Wellness

[Zita]

Because of severe pain from degenerative arthritis in my spine and a pinched nerve, my Dr. prescribed Tramadol for pain. If I take two 100mg tablets, I, too, feel groggy. However, Tramadol is not a pain killer. It may take the edge off, but it is a serotonin booster that releases natural endorphins to help with pain management.

I actually do better with a couple of Aleve or its generic equivalent.

[151949]

With arthritis most people are usually worse in the AM or the PM - for me I'm definitely worse in the AM - I have arthritis in my spine and when I wake up i can barely move at all. I have to hold on to the footboard of the bed to walk into the bathroom. So in the morning I take 1 aleve, and that is my only pain med right now. Then i know that until that kicks in (about 30 min) all i am able to do is sit and wait. Once I'm able to get moving i do better and don't usually need another Aleve until the next morning. The secret to "beating " arthritis is to get your self moving as soon as you can and as much as possible.

[wagirl]

On 4/6/2014 jagk said: Thanks everyone

I can't take those things regularly, as they tear up my stomach. I do take magnesium and calcuim as well as turmeric and my aches/pains are much less. Took maybe a week or 2 to notice the difference. I went thru chemo and rads for breast cancer in 2012 and have still been bothered by the side effects, namely the aches and pains from the meds I take now. I take 1000 mgs of calcium , 500 mgs of magnesium and 1/2 tsp of turmeric a day. Do some research of course on all those things before you go crazy and buy something you can't use. And also, in my area there are pain clinics that can help.

[jagk]

I have arthritis in both knee. Had the symvisc 1 shot in left knee about 3 times. It does work for me. Now my right knee is hurting since I quit the naproxyn. I work in a school cafeteria and there is a lot of heavy lifting. Now I have aches all over and my shoulder from lifting. My left knee is still ok. I will call the orthopedic and go from there. I want to thank all of you for responding.

[chickenbutt]

I guess it turns out that more and more OTC analgesics cause a lot of harm. The last one that was left was Tylenol (acetaminophen) and now they are saying that one causes a lot of damage too.

I take Tramadol a fair amount and, while it isn't strong as a pain killer, it helps me to some degree. It doesn't make me groggy at all. Quite the contrary - it gives me a little boost and even cuts my fatigue. But I find that the more I take it, the less it helps even in that regard so I try to take breaks because two tabs doesn't do the job and I have to take three. I did learn right away to not take it late in the day. First time I tried it I took it in the evening and was up all night.

But Tramadol isn't even narcotic, so it's very weak. Heck, it's what the vet gave the dog for pain after his big boy operation.

For me, it's mostly just helpful for minor (very minor) pain but most of all it helps me with the fatigue associated with my auto-immune condition. I also find that if I have taken it during the day (I never take it more than one time during the day and always no later than late morning) I don't get the jimmy legs at night.

[conlt]

I took Ibuprofen for years for my Herniated Disc's. I ended up with high blood pressure and swollen legs and feet. Felt awful. I did not tie the Ibuprofen the my symptoms but my doctor did. He took me off the ibuprofen. I now take occasional Aspirin but for my more severe pain, I take Tramadol and have for years. Tramadol makes me sleepy at first but if I have to take it for several day, the sleepiness effect goes away.

[NYwoman]

On 4/6/2014 jagk said: I have arthritis in both knee. Had the symvisc 1 shot in left knee about 3 times. It does work for me. Now my right knee is hurting since I quit the naproxyn. I work in a school cafeteria and there is a lot of heavy lifting. Now I have aches all over and my shoulder from lifting. My left knee is still ok. I will call the orthopedic and go from there. I want to thank all of you for responding.

I was born with a genetic weakness in one hip. When I worked in a food store, my hip self destructed. Your knees cannot take walking on the hard concrete floors. I know with the economy the way it is, changing jobs is hard, if not impossible. Have you looked into better shoes? Maybe a prescription can help pay for it. I use one particular type of "wobble board" shoes that spare my back.

I find that HA (hyaluronic acid), the component of Synvisc, can be taken orally and helps a lot. SamE also helps.

[bluejeansluvr]

I think it takes time to adjust to Tramadol.

Tramadol is a fantastic medication. Some people do have allergic reactions to it or just can't take it for some reason, but if you can take it IMO it is a wonder drug and helps with arthritis pain so much.

The grogginess and slight nausea does go away after you've been taking it for a few months. Also, the great thing about Tramadol is that it also acts as an anti-depressant, this is a "side effect" of this pain reliever. As others have said, it affects the serotonin levels in the brain, and as it relieves pain, it also just boosts your mood. It is not a narcotic and it is not an NSAID. It is considered a synthetic narcotic-like medication and is not scheduled as a narcotic in most states.

Long term use of NSAIDs and high doses of Ibuprofen can cause ulcers and other digestive problems. My doctor said Tramadol is a great alternative for those with moderate to severe pain related to arthritis or nerve pain.

[chickenbutt]

On 4/6/2014 imaclotheshog said:

I think it takes time to adjust to Tramadol.

Tramadol is a fantastic medication. Some people do have allergic reactions to it or just can't take it for some reason, but if you can take it IMO it is a wonder drug and helps with arthritis pain so much.

The grogginess and slight nausea does go away after you've been taking it for a few months. Also, the great thing about Tramadol is that it also acts as an anti-depressant, this is a "side effect" of this pain reliever. As others have said, it affects the serotonin levels in the brain, and as it relieves pain, it also just boosts your mood. It is not a narcotic and it is not an NSAID. It is considered a synthetic narcotic-like medication and is not scheduled as a narcotic in most states.

Long term use of NSAIDs and high doses of Ibuprofen can cause ulcers and other digestive problems. My doctor said Tramadol is a great alternative for those with moderate to severe pain related to arthritis or nerve pain.

(bolded by me) You know, it really does help me in that way. I have PTSD and severe clinical depression. I went off the meds years ago and just depend on the great tools I learned from my awesome psychologist back then. But that's never enough.

Anyway, aside from lessening my fatigue, I do notice that it gets me out of that hot spot of depression, or the anger feelings from the PTSD. Since I don't have medical insurance, I'm fortunate to be able to acquire the Tramadol because, even though it's not so great for pain, it takes me out of the despair and fatigue I often feel that only exacerbates my pain problems.

I also have arthritis, but it doesn't really help much for that. As long as I watch what I eat my arthritis stays not too bad except during the night, when I'm dormant. I have most of my swelling and pain at that time. Then it corrects itself when I get up in the morning and get active again.

[LilacTree]

I have ten compressed vertebrae in my back from severe osteoporosis. I also have rheumatoid arthritis. I have learned to live with daily pain rather than take pain pills. I took ibuprofen for many years, 800 mg/day and wound up with high blood pressure. Instead of taking me off the ibuprofen, two doctors gave me two different blood pressure meds which had many side effects.

After researching on Google, I found that it was the ibuprofen that gave me high blood pressure and I took myself off it, as well as the blood pressure meds. I realized that the ibuprofen wasn't doing much for my pain after all, as there is little difference in my level of pain. When the pain is more than usual, I lie down with a heating pad. I no longer have high blood pressure.

All I can say is so far that is working. Now I'm trying desperately to wean off prednisone, which caused the osteoporosis in the first place. The RA just happened all by itself and every med I tried caused me worse side effects than the pain of the RA. The prednisone worked, but little did I know the price I would pay.

I am on three meds a day now. If I was taking all the meds prescribed to me by various doctors, I would be on twenty.

I would try anything before I would take pain meds long term. I am sicker from the meds I have taken than I would have been had I just let the RA be. I am convinced of that.