Although touted as a less addictive and safer alternative to opiate type pain pills, Ultram is addictive, and the detox off of Ultram long and arduous. Once addicted you have three alternatives when attempting detox, and there are certain risks and benefits associated with each.
Ultram (tramadol hydrochloride) is a synthetic codeine type of non narcotic pain killer, and although touted as a far less addictive alternative to drugs like vicodin, oxycontin and morphine, tens of thousands of Americans have developed serious dependencies on the drug, and have found that the drug they were prescribed as a safer alternative has a syndrome of detox as severe as many of the more potent pain killers.
Symptoms of detox
Some symptoms of detox are nausea, vomiting, tremors, sweating, chills, anxiety, depression, hallucinations, leg restlessness and even seizures; and the risk of seizures increases when people make an attempt at a cold turkey detox.
Withdrawal pains will begin within a day of cessation of use, and will continue with intensity for three or four days before gradually subsiding over a period of months.
3 ways to get off Ultram
1) Cold Turkey
Some people, with enormous will and a determination to endure the pains of detox, can get through withdrawal after quitting without any attempts to first wean down the dosage. Most people cannot endure these detox pains, and since the risks of seizures increase with a dramatic cessation of use, detoxing without medical supervision is unadvised.
2 Wean yourself off
The most commonly attempted method is to gradually wean yourself off of the pills, reducing the dosage slowly over a period of month, or even years. By slowly tapering down, you minimize the intensity of the detox pains, and you also reduce the risks of seizures. Experts advise cutting down by 50 mg's and waiting for the sensations of slight detox to subside before making another reduction in daily dose. It's not at all uncommon to wait weeks between reductions in daily dosage.
As you get closer to your goal of complete abstinence, each 50 mg reduction represents a greater percentage of your total daily dose, and the difficulties in the tapering process intensify. If you find that detox symptoms are too severe, you may wish to reduce the doses by only 25 mgs as you get closer to abstinence.
3 Detox under supervision
You really should not attempt to detox cold turkey on your own. You are unlikely to be successful and the risks of seizures are real. If you do not wish to send months of gradual and uncomfortable detox, you may wish to accelerate the process through a brief but intense medically supervised detox.
Certain pharmaceuticals can minimize the risks of seizures inherent in a complete cessation of use, and by detoxing under medical observation; you may safely end a physical addiction in a mater of days. The long term withdrawal symptoms will endure for months, but the immediate and intense symptoms will have ended with the end of detox.
Recovery is possible
Many people also benefit from a period of drug treatment therapy, whether in or outpatient, after a successful detox off of Ultram.
Whichever method you decide on, consulting with your doctor before attempting the process may increase the safety of withdrawal, and your doctor may also prescribe certain medications to reduce withdrawal discomforts.
If you are using Ultram, but are not yet addicted, be very careful with the seductive temptations of Ultram, and spare yourself a long and uncomfortable period of addiction and then withdrawal.
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