Pls guys, forgive every form of grammatical error, short hand or omission, as this is written from my phone and without editing. My story could get a bit long, so pls be patient.
Before I go on with my story, I'll like 2 first all thank d op of an earlier thread "d use and abuse of tramadol" (see link below)
www.nairaland.com/2973705/use-abuse-tramadol/3
and also a particular nairalander by name "painpill", whose lol "mockery" but constructive advice was the back bone of my success in d fight towards subduing d withdrawal effects and consequently d reinstatement of my body system, after d grip of tramadol addiction. I write this today so that those of us out there that r willing and ready or r looking for ways to over come this "disease" will be encouraged and be guided duely.
Now my story
In 2013, I gained admission into one of d greatest universities in d eastern part of Nigeria to further my studies for a masters program in Engineering. That was d same year I heard n knew tramadol for d first time. In fact back then, d guys I heard it from were undergraduates that uses this drug for premature ejaculation and extensive sex duration. They always ask me how I managed to last long during sex but every physical n metal techniques (which any ways took me years to master) I try to teach never worked for them except with d use of tramadol. I didn't know d drug nor it's after effects so I had nothing to warn them about, but it really got my curiosity and I wanted to try n see how it felt, since I was also told it gives some level of euphoria general body highness.
In fact during my tour around d East as a result of research purposes, every University I go, it seems it was d order of the day. In fact one particular University I went n spent some days, d guys in and around d Lodge were taking this drug not 4 sex sake bt 4 personal highness and would even mix it with some very strong alcoholic drinks, despite d high milligram of dis drug been consumed.
Personally I am a fan of highness... not that kind of fan ooh... I don't smoke, nor do drugs, but I can drink for Africa when I choose to. At this juncture, I had to try it. I started with 200mg at a stretch cos I believe I had a strong immune and an athletic body type with very strong brain capacity (as in unto drinking), despite their warnings to start with 50mg. Godddddd, I love d feeling... It was almost like codeine (don't get me wrong, I had taken codeine once or twice, bk then in abj, some girl introduce me to it. but because of its scarcity or should I say it's unlikelyness 2 get arnd, I didn't get to take often), made me relax, free minded, and Godddddd, sleep with a smile on my face.
I moved from 200mg to 300 or some times 360mg, that was my max. I didn't get addicted to it then cos I wasn't taking it all d time, just when I felt like. So in 2015, I was done with d course work of my program and it's exams n so I went bk to lagos to search for a job.
Now at some point, Nepa begin Bleep up, as in like Bleep up... For weeks to months, there was no light. Sleeping became difficult with d heat n mosquitos of lagos, I remembered tram n decided to tk it to ease my sleeping. At this point, I was taking it everyday constantly for more than 6 weeks.
December 28, 2015, I couldn't take tram because I was out of it n couldn't get it at d moment n decided to sleep without it. I noticed my night was terrible but I felt it was because of d normal heat n mosquito conditions. D next day, I had diarrhea (is that even d selling?) n I felt it was normal, probably took something my system reacted to. In fact it was alcohol n I took some self medications n because I was on drugs, I didn't bother taking tram. It went on for 4 days, I was suppose to be getting better, that's just how my system works but I noticed d purging stopped n d stooling but I was still very weak, in fact I knew I was not well. I went bk to d pharmacy n complained but they told me I will be fine, that I should just continue with d oral dehydration therapy. After a week without tram, I knew I was getting worse, so I had to run test.
D result of d blood test showed that I was very OK, no typhoid, just very minute malaria but one thing that d result showed was that my white blood cells were more than d normal count. So I was hospitalized. I was giving drip for more than 3 days constantly but I took solace to d fact that I will be fine n was still going thru treatment. When d doctor discharged me, I went bk home, even though was better than before, I knew I still was my usual self. I was still weak. At this juncture, I remembered tram n how it would help me sleep fine, I decided to take it n believe u me, I felt my normal self again hours after taking it for the first time in weeks.
Now late January 2016, I had some things to clear in school n had to return but by this time, my rent had expired n I had to look for a place to squat. All I could get was to squat with a yr 1 student I helped gained admission, who was staying with 3 other guys in a very small room with no fan. At this point in my life, after 24 hrs of d last intake of tramadol, I begin to feel like I was going to fall sick. I begin to hv high body temperature, more like an internal heat n a feeling of nauseaness, so even if I don't want to tk tramadol, I feel like I had to tk it cos I know those symptoms will stop once taken. My first night with these boys was terrible n I had to even increase my intake from 200 to 300mg at d time.
This continued everyday till March. In d midst of all this drama, I was beginning to know that I have become addicted to this drug and I knew I have to stop! Anyway I told myself I won't take it, the withdrawal symptoms that comes was mad! So mad that I had to look for the next available tram n pop. Lol in fact I bought tram in quantum n carry it everywhere I go.
One day I decided to go cold turkey... That day was a day I will never forget in a hurry. More than 24hours passed without popping tram, I was a walking corpse. I couldn't believe this was me. From the light-headedness to the daylight Hallucinations to the uneasiness to the weakness to internal heat abi na for night? God! I knew I was in big trouble. Lol I began to curse all those pharmacist... R they even pharmacist? Those greedy igbo men Jareh (am igbo too, I know wat am saying) both in d east n in lagos that sold those drugs to me and realised y those real pharmacist will always ask for prescription b4 they sell.
Then I found that thread on nairaland. I was so very interested. After reading thru, I was hoping someone will admit and ask how to go about stopping it, then "painpill" gave some "larshing" but experienced solution. I did some little research about d drug n how to stop it use and I stumbled upon a particular site where I found ppl, lol, whose case are far even worse than mine, commenting and asking questions on hw to go about stopping it.
Now after going thru d advice from nairaland n d little research I did, here r d steps I took which tremendously worked in 8 days
How did it work?
1. Do not go cold turkey :
Stepping abruptly (cold turkey) is d worst thing to do. It will never work. Even if u were hospitalized, it won't help ur situation.
2. Conceive in your heart that u r willing n ready to stop:
The battle against tramadol addiction is more psychological than physical. U have to be ready and willing to do anything to ensure u win that battle of withdrawal symptoms.
3. Know your Guage and use it in tampping :
Tampping is a gradual way of stopping a particular habit by slowly reducing d quantity. because my avg max was 300mg, I bought 100mg tram, took it on d first day.
4. Make a shift in periods of intake:
I took d 100mg at night say around 8 pm. normally tramadol works approximately 24 hrs in my system, so d withdrawal symptoms will start after this time has elapsed. Day 2, at around 7- 8pm, I started feeling d withdrawal. I managed to fight it till around 12 midnight, then took another 100mg. Which lead me into day 3. I went to bed early on day 3 knowing that the withdrawals will come by 12 mid night and managed to sleep thru, even though it was hell, until the next morning in day 4. I wanted to stop so badly so I told myself I won't take any tram that day. But my dear, d withdrawal symptoms was not helping issues. I made sure I was not at a place, I moved around as much as my strength could carry me but then, I ended up taking it at around 2 pm on day 4. (now at least I hv succeeded in changing my take in time and my system is beginning to adapt to d new change.). That evening in day 4, (at this point I was in ph) I had to fake a prescription of 50mg tram and paracetamol, then sent someone much younger to get it. Now in day 5, I was able to push further without taking tram d whole day and taking paracetamol in its replacement to help with d headaches n high temperature. Until around 6am in day 6, I took 50mg tram and engaged myself in some litle work like washing d cars (even though it wasn't dirty), and sleeping d compound so I don't feel idle. I was able to carry on for 2 days without taking tram n with d withdrawal symptoms gradually reducing to high temperature, less Hallucinations n light-headedness, n so on. On day 8 at around 7pm, for d first time, I had fever (note I have never had fever all d while, even when I was hospitalized). I was scared in a way but happy too cos having fever was far better than having withdrawal symptoms. So I took paracetamol n d next morning I was 94% myself (without tram 4 three days for the first time in my life in God knows how long now). With that, I shut down tram, shut down codeine, shot down anything narcotics. Am on my 15th day now n am feeling d way I should without tram (except for some very slight normal headaches n fever dat comes n once I tk paracetamol, it subsides) and am very happy about that.
So pls my dear nairalanders, plsssssssssss, like painpill said, "stay out of cheap drugs". Thanks for your audience and sorry for taking all your time I used this post as a motivation to also help myself me i took tram 400mg for almost a year plus then increased it to 1200mg for almost another year, i knew if i go cold turkey i will just run mad, but instead i used the thomas recipe for Opiate Withdrawal, used it for only 3days and bared the withdrawal symptoms to teach myself a lesson that i put myself into funniest part of it all i went from weighing 180 to 160 nd looking so skinny because of tram but immediately i stopped taking tram i started eating like mad i gained my lost weight back less than a week. That drug is demonic it almost ruined my life. Thanks hommie 1 Like |
