Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

Started it yesterday and it was like flipping a switch from screwed-up to normal: ate normal, got tired normal, slept normal (no weird dreams), felt hungry in a normal way when I got up (no nausea), and felt rested when I got up (instead of just plain scared). In short, a drug that truly promotes recovery instead of just holding the line on pain. The downside is minor: the slightest fuzz that is very easy for me to navigate and punch through as required for thinking (like a semi-bad allergy late-afternoon).

Non-narcotic, centrally-acting analgesic, Tramadol goes by many names.

It's calling card: it mimics the actions of opioids (they call it a "stripped down version" synthetic version of Codeine) but, in chemical terms, does not belong to that class.

What I know: it masks the pain very effectively and produces a mild sense of euphoria but something way short of the fuzzy elevation you get with the codeine derivatives. And the side-effect of depressed breathing is negligible--for me at least, whereas it was profound for the Vicoden/Percocet/etc. Ditto for any itchiness, constipation, etc.--all too mild to mention.

I only wish I had had it from the start. Would have made for a much easier weekend.

Full script name of what I got is Tramadol HCL 50MG Tablet TEV (4/day as needed for pain).

If you're somebody who doesn't handle the stronger stuff well (like me), this is a nice alternative worth asking for.

I learned this trick with Emily many years ago during her cancer fight: central-acting analgesics often fill in nicely for the harder stuff (morphine gave her frightening post-surgical seizures) and can be most effective for navigating scary invasive procedures.

I post this simply to create a reminder for years from now, when I say to myself, "What was that stuff that worked so well?"

NOTE: THERE IS A LOT OF DEBATE ONLINE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT TRAMADOL IS LEGITIMATELY CONSIDERED A "NARCOTIC." WHAT SEEMS CLEAR: IT IS ADDICTING AT HIGH DOSES AND IS OFTEN ABUSED AS SUCH BY ADDICTS TRYING TO REDUCE DEPENDENCE ON OPIOIDS. LIKE ALL PAIN MEDS, IT IS TO BE USED AT A MINIMUM LEVEL AND FOR THE SHORTEST TIME POSSIBLE. I DO NOT WANT TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION THAT ITS DANGER-FREE, BECAUSE IT SO MIMICS THE ACTION OF OPIOIDS THAT MANY PROFESSIONALS CONSIDER IT TO BE THE SAME, AND THUS A NARCOTIC. I JUST KNOW THAT, FOR ME, IT REGISTERS AT A LEVEL WAY BELOW THE VICODINS AND PERCOCETS AND CODEINE PRODUCTS, SO IT WAS A REAL HELP,