kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
Not sure whether to put this in medical or general support.
My new primary doc recently prescribed tramadol. I take 1 pill 3 times a day.
I don't know what the dosage is right now....I would need to get up and that would do me in.
I'll check later.
I just wondered what others are taking.
I keep thinking it is not helping much until I try and stop taking it.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
I thought it was a once a day thing. I felt the same as you... couldn't tell that it helped all that much.
But if you can tell a difference when without it, then it's working!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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just don
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1129
posted
3 a day is pretty light dosage.
Think once I was on 6 a day plus neurotin.
Think could have gone higher,not sure.
BEST plan ahead 10 days to 2 weeks so you NEVER run out of them
You just cant run out,ever.
-------------------- just don Posts: 4548 | From Middle of midwest | Registered: May 2001
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kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
Ijust checked. 50 mg each. So 150 mg a day.
I also am taking 6 pills a day of gabapentin.
I don't recall the dosage on it but know it is the lesser one as last doc said he was going to increase dosage so I would just need to take 3 pills a day.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
No wonder one pill a day did nothing for me!!!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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kam
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posted
Yes. Finding the right dosage is tricky.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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map1131
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posted
kam, I used tramadol for years now. 50mg 3-5 times a day as needed. I also use ibuprohen with it because I try to hit pain from different angles.
Pam
-------------------- "Never, never, never, never, never give up" Winston Churchill Posts: 6495 | From Louisville, Ky | Registered: Jan 2002
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lpkayak
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posted
wow u guys. i couldnt walk or maybe talk with that in me. i know others who take those dosages and i thought they were wierd. i guess its me that is wierd.
if i take 2 neurontins (300 ea) to sleep-get away from pain...i cant drive for 3 days
same with tramadol...i never take either unless i can stay in bed
wow...like i said. guess i'm wierd.
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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lpkayak
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posted
kam...does doc know you take the excedrin too?
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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kam
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posted
I have noticed how people are all different with meds.
The doc prescribed the tramadol because I told her I take excedrin daily and wanted to stop.
But, like Pam...just the tramadol alone has not worked so far.
And the substitute excedrin I have been trying is not working.
Excedrin is out of stock across the board now on all web sites.
Wondering how long it takes the tramadol to kick in for those who are taking it.
On a good morning I would take the excedrin, wait an hour and then be able to walk in the forest for 5 min.
I am not able to do that just taking the tramadol in the am.
It has been an hour and the body is still not functioning yet and just laying here the body hurts.
I have noticed that I really get dehydrated on the tramadol. I all ready had a problem with keeping hydrated before taking tramadol.
And I get overheateds with trying to do something bit time...heat wave.
But, I also had to do without it as the pharmacy got things wrong...even through I asked for a refill 2 weeeks in advance
..they can't do that but I wanted to get it started as I know it took time to contact the primary doc to get the refill.
...they were faxing the info to the wrong number.
..but I also was calling my doc and still not suceeding it getting the job done.
So I went without it and decided it was better to take it.
Back to fighting the battle to get the sleeping meds and tramadol refilled again.
That all will be taken care of when I see the doc in person as she hopefully will write 6 months of refills like she did last time.
But, the pharmacy messed up on the tramadol and sleeping meds and have only been doing one month at a time.
They changed computer systems.
Too much to deal with most days. I just have to wait until I am able.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
It has been an hour or an hour and a half since taking the tramadol.
Body is in less pain but not sure if it is because I have been laying here or the pain meds.
Getting up now to move the body ...we shall see.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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Carol in PA
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posted
50 mg didn't do much for me.
I took 100 mg at a time. Take tylenol with it, to potentiate the analgesia.
Posts: 6956 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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kam
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posted
100 mg 3 times a day Carol?
I will try the tylenol to see if that helps
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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lpkayak
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posted
none of those things ever helped me with pain..neither did oxy.
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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Carol in PA
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posted
Kam, no I took it twice daily.
The tramadol is formulated to work SLOWLY, which is a pain in the asp when you need to get up and start doing stuff. They did that so that people would be less likely to use it to get high.
Early on, I made the choice to get adequate pain relief for just a couple hours, rather than half-as*ed relief for twice as long.
At least that way I could wash dishes and cook supper. I spent the rest of the time in bed.
