Tramadol addiction Treatment

All NHS GP surgeries are private companies, contracted to the NHS through service commissioners. 

NHS commissioners monitor data (not your private medical records) with regards to the prescribing of sleeping pills. 

Tramadol is not designed for long term use. 

Your NHS GP surgery ( which is a private company contracted to the NHS) has a service level agreement, part of which is to reduce and stop inappropriate prescribing. 

The NHS service commissioners monitor GP data (not your personal records) and there are financial incentives, as well as penalties, for surgeries who do not comply. 

 

Yes 

Tramadol inhibits the brains reuptake of two important naturally occurring chemicals: Serotonin and Norepinephrine. 

Reuptake is a process where the brain can control levels of naturally occuring chemicals. 

When reuptake is interrupted or stopped, a build up of the chemicals occur. 

When there is too much Serotonin and Norepinephrine, seizures can occur. 

A seizure can lead to coma and fatality. 

No. 

This is extremely dangerous and, in some cases, can be fatal. 

Forget what you see on television and in the movies. 

Locking yourself in your bedroom with a case of bottled water, some toilet roll and a bucket is not going to work. 

Even if you were able to sustain the symptoms of withdrawal, your brain is going to tell you what you already know: That the quickest way to stop you feeling ill is to take some Tramadol. 

The problem is that, despite your brain not being back to normal it’s ability to process Tramadol  has reduced: Dramatically. 

You will take an amount you think you need to settle yourself. This is where you run the risk of an overdose. 

While there are emergency medications that can be given, these only deal with the sedating effects of Tramadol, not the seizure element. 

When you take Tramadol for a period of time, your brain becomes used to it’s presence. It will adjust to protect itself. 

If you stop taking Tramadol suddenly (or reduce too quickly) the brain will adjust back to how it was. The problem is, this takes time. 

While it readjusts it will send out incorrect chemical messaging. 

This is what causes the symptoms known as withdrawal. 

The symptoms can be very distressing and your brain will tell you what you already know: If you take some Tramadol you will stop feeling ill. 

The problem is that, as soon as you stopped taking Tramadol (or reduced too quickly) your brain started to adjust meaning it can no longer process Tramadol in the same way it used to. 

You are going to take an amount of Tramadol you feel you need to settle yourself: This is where accidental overdose occurs. 

 

 

 

 

Yes. 

As clinicians, we always recommend  a group therapy approach when going into rehab.

Why? Because it works. Group therapy has been the mainstay of addiction treatment for just under one hundred years. 

However, we appreciate that some people want an alternative. 

There are a small number of centres that offer a solely individual therapy model. 

We can signpost you to one. 

Possibly. 

Safety is the overriding deciding factor. 

Usually, it would not be safe to have a home detox for Tramadol addiction.

While in house nursing can be arranged and your case managed by a consultant psychiatrist (addiction specialist) this can become very cost prohibitive and far more expensive than residential rehab.

Call and speak to an addiction clinician for free and confidential advice. We can signpost you to a specialist clinician who can help you though we do not provide this ourselves. 

No. 

The 12 steps have been used for over ninety years to help people achieve and maintain abstinence. 

You do not have to follow any religion to take part in the 12 step process. 

While most centres use a 12 step approach, some use a SMART approach or an eclectic model. 

As clinicians, we would always advise a centre that uses a group therapy model. However, we recognise that some people find this too overwhelming and prefer one to one therapy. Thus we can signpost you to centres that don’t use groupwork. 

No. 

Find me a Rehab is a clinician led advisory, signposting and referral service. It’s clinicians discuss your situation and help identify appropriate private, outpatient or statutory services. Advice and referrals are free to the person seeking help. 

That depends on the following factors: 

• How much Tramadol you take
• What strength Tramadol tablets you were prescribed
• How long you have been taking them
• Why you were prescribed Tramadol
• Any other medication you take
• Any drug and alcohol use

A detox might only take 10-14 days. 

No centre will take you for less than a week and only a few centres offer 7 day admissions. 

A 7 day detox for Tramadol would be the exception rather than the rule.

Yes. 

As clinicians, we would not advise you to do this but we understand that, for some, this may be useful. 

A detox only is, usually, only available at a private hospital and will cost many times more than detox/rehab. 

We can signpost you to a suitable private hospital. 

 Yes. 

As clinicians we would never advise anyone to undergo a rapid Tramadol detox. 

The reason why we do not recommend it is because a rapid detox does not address the underlying issues as to why you were addicted. 

Without therapy, relapse prevention and aftercare, a relapse is very, very likely: Within a few days. 

A rapid detox involves being heavily sedated while receiving large doses of Naloxone (an opioid reversal agent). While Tramadol is not an opioid, it works on the same receptors and in the same way. 

Tramadol is a painkiller. 

It works by blocking pain signals. 

Tramadol can not deal with the underlying causes of pain. 

You may have broken a bone or had surgery for which Tramadol is very useful, for up to 2 weeks. 

Tramadol and opioids are not appropriate for backpain or other aches and pains. Dealing with the source of the pain is the way forward. 

For nerve and neuropathic pain there are far safer and more effective medications such as Tricyclