DOSE:	repeated		Pharms - Tramadol	(pill / tablet)
	repeated		Hydrocodone	(pill / tablet)
	repeated		Modafinil	(pill / tablet)

BODY WEIGHT:

135 lb

Because tramadol is the easiest opiod to obtain due to its legal status and price I wanted to discuss my experiences with it, both the ups and downs, and the method I used to overcome the physiological habit.

For a long time tramadol was my drug of choice, and it could become my drug of choice again over other opiates, due to the tamer high and withdrawal. Tramadol is a fairly new opiod that doctors prescribe readily, in large quantities, because it is not yet scheduled. When I was not a tolerant user, I tended to feel opiate-like effects when taking only four 50 mg pills. Some friends have reported feeling euphoric on only one or two, and some friends have actually puked, overdose-style, on two. Despite our Ouiji-board tolerance, those who took the pills without adverse physiological reactions tended to feel a marked anti-depressive action similar to a hydrocodone rush, only prolonged and more speedy, though less intense, a drawback that later caused me to turn to harder opiates.

At first I only took tramadol when I got it for free from a friend, so my low tolerance due to infrequent use (bi-weekly tops) made low doses effective. Later on, when I started using it daily, after getting large stashes from my doctor for next to nothing, I noticed a dramatic tolerance surge, and sometimes I had to take fifteen pills just to feel what I did on four. Unfortunately, tramadol dangerously increases seizure risk, and my more addicted friend ended up having one right in front of me after taking only nine pills. He’s never had one before and I’ve never seen one, and because he was on parole I was too scared to call an ambulance. Fearing cops would show up and consider his overdose a parole violation, I went ahead and checked vital signs and, fortunately, he snapped out of his unconscious state just long enough for me to guide him to my car and speed him over to the ER. He dislocated his shoulder pretty badly from the seizure, from flailing all over the couch, but the small consolation I suppose was that he got some hydrocodone and a few morphine shots out of it, if you consider painful bodily injury a fair trade; an addict certainly does.

Around this point, I started my own, brief, downhill slide with tramadol and hydrocodone, partially because once I out-tolerated tramadol and moved to hydrocodone and then run out of hydrocodone, tramadol still works as an excellent medication to remove withdrawal symptoms so I could taper off. Also, taking the two together often produces a pleasurable combination of effects.

So I finally did taper off and stopped taking opiates for a while, but recently have returned to them, using much less frequently though — things seem in control so far. Hydrocodone, however, is getting difficult to obtain due to its popularity in the media, and therefore its unpopularity with physicians, and while hydrocodone gives a more dramatic high than tramadol, it also causes more uncomfortable withdrawals and more nodding. So I’ve been sticking to tramadol more frequently since it’s easier for me to stop using, tapering off hydrocodone barely helps.

Here’s one thing I want to mention about opiates that happens to be *most* dramatic in tramadol for whatever reason: opiates can make physical activity fun! During the rush with an oral dose, there seems to be an increase in the pleasurable sensations of exercise, such as walking, though during the nodding part of the high (T+ 1-2hrs) walking causes nausea. However, after the nod walking becomes fun again, perhaps because of the release of endorphins magnifies the high. Similarly, tramadol prolongs the euphoria in exercise, sometimes as long as four to six hours, whereas traditional opiates wear off in four hours total. Again, this type of exercise-euphoria probably has to do with the speedier component of a tramadol buzz, making it a more versatile drug for the opiate user who doesn’t want to worry about always having a place nearby to crash during a nod.

As far as quitting opiates goes, I’ve found that modafinil effectively thwarts both hydrocodone and tramadol withdrawal, for me at least. I use modafinil for wakefulness problems similar to narcolepsy but recently I noticed, after using some opiates with friends for a couple days off and on and then taking modafinil, that the after-party hangover didn’t exist (i.e. depression, lethargy, occasional craving for more opiates). I did two experiments where I took 60 mg and 80 mg of hydrocodone respectively on two different days and took my normal modafinil dose of 300 mg; I found that the opiates had little effect. Not much drowsiness, not much euphoria. Modafinil could be effective stuff for the occasional user that wants to minimize post-opiate discomfort.

Exp Year: 2005	ExpID: 39778
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Mar 31, 2008	Views: 36,353
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Pharms - Tramadol (149) : Combinations (3), Hangover / Days After (46), Retrospective / Summary (11), Not Applicable (38)