

It has taken a while to work out which of these treatments works for me and I suppose the main drawback is the cost. I look at it as an investment in me, my well-being and my health... after all if I don't look after myself who will?

So here is a list of the many natural treatments I have written about. I hope you find them useful. Just click on the one you are interested in to be taken to the article.

• An anti inflammatory diet for Fibro
• Creatine and Fibro
• Traditional Chinese Medicine and Fibromyalgia
• Did Acupuncture help your Fibromyalgia?
• Ayurvedic Treatment for Fibromyalgia?
• Why Omega 3 is so important
• Guaifenesin Protocol
• Yoga improves Fibromyalgia symptoms 
• Nutrition-Based Approach to helping relieve symptoms of Fibromyalgia 
• Homoeopathy effective in fibromyalgia 
• Homeopathy helping Fibromyalgia 
• Laughter and Fibromyalgia 
• Magnesium
• Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome
• Myofascial Trigger Points in chronic muscle pain: Causes and Treatment
• Myofacial Pain Syndrome and fibromyalgia treatment: video
• Is this fibro treatment controversial or am I behind the times? New Stem Cell Treatment for Fibromyalgia?
• Tai chi for Fibromyalgia

So I would love to hear if you have tried any of these fibro treatments and if they helped you.