OT - tramadol?

I know some people here use Tramadol for pain and was hoping you could give me some feedback.  I have an appointment with a new PCP this afternoon (because I moved and my old PCP is 40 minutes away) and one of the things I want to talk to him about is my back pain.  I'm going to ask him about trying Tramadol, but I was doing some research online and read that there can be interactions with some antidepressants.  Has anyone here used it with a SSRI?  I'm not taking prescription antidepressants anymore but just recently started St. John's Wort, which works like an SSRI.

Also, I read that one possible side effect is anxiety.  I already have significant anxiety.  It's quite possible that if I am in less pain I will become less anxious, but I'm hesitant to take a medication that might make my anxiety worse.  I realize not everyone experiences every side effect, but was just wondering if others that take Tramadol have had increased anxiety.

Thanks.

I have anxiety. When I was on Tramadol for a short duration it did not intensify the feeling at all. I don't take anxiety meds (yet) so I can't comment on the side effects of its interaction with anxiety meds.

Why Tramadol? I don't know the source of your pain, but it doesn't touch mine. There are generally better pain meds out there, depending on what's hurting. They've come a long way with anti-inflammatories that are stomach-gentle.

Good luck with getting some help for your pain!

(Btw, a steel-boned corset helped my back pain better than any med, so that's something else you might want to try.)

Angie from Missouri
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Well, I won't take NSAIDS at all since my surgeon strongly advised me not to and since the ASMBS recommends against them for RNY patients.

I've done oral steroids for a short time and they didn't help much.

I've used Vicodin but would prefer something less addictive if it would work, something I could take more often.

The cause of the pain is probably a herniated disk.  I may or may not also have degenerative disk disease - one back specialist said I did, another said I do not.  So who knows? 

The back specialist that said I had DDD said a back brace might help and had me try one on in his office.  He said if it was going to help, I should feel immediate relief upon putting it on.  I did not feel any relief.   He said I could buy the brace anyway and try it, but since I didn't feel immediate relief he said it probably would not help me.  My insurance would not pay for it and it cost $180, so I passed.

trust me on this, DO NOT TAKE ANY nsaids, read some of my posts, just asking for a world of hurt & MANY problems, IMHO , denise i know Kelly wont take them but wanted cymbalmom to see this

 

I was prescribed Tramadol 37.5 mg to take as needed up to 4 times a day, and I wasn't aware a side affect could be anxiety, but that really makes me wonder... I had a FULL ON panic attack about 4 days into taking this pain killer.... I hadn't had a panic attack in 20 years pervious to this! I also stopped taking the pain medication at that time, just because I had no more pain.... but I also have not had another panic attack after that one 2 weeks ago.... I wonder if the 2 are related, or just a coincidence? I'll be curious to follow this post to see if others have experienced this.

Hi Kelly,

I have serious issues with panic and anxiety disorder. I'm on and have been on SSRI's for over 25 years except for the few times my doc and I tried to see if I could get off them which never went well. 99% of the time I feel perfect, the other 1%, I take Ativan and it gets things under control quickly. I have taken Tramadol about 4 times in the last year and a half with no issues except that I was surprised at how very little effect it had on the pain.

Kat

I've taken tramadol at night for the last few months and just started taking it during the day as well. I am not on anti-anxiety meds. I did notice that it can make me dizzy, which feels a bit like being anxious/out of control. It is really effective for pain however, especially when NSAIDs are no longer an option.

I have been taking the Tramadol with Lexapro for several years and have not had any problems with it in terms of increased depression or anxiety.

 

Lora

I thought you were taking it and also on an SSRI.  Apparently there is a possibility of serotonin syndrome from taking it with an SSRI, just  like if you took too much of the antidepressant.  But it sounds like at least some docs feel it's OK to prescribe both.  So I'll see what the new PCP thinks.

He is a DO, not an MD, which I am hoping will mean he is at least somewhat open to the idea of alternative medicine.  I recently started St. John's Wort for depression and am planning to start Valerian for anxiety.  But I want something for pain.