Tramadol 50mg for Back Pain

Landgull36uk

Hey all.

As some of you know over the passed day or 2 i have tried a different painkiller called Naproxen 250mg instead of the Cocodamol i was taking but really it is more a anti-imflamtory or NSAID type. I got in touch with my consultant and explained to him that they were not helping my back pain and whether he could possibly prescribe another painkiller that wasn't a opiate type but he only suggested the Naproxen that i found did not work for me or ordinary Paracetamol which also do not help me. So i asked him that if it has to be a opiate based painkiller could he suggest one which would probrably have less side effects such as constipation, headaches and occasional stomach upsets which i was getting with cocodamol and he suggested 50mg Tramadol. I also asked him whether he could prescibe them to a similar strength to the cocodamol that i was taking which were 30/500mg cocodamol but he added that i'll start you off with 50mg then if you need a stronger dosage talk to your doctor. Has anyone else here tried 50mg Tramadol and suffered any side effects such as headaches, constipation or stomach upsets which i was originaly getting with Cocodamol. I understand that different medicines effect different people in many ways and doesn't nescesarily mean that i will suffer these side effects myself. Im just asking out curiosity mainly with regards to whether 50mg Tramadol work well with back pain and if anyone has suffered any side effects while taking them for back pain.

Thanks.

pilgrimchris

I’ve taken tramadol at that dose for general PsA pain and had no problems. I didn’t get along with cocodamol so doc switched me. Have been taking tramadol for 2 years without problems

stickywicket

I was only ever given tramadol (No idea what dosage) once when leaving hospital. It gave me nausea despite my stomach-protecting med so I soon switched back to co-codamol.

Tramadol seems to be a 'marmite' med ie people love it or hate it.
I hope it works for you.

dreamdaisy

I have 100mg slow-release tramadol for the rougher times, it dulls a little more so I feel a little less of the sharper twangs but pain is still present. Pain will not stop, be stopped or go away never to return; arthritis bears few gifts and this is one of its more unpleasant offerings. DD

Landgull36uk

pilgrimchris wrote:

I’ve taken tramadol at that dose for general PsA pain and had no problems. I didn’t get along with cocodamol so doc switched me. Have been taking tramadol for 2 years without problems

Thanks for letting me know, hopefully it will work out that way myself.

Landgull36uk

stickywicket wrote:

I was only ever given tramadol (No idea what dosage) once when leaving hospital. It gave me nausea despite my stomach-protecting med so I soon switched back to co-codamol.

Tramadol seems to be a 'marmite' med ie people love it or hate it.
I hope it works for you.

I doubt i'll be loving taking them i dont like taking these things even if they do suit me. So in a way it will always be a marmite for me :P

Landgull36uk

dreamdaisy wrote:

I have 100mg slow-release tramadol for the rougher times, it dulls a little more so I feel a little less of the sharper twangs but pain is still present. Pain will not stop, be stopped or go away never to return; arthritis bears few gifts and this is one of its more unpleasant offerings. DD

I fully understand i'll be on these things until the day i croak it and that the pain will never go away. Its just a matter of finding which pain med will work with me through out my life. My first lot of cocodamol which i took were made by a company called (Bristol) and they work perfect for me. They didn't give me many side effects like head aches, stomach upsets or bad constipation. The only side effect it really caused for me was mainly just a dry mouth all the time, then some months after i started taking there brand they stopped producing that dosage of cocodamol (30mg). So then i was put on a brand called Wockhardt which began to make me ill and this led on to me asking around for different brands of codamol that would suit me. The brand of cocodamol i have now suit me better than others even though im still suffering from some side effects from it, im just hoping these Tramadol i will hopefully recieve will bring better results and allow me to continue though life with out to much of a problem.

stickywicket

I think it's possible that it's not the brand of cocodamol but just the med itself that you are having problems with.

In my early years of RA when there were no modern DMARDS I took NSAIDS. I was usually OK at first but would soon start having a day of throwing up. My brand would be changed and the whole fiasco would start again. I managed to take naproxen, and later voltarol (diclofenac) for much longer than other brands but it was clearly the active ingredient rather than the minor bits that I had the problem with.

