Ultram and America’s Chronic Pain
Aug 24 '06
The Bottom Line The most important thing is to educate yourself on any medication you are taking. And listen to your body.
Chronic pain is major epidemic. Approximately 48 million people in the United States suffer from some form of chronic pain, pain lasting longer than six months, and Americans spend literally billions on medication to combat it. With the exception of many highly addictive prescription pain killers, most medication is said to be largely ineffective (these facts given by Columbia University, http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/news/press_releases/Chronic_pain.html). Chronic pain is a “headache”- no pun intended- for doctors who do not know how to treat it, and often they send their patients to different specialists with few results. Prescription narcotic pain killers, however effective in the treatment of the symptoms, are not a long-term solution. Yet they provide much-needed relief to millions whose lives are affected negatively by constant pain.
I would like to focus on one such pain medication. It’s called Ultram (generic: Tramadol), also known as Tramal and Ultracet. This pain relief drug isn’t considered a controlled substance in the United States, unlike medications like Lorcet and Vicodin, but it is a low-grade opioid and acting analgesic, used to treat moderate to severe pain.
It was first developed by Grünenthal GmbH, a German pharmaceutical company. It is available as an oral tablet and an injectable solution. Typically the tablets are 50mg each, with time-released tablets in the 100, 200, and 300mg range. It is believed that Ultram works through the noradrenergic and serotonergic systems. It is not considered a narcotic because it has the approximate strength of 1/6000 of morphine, yet it is technically an opioid and can be addictive. It is said that it is more prescribed than stronger pain relievers because it has a lower occurrence of addiction. Ultram is a synthetic material (details above from Wikipedia.com).
I am a chronic pain sufferer. I have been suffering with moderate to severe headaches for several years now, and in the past year I have also started to suffer with neck, shoulder, and upper and lower arm pain (mostly in the muscles). I have been to many doctors and a few specialists, including a neurologist, and nobody has been able to diagnose my problem. The only medications that have given me any relief have been prescription pain relievers. Many other medications that I have tried over the years- Naproxen (anti-inflammatory), Torrodol, Topamax, Celebrex, OTC analgesics, Imitrex, Cymbalta, and amytriptylene- have all been ineffective. When you’re in constant pain, even if it’s not so severe, you feel powerless when it cuts into your life and makes even basic tasks difficult to deal with. I have tried to be an active person: I am an artist, I work full-time, I have a great boyfriend, two wonderful cats, a great family, I am a cellist, and I exercise when I can. When I’m in pain, it’s difficult to want to take on different activities. And there is nothing I dislike more than just wanting to do nothing because I hurt. This is why I have always been open to the use of prescription pain relievers because they gave me much-needed relief. I have had very little trouble in the past with pain killers such as Vicodin and Lorcet, but I have also taken Ultram before. And I don’t like it one bit. It is considered one of the least addictive pain killers out there, yet I much prefer the others. And here is why.
First off, Ultram is said to affect the levels of serotonin in the human body. It has been suggested that Ultram could also treat anxiety and depression, but I’ve seen no evidence that this has ever been done. The reason I dislike this fact is because it is one more issue you have to think about when taking this medication. Ultram can apparently increase your seizure threshold, which doctors have told me is true (Wikipedia.com states that this is not the case). If you’re on anti-depressants, there is a possibility that you can raise the levels of serotonin in your body too much and suffer Seratonin Syndrom, also know as Hyperserotonemia. This rare disease can be fatal. I have asked a few doctors over time if they have heard of this occurring, and none of them have admitted so. I also asked my pharmacist not too long ago. She said that there can be drug interactions with Ultram and anti-depressants that do not exist in the use of other opoid pain relievers. She said that she has heard of Hyperserotonemia but that it generally only occurs with people taking huge amounts of such drugs. Generally there is no risk if you take Ultram correctly. But if there is any sort of risk for drug interaction, I personally would rather take something else unless I have no alternative.
Another reason I dislike Ultram is because of the drug withdrawals. I have been on heavier pain relievers before, and have suffered few to no ill affects when I’ve stopped taking them (often at the request of my doctor to try something else). But the Ultram withdrawals are a nightmare, and I have experienced them before. Generally the extreme effects of Ultram withdrawal last about a week or longer, with the following symptoms: Restless leg syndrome, cold sweats, trembling, “brain hiccups” (momentary light-headedness that lasts a split second each time and happens often), very low energy (like you weight 700 lbs), and extreme discomfort in the shoulders and neck. The last time I was prescribed Ultram and told to stopped taking it suddenly, I went back to my doctor and told him about my symptoms. It only took him a split second to tell me that they were probably drug withdrawals, which I knew they were. He put me on Darvocet, which relieved the symptoms, the chronic pain, and gave me no ill feeling if I didn’t take it as often as I had the Ultram.
I have discovered in the past year that Ultram is very commonly prescribed for pain. I don’t know the exact number of people taking this drug, but Painstudy.com says that 21 million Americans have been prescribed Ultram. Evidently it must work, and it did for me, and I imagine that most doctors prefer to prescribe this medication since it isn’t “as addictive” as other opiods. But I am here to say that it is.
First, there are the physical symptoms of drug withdrawal. There can be withdrawals from any drug you stop taking cold-turkey. But withdrawals often scare the patient into taking more of the drug just to feel comfortable again. I know this first hand. Also, the first time I ever took Ultram, the side affects of dizziness and drowsiness lasted for several hours after I took the medication. I felt as though I had been sedated. The feeling was less amplified the longer I took the medication, but it has been stated that these side effects are rare and aren’t as prominent as they are in “stronger” opiods. Perhaps I am a special case, but that isn’t the truth for me.
If you do a search online, you will find many people who are trying to get off Ultram. They swear that the withdrawals are awful and are much worse than they are with drugs like Vicodin. I will attest to this.
The point of my post is to spread caution. The medical community likes to assume that this medication isn’t dangerous or highly addictive, but it is. I have had doctors try to prescribe me this medication before when I have already explained to them the issues I have had taking it in the past. When I request something that reacts to my body better, like Darvocet, I am turned down because the government says it is much more likely that I will become addicted to Darvocet than Ultram. But if anything, I feel that the Ultram is much more addictive and much worse on the system than other pain relievers.
If you’re taking Ultram, please be aware of the side effects of this drug. If you’re considering taking it, educate yourself. Ultram, like all drugs, can be beneficial if taken correctly. But I feel that both doctors and patients should consider alternatives, even stronger alternatives, if necessary.
*Please note:* This is just my opinion. I am in no way bashing Ultram or the appropriate use of it, nor am I trying to tell others what medication they should and shouldn’t take. Of course, results vary with almost any prescription. The most important person to talk to about your health is your doctor. I wanted to share my story with others who might or might not have dealt with this medication before.
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Member: Alisha M
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A touch of magic in a world obsessed with science.
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