Chu
I am a nurse and have had fibromylagia for many years. I take tramadol about thirty minutes prior to getting up in the morning so that I can get ready for work. I am very stiff in the morning and have a somewhat shuffled gait because my legs and muscles hurt so bad. I also hurt in my upper back/neck area. If I don't take the tramadol and allow it to get into my stystem then it takes forever to get ready because I am in so much pain. My hair is very long and I have to blow dry it for about 20 minutes. If I didn't take the tramadol then I would not be able to hold my arms up for that length of time. It has saved my life. It doesn't get rid of my pain 100% but NOTHING ever gets rid of my pain 100%. It has no adverse side effects on me except I can't take it after about 6pm because it keeps me awake at night. I do not feel high or anything like that on this medication. It just helps me function thorugh the day with minimal pain. I have tried the oxycodones,hydrocodones,etc. They make me feel high,sleepy and just bad. I still sometimes have to take a hydrocodone if I am having an acute flare up but I don't have to take it often. If I do take it then I don't work while I take it and I don't drive. Tramadol allows me to still function as a nurse without the side effects of the other pain meds. Some people say that it was no better than a tylenol for them. Like all meds, it just effects people in different ways. Those people may have more pain than I do.Without the tramadol on a pain scale of 1 to 10 my rating is about a 7 in the morning before taking it; after I have taken it then my rating is about a 3 which I can tolerate. It has been my life saver. If I could not take it then I would have to go on disability becasue I could not function without it. I have had some patients that complained that they still hurt after taking a hydrocodone; the MD changed them to tramadol and it worked wonders on them. (I work with geriatric (elderly) patients). I think some people think because it is not a schduled narcotic then it is not a good pain medication. NOT TRUE. It works well for some and not at all for others. It does have a minimal potential for addiction as do most pain medications. Another plus is that the ultram(brand name for tramadol) doesn't contain tylenol which is heck on your liver. The ultracet(brand name for tramadol with tylenol) does contain tylenol. I take the one without tylenol. The hydrocodones have tylenol as does the percocets. People do not realize the harmful effects that tylenol have on your liver. I try to avoid tylenol at any cost.Try to tramadol ,if it works for you then great. It is a wonder drug and a life saver for a lot of people. If it doesn't relieve your pain then I would let my MD know it is not effective and he will need to try a differnt type of med. If it is a pulled muscle the you may need to use a muscle relaxer for a short time period. Also try warm moist heat to the area 3 to 4 times a day for 20 minutes at a time. This will help too. Hope you feel better soon and hope the tramadol works as well for you as it has for me. If not then do not hesitate to let your doctor know. Good Luck.
Andrea
That is a generic form of Ultram and it's great for back pain
Kati
I, personally, don't think Tramadol is that effective a pain medication. I've heard the same opinion from a lot of people who suffer from chronic pain. However, pain medication reacts differently with different people, so I think it's worth a try. If you don't get results, there are plenty of other pain medications on the market.
Caryl
It's a centrally acting synthetic analgesic compound prescribed for moderate to moderately severe pain. Every pain med. has a different effect on different people. I've had some patients for whom it works. Personally, it was prescribed for me and it made me nervous and jumpy...but that's me.When it comes to pain medication, you have to let your doc. know what, if any, side effects you are having when you are taking a new med. And If it is not effective in relieving your pain, then you need to communicate this to your doc. Communication is key.
Brigitte
It is different for all people. It may work well for many and not so well for others. Lots of pain medication options out there!
Jessenia
If you are talking about muscle pain in your back it works ok, if it is pain from a spine injury or a nerve it's not very good. It won't help much more that ES Tylenol. It's listed as a moderate to severe pain medication but I've found it to be pretty worthless. I've been on it a few times in the past. I know I wouldn't bother taking it over Tylenol and I've been dealing with pain for a long time!!If your doctor puts you on it then try it,,, it must help some people. But don't get your hopes up. It's still addictive, it still has all the downfalls of opiates without the effectivenessHere are a few sites that may help youwww.webmd.com/back-pain/guide/paihealth.discovery.com/centers/painspine-health.comThis link will give you all the info you want on Ultramwww.pdrhealth.com/drugs/rx/rx-monBut when drug adddicts don't even like it you know it can't be very strong!!
Apollo Beach
Larimore
Wyncote
Clarksburg
Gilmore
Blue Hill