I'm amazed if you could take cocos for any length of time without constipation issues. All opioids cause constipation and tramadol is no exception. I don't think there's any such thing as a med without side effects. I guess we just have to choose what to suffer from.

daffy2

Looking at the patient information leaflets for the different brands of co-codamol with regard to additional ingredients(excipients) is interesting, and does give a clue as to why there might possibly be different reactions when brands are changed. Some of the ingredients are surprising and one has to wonder why they are present.
Pharmacists are the best people to discuss this with, but there is an added complication in that which drugs are prescribed will depend on what your GP practice/local CCG has decided(usually based solely on cost, which may not always be what works best for patients). The Bristol website seems to indicate that 30/500 is still available so it may be a cost decision that stops you having it. It might be worth asking, especially if alternatives are not proving satisfactory?

dreamdaisy

Constipation due to the cocos and tramadol can be a problem for me but it's easily dealt with: the GP prescribes docusate capsules which I take as needed and I ensure I eat a good amount of fibre as well as drinking at least three pints of water per day (plus plenty of tea). I only need the docusate when I am taking the trammies plus the cocos, double opioids isn't that good for my innards.

No matter what we take there will be other effects on the body, what helps one person is ghastly for another and we only find out by trial and error what suits us: often that involves a lot of trial and some horrid errors. One GP told me that cocos and trammies are basically the same thing one may suit you better than the other. The passing of time will bring other changes, it always does. DD

Landgull36uk

stickywicket wrote:

I think it's possible that it's not the brand of cocodamol but just the med itself that you are having problems with.

In my early years of RA when there were no modern DMARDS I took NSAIDS. I was usually OK at first but would soon start having a day of throwing up. My brand would be changed and the whole fiasco would start again. I managed to take naproxen, and later voltarol (diclofenac) for much longer than other brands but it was clearly the active ingredient rather than the minor bits that I had the problem with.

I'm amazed if you could take cocos for any length of time without constipation issues. All opioids cause constipation and tramadol is no exception. I don't think there's any such thing as a med without side effects. I guess we just have to choose what to suffer from.

I was having difficulty with constipation before all this trouble with my back began and i was taking laxatives at the time. On top of that when i was taking the Bristol brand i was only taking 2 occasionly when i required them for my back, i was possibly only taking 8 tablets in a week. Unfortunately its becoming a daily requirement now but even when i was taking them occasionly when i was put on the Wockhardt brand they started to make me unwell and unable to eat much so i needed to change them.

Landgull36uk

daffy2 wrote:

Looking at the patient information leaflets for the different brands of co-codamol with regard to additional ingredients(excipients) is interesting, and does give a clue as to why there might possibly be different reactions when brands are changed. Some of the ingredients are surprising and one has to wonder why they are present.
Pharmacists are the best people to discuss this with, but there is an added complication in that which drugs are prescribed will depend on what your GP practice/local CCG has decided(usually based solely on cost, which may not always be what works best for patients). The Bristol website seems to indicate that 30/500 is still available so it may be a cost decision that stops you having it. It might be worth asking, especially if alternatives are not proving satisfactory?

Im surprised they seem to be still in production because a few months back my brother kindly phoned the company (Bristol) and asked if they were still producing them and apparently they suspended the production of them for some reason. Maybe they they have started to produce them again and they are just not available in my area. It was a few months back so it may be worth ringing them to enquire if the Tramadol dont help but im hoping they will.

Landgull36uk

dreamdaisy wrote:

Constipation due to the cocos and tramadol can be a problem for me but it's easily dealt with: the GP prescribes docusate capsules which I take as needed and I ensure I eat a good amount of fibre as well as drinking at least three pints of water per day (plus plenty of tea). I only need the docusate when I am taking the trammies plus the cocos, double opioids isn't that good for my innards.

No matter what we take there will be other effects on the body, what helps one person is ghastly for another and we only find out by trial and error what suits us: often that involves a lot of trial and some horrid errors. One GP told me that cocos and trammies are basically the same thing one may suit you better than the other. The passing of time will bring other changes, it always does. DD

Ive been suffering with constipation before all this back trouble began so i was taking laxatives at the time. I used to take Lactulose regularly but came off it after a while because that began to upset my stomach and used to make me break wind alot which was pretty umpleasent. So i tried out various other brands which i forget the name of now and then found one called Laxido which was a stool softener more than laxative. Laxido are sachets that you empty into a glass of water and drink, they supposed to taste like orange but they taste nothing like that they remind me of salty dish water even though i havn't tried drinking dish water. They taste horrible but they work and i do drink plenty of water and lots of tea which i enjoy drinking, thanks for the advice