Posted by Elizabeth on July 27, 2001, at 20:13:28
In reply to Re: Ultram withdrawal- real message, posted by Gracie2 on July 27, 2001, at 2:25:09
> I haven't been here for awhile and was surprised by the length of this thread. For some reason, I thought that the abuse of Ultram, which is my drug of choice, must be unusual. I guess there really is nothing new under the sun.
The length of the thread doesn't mean anything.
> Be careful with that Ultram. Although it is touted as a non-opiate and non-addictive, they say the same thing about chocolate.
< g > Ultram is a mu opioid receptor agonist, and it's to be expected that some people will abuse it, although it's much *much* weaker than morphine, codeine, and even propoxyphene. Its reputation for being mild and relatively non-habit-forming (and its legal status as a non-controlled substance) means that doctors prescribe it much more freely than they prescribe the stronger opioids.
> Anyone who has stood at the kitchen counter at midnight eating Oreo after Oreo while staring at the clock, they know it's not true.
Uhh, I can't say I've had that experience. (When I was on Nardil, though, I did have a tendency to devour 1-lb bags of M&Ms at an alarming rate.)
> Seriously - I've had terrible problems with Ultram, it is truely my drug of choice. For someone with an addictive personality, this is quite a statement. When I'm agitated, it relaxes me. When I have insomnia, it lets me sleep.
I always think it's weird when people say stuff like this: I didn't find Ultram helpful at all.
> Curiously, it wipes out all desire for alcohol-
> something else I tend to abuse.Perhaps it fills whatever void leads you to abuse drugs?
> Unfortunately, over the last couple of years, I've developed a massive tolerance to it.
That's not especially surprising (although people using opioids as antidepressants or anxiolytics often do not need to increase the dose once they've been stabilised). Out of curiosity, what's the effective dose for you at this time?
> Anyway, obviously, over-rating your tolerance for a drug can be lethal. It did in Marilyn Monroe and Sid Vicious and it could have killed me.
Yes. Dangerous to play around with drugs without a doctor (or at least, some knowledge about their actions, interactions, how to use them safely, etc.).
> At one point, things were so bad, I was taking a heavy dose of depakote, seroquel and paxil (prescribed) and 30 or more pills of Ultram every day (unprescribed).
What strength are the tablets? 50 mg?
> I ended up in the hospital after having a seizure.
That's one of the risks of taking large amounts of Ultram (although I think some people probably can safely take doses somewhat higher than the recommended maximum of 400 mg/day).
> Anyway, so here I am, after several relapses, determined to stay off the Ultam. I can't relax, I can't sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time. And let me tell you - I truely love to sleep. I'm exhausted and miserable, but I've been clean for a couple of weeks now.
I'm glad to hear it. Best of luck to you in your efforts to stay off of Ultram.
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:70206
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010725/msgs/72129.html