Tramadol

[emmie]

Does anyone know this medication, and can advise me, does it have side effects. I have been prescribed this for pain relief as nothing else has worked so far,

[davebro]

I try to avoid pain killers as they seem either ineffective or have nasty side-effects.
Have you considered acupuncture? - it seems to work for some people.

[emmie]

i never speak with the same one twice Naomi, the GP I spoke to the other day obviously didn't know what i was taking. His words were i have to consult your notes, then decided that the Amitriptyline wasn't a good one to prescribe. So Tramadol it is.

[emmie]

i know what you mean dave, Gabapentin made the room go round and round and Pregablin did much the same. both pain killers.

[naomi24]

Any doctor would have to consult your notes. With hundreds and possibly thousands of patients, even if you saw the same doctor all the time, he couldn't be expected to remember details of one individual.

[emmie]

i have been referred to the Orthopedic team for possible surgery, but i have no idea how long that might take.

[bednobs]

They do the prescription electronically. The computer holds a record of current medical and will ping if there is a problem prescribing a new med with the current one. Tramadol is good, same sort of side affects as dihydrocodiene

[emmie]

i know one doctor at the surgery who has been more than helpful in the past, and had hoped to speak with him but he wasn't available on the day, so i spoke with someone i didn't know.

[emmie]

thanks Bednobs, so far the dihydocodeine has been totally ineffectual, its sends me to sleep, and made me constipated.

[Peter Pedant]

// even if you saw the same doctor all the time, he couldn't be expected to remember details of one individual.//

one of the registrars I worked with could identify and speak to the RELATIONS of his patients if he met them in the corridor - 1978

but hey the wisdom of AB prevails

[naomi24]

You've got your wires crossed again, PP. Nothing new.

[barry1010]

I take it for trigeminal neuralgia , no problems for me and it works

[bednobs]

theres no point fannying around with any pain killers IMO (not that i'm saying you are) - take the full dose prescribed regularly before saying if it works or not

[douglas9401]

"theres no point fannying around with any pain killers IMO"

Has it been precribed as a pessary?

[anneasquith]

With not reading the previous Q. There is in every box/bottle literature regarding your questions . If you do not understand the literature, speak to a pharmacist.
The trick with taking medication prescribed from gp is follow the instructions and take the pills.
A gp is unlikely to prescribe an unsuitable treatment .

[anneasquith]

*** previous replies .

[chelle7272]

/A gp is unlikely to prescribe an unsuitable treatment ./

Unfortunately not always true, my friend saw a GP last week who prescribed her painkiller not suitable for someone with epilepsy, which she has. Last time I saw GP I had to remind them of meds I couldn't take as they had not scrolled down on their PC screen far enough....
Anyway re tramadol, It is the best pain killer I have used, no side effects or issues

[Milo2]

I have been prescribed inappropriate medication. I have a condition that doesn’t require medication but when reading the accompanying leaflet, I found that I shouldn’t take it with this condition.

[anneasquith]

I did say highly unlikely, indeed mistakes happen .

[jennyjoan]

I know you worry Emmie about addiction. my neighbor/friend is on it many years and only for it couldn't function. It is the first tab or tabs aof the day and for her it starts her moving. She never complains about any side effects and she said even there was she couldn't care less - she is 70 in November and she wouldn't worry about any kind of addiction at that. If I get relief - addiction would be the last thing on my mind. In the bible "we only live 3 score plus 10. I'm happy with that. Go for it and say well at least give them chance. I do think you are over-thinking too much.

Gabapentin are very good if your doctor gave you them. I got them for the most painful shoulder and I never ever had a pain reducer like them. They touched the pain immediately. Good luck Emmie

[Ringlet]

Emmie, I took Tramadol before I got my arthritic hip replaced last summer, as no other pain relief was effective.
I found Tramadol to be very helpful for the pain in my hip, thigh and lower back.
Like you, I was worried about side effects but decided to try it as I was desperate to get relief from the arthritis pain.
In the first couple of weeks, I found that it made me sleepy, and secondly that it gave me a feeling of "other-wordliness" - that is I felt as though I was drifting through my days without interacting with the world. That is a strange description, I know but it is the best I can do to describe the feeling.
And thirdly, I felt as if my footsteps were on foam - the ground seemed bouncy when I walked.
I found these effects very strange but I persevered with the Tramadol, and did not drive or even go outside for two weeks. By that time, the effects had lessened considerably and I felt confident again.
I stayed on Tramadol until my hip operation last summer, then gradually reduced the dosage and was off them again by Christmas.
I don't feel that I became addicted in any way.
I would say, if your pain is interfering with your life, give Tramadol a try. Be prepared for strange side effects for the first week or two, but these will diminish and hopefully you will feel a great benefit in relief of pain.