Tramadol

dalaney

Hi I have recently been prescribed Tramadol to help control my hip pain. I only take them at night as they make me feel a little sleepy. They do however work and have been the only thing that gives me any kind of relief. my question is can you continue to take these pills or are they for short term relief only ?

barbara12

Hello delaney
And welcome to the forum..
You can carry on taking tramadol but they are addictive, has are cocodamols..so if you take them for any length of time you would have to come off them slowly with the help of your GP..
Have you had xrays done on your hips to see what damaged there is.

dalaney

Hi Barbara thank you for replying yes i have had x rays which show arthritic hip i am too young for a hip op as i am only 49 and it is not considered severe enough although i beg to differ with the pain i am in.

dreamdaisy

It may be worth posting this again on the Living with Arthritis board on here because more people look in on that one. Many take tramadol (I have it but don't unless things are really rough) and I empathise with the too-young-for-a-hip thing. I have another year or so to go before I get my new knees - in the three years I have had to wait both hips have now gone with OA which, as far as I'm concerned, renders new knees useless because my ankles are also shot to bits. DD

dalaney

Thank you I have reposted as suggested. yes it is frustrating as i am a busy social worker and it is so debilitating sometimes I just want to get on with things. I need to be mobile now not when I am 70 its difficult when you love alone and rely on one salary. I need to work and I have been told top reassess my working pattern and go part time or give up!! Simply not an option for me

Boomer13

Hi;

I answered on your other post too. I have to agree with you on the debilitating effect of hip pain...It seems to be my most damaged joints from PsA and the pain is really indescribable. Anyway, I do take Tramadol daily and have for the last 3 years. I don't have bad side effects and it does work well, although not as well as it did at first. Now I do have to top up pain relief with other meds, but then I have a worsening condition that is always throwing more problems my way. The sad fact is that you develop tolerance to pain meds and either have to take higher doses or add on additional meds eventually.

I will not be able to have hip replacement for a very long time, so l am not looking forward to tottering around with sticks and assistive things but there is no other choice so that is what I'll do.

Best wishes to you.

Cynthia

Hi I am also on tramadol and they are the only thing that really help pain. The only other solution seeing as you are too young to have the operation would be to have it done privately. Online you can find prices and it is cheaper to have it done abroad. I was told I need a hip replacement the surgeon said the only person he had lost was one with an aneurysm. He also said one leg would be shorter than the other. I have a thoracic aortic aneurysm so decided not to go ahead as I was too frightened.
Hope it works out ok for you.

Sarahd1609

Boomer13 wrote:

Hi;

I answered on your other post too. I have to agree with you on the debilitating effect of hip pain...It seems to be my most damaged joints from PsA and the pain is really indescribable. Anyway, I do take Tramadol daily and have for the last 3 years. I don't have bad side effects and it does work well, although not as well as it did at first. Now I do have to top up pain relief with other meds, but then I have a worsening condition that is always throwing more problems my way. The sad fact is that you develop tolerance to pain meds and either have to take higher doses or add on additional meds eventually.

I will not be able to have hip replacement for a very long time, so l am not looking forward to tottering around with sticks and assistive things but there is no other choice so that is what I'll do.



Best wishes to you.

I have PsA and hav just been told by my rheumatology nurse tramadol are pointless as they don't ease the pain but just make you care less. Instead I have been told Gabapentin, ibuprofen and paracetamol should work. I've been told I'll need double hip, knee and ankle replacements but at 31 I'm too young by about 30 years. I understand your pain. It's unbearable some days and that is when tramadol helps ax I don't give a damn then but that doesn't solve the pain. I hope you get some relief soon xxxx

frogmorton

Hi Delaney

Nice to meet you and welcome you to our forums.

I hope that 'they' do consider surgery for you as soon as they think it's necessary despite your age! there are people on here who have had surgery young so age shouldn't prevent you having a new hip.

As for work - will they not make 'reasonable adjustments' for you (at all?) and for instance let you do extra seated work (duty?) if that's more comfortable???

Sorry I don't have much more advice other than to keep yourself 'in the loop' with the medical profession and make sure your hip is 'looked at' again in the not too distant future.

My MIL had her hip x-rayed (moderate wear and tear so they said) and two years later, after we talked her into going back to her Gp, she had surgery 3 months later.

Love

Toni xxx

GraceB

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

I've been on Tramadol for years. Initially it was the quick release 50mg capsules and I got up to 5 or 6 on a normal day; on a bad day it was 8 so I had 400mg.

I am now on 100mg twice daily slow release Tramadol. I also have some of the 50mg quick release capsules so I can "top up" on bad days and I have to do this regularly. On top of this I have between 6-8 paracetamol every day.

When I get up in the morning I have a "muzzy head" - immediately over my eyebrows. It's almost like having a bit of a hangover without having been to the party the night before. :roll:

Tramadol suits some people; but others can't go anywhere near them. If they are making you feel bad with the sleepiness, speak to your GP. You may be able to arrange a pain relief regime that means you have the Tramadol at night and other medication during the day. You may find that as time goes by you get accustomed to taking the Tramadol so this side effect may not be as troublesome.

Please let us know how you get on.

Have you told your employer of your health issues? They may be able to assist with putting into place reasonable adjustments for you. Also, can you ask to see Occupational Health as they may be able to support you as well?

Take care,
GraceB

sorebones

I'm a newbie too. I hope it's ok to say that I was told on my pain management course that Tramadol doesn't work without paracetamol. I take 8 Tramadol a day with 8 paracetamol capsules so that they dissolve at the same rate. Two at a time of each that is. I was also told that I should keep my analgesia at a level to stop painful episodes. I do try to take both at regular intervals, and if I forget I receive a sharp reminder. I am also on Fentanyl patches. Not sure if that helps, but worth speaking to a nurse at your pain clinic if you attend one.