My fibro and lupus decided to flare up at the same time last week. I don't know if this flare was a continuation of the one I had earlier in the month or a brand new one. Of course both my rheumy and GP were out of their offices. I had to see someone, so I took an appt to see my GP's associate. He gave me prednisone for 3 days. (40 mg a day) He called it the 1,2 punch. He also gave me another anti-inflammatory which did nothing for my pain. I might as well be on jellybeans for the pain. I called him and told him that the prednisone helped a lot, but I'm stuck with a pain in my lower back that will not go away. I've taken meloxicam, voltaren, naproxen and now ansaid. He broke down and prescribed tramadol to get me through til I see the rheumy at the end of Oct. (He can't see me sooner, I tried) So my question is, I've never taken tramadol...what should I expect? If it makes me drowsy, will I wake up hungover tomorrow? Any insights would be appreciated :)
-rosie
I've taken tramadol twice now and I've noticed I can't sleep! I thought these pain meds were supposed to make you drowsy. I have the worse insomnia with this med. I guess it helps the pain, but what's the point when I can't sleep??
Hi Rosie, so sorry to hear of another person in so much pain! I was on Tramadol for years- helped a lot and did not make me feel foggy like other opioids do- however, once you are on them for a while you can experience the withdrawal symptoms as other pain meds- was not expecting that! My dr had me on these around the clock to help prevent severe pain that wouldn’t be helped by anything. I ended up having to switch to Nucynta because I had a CNS flare in November and had seizures as a result. The Tramadol didn’t cause the seizures, however, my rheum took me off of Tramadol, as they can increase seizure activity to people who have had CNS involvement.
So, if you do not have a seizure history, Tramadol can help for sure- with minimal side effects (in my case- and I experience severe pain due to joint and nerve issues… ) just don’t take them daily for a long time and then just abruptly stop… Does Motrin 800 help at all? I love the stuff, but can’t take anything with Tylenol or Advil in it due to a study drug that I am on for SLE.
Good luck and I hope this helped…
You will be in my prayers!
Hello Rosie, Hopeful already gave you some great information. I was put on tramadol, but it made my movement disorder/seizure activity worse, plus was a real no no to take with my antiepileptic med. Before I came off, I was warned of withdrawal issues, but if you taper down, it's not hard, mostly an increase in some pain, at least for me.
The best thing about tramadol is it will help your body use it's own natural pain relief chemicals better, and isn't as harsh on your body as other meds. If you want detailed information on it, go to rxlist.com and look it up, They include everything that is in the manufacturer's information, online! Even down to the molecular structure of the med, and side effects and drug interaction cautions.
Has your back pain been looked into at all, and a cause determined?
healing thoughts and hugs,
Louise
thank you, louise, for your help. It's the strangest thing with my back. I had this exact same pain in the same place back in January. I was sent to a physical therapist and he helped a lot. With the exercises he gave me, the pain came under control. However, whenever I flare up, that exact spot in my lower back starts hurting again. I wonder if that spot will always be a "target" spot when I flare up.
ohsoperplexed said:
Hello Rosie, Hopeful already gave you some great information. I was put on tramadol, but it made my movement disorder/seizure activity worse, plus was a real no no to take with my antiepileptic med. Before I came off, I was warned of withdrawal issues, but if you taper down, it's not hard, mostly an increase in some pain, at least for me.
The best thing about tramadol is it will help your body use it's own natural pain relief chemicals better, and isn't as harsh on your body as other meds. If you want detailed information on it, go to rxlist.com and look it up, They include everything that is in the manufacturer's information, online! Even down to the molecular structure of the med, and side effects and drug interaction cautions.
Has your back pain been looked into at all, and a cause determined?
healing thoughts and hugs,
Louise