Posts: 6956 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
oh... I just checked my bottle of tramadol. I had taken Ultram years ago and it was supposed to be one day. The tram says take one or two every six hours. (50mg)
I only made it to ONE pill as it ate my stomach, as most pain meds do.
That's why I forgot what the real dosage was supposed to be. I have to rely on tylenol or percocet.
Hope you can get moving soon, kam.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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kam
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posted
Carol,
That is what I was doing with the excedrin. Most mornings it helped me be able to do a little bit.
Then, I am down the rest of the day.
Hoping excedrin is back on the market soon.
What are you taking that helps you do a bit?
Tylenol has not done anything for me in the past.
But, it is worth trying again
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-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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kam
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posted
It along with some other products were pulled off the market in Jan.
It is taking them a long time to get it things going again.
Something about the wrong pills getting into the wrong bottles.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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kam
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posted
awhile back I ordered the 2 pills in a packet box but those are not to be found either.
I did find some on amazon. Some businesses are asking $100 for what I paid $25 for the box.
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kelmo
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posted
Is excedrin gone for good? Ack! When you have a migraine, nothing OTC beats it.
My daughter has been on Tramadol for a couple of years. It has taken the edge off.
She doesn't want to be on much, so she cuts he 50mg tab in half and takes three a day.
I think it has an antidepressant quality to it, too.
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kam
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posted
kelmo...they are hoping to get excedrin back on the shelves this summer along with the other products that were removed.
I have no idea why it is taking so long. Does't make sense.
When I first came down sick the prescription meds I was taking for the migraines I had for years....did nothing for the type of ...I called it inflamed brain...that I get with lyme disease.
It was great when I discovered that excedrin helped. I would need to take the excedrin every 3 or 4 hours to manage it and use ice packs.
I have tried different generic like excedrin but not the same...doesn't help
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kam
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posted
Lately I have noticed that when I am laying in bed I will tense up but then work at relaxing the body.
My belief is the body was tensed up all the time in the past and since I have started taking tramadol it somehow is helping my body to relax a bit although the pain is still there.
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Carol in PA
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Kam, Have you tried taking two of the tramadol. It takes 45 minutes or more to fully kick in, but that should last for six hours.
Posts: 6956 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
kam .. when we are in pain, we tense up. We don't even realize it.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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kam
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posted
Carol,
I will give that a try...if it works...perhaps the doc will increase the dosage...
or if not...I will take 2 in the am and one at night
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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kam
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posted
Took 2 pills this am.
Getting up to take the riteaid generic excedrin now.
as pills did not seem to help with the head stuff first thing in the am nor the weakness in the body.
Took pills an hour ago...
tutu..i figured that...but did not realize my body was doing that until i started on the pain meds
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
I've been on Tramadol for several years now. Could'nt live without it. I did'nt realize it was a slow releas. I started taking two at a time. Now I have to take at least four for it to do any good. Thank goodness I don't need it everyday as I get better. But, somedays that does'nt even work. After an hour or so with no relief I take two more. Sometime it works, sometimes it does'nt. I mentioned this to my LLMD, he said that was'nt good taking so much. He did'nt prescribe anything different and just said not to take as much. But if it'ns not helping, what else am I to do?
Posts: 48 | From Eden Prairie, MN | Registered: Feb 2010
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Carol in PA
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cjbrklich, It takes 45 minutes to an hour for the tramadol to be effective. Take some tylenol with it, which will potentiate it.
If you get the tramadol with the tylenol already added, it's alot more expensive, and I don't see the point. I want to be able to take Excedrin instead of plain tylenol, depending on my headache situation.
Plain tramadol never did much for a headache, for me.
Posts: 6956 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
cj.. be careful with taking too much.. you can overload your liver.
Carol has a good idea there with the tylenol.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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kam
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posted
adding tylenol to my grocery list...thought i had some around the house but noo
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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Tramadol is available in both extended release and immediate release forms. The extended release is marketed in the U.S. under the brand name Ultram ER. If your prescription does not have the "ER" after the drug name, you were probably prescribed the immediate release form.
Recommended adult dosage for immediate release tramadol is 50-100 mg every 4-6 hours, not to exceed 400 mg a day.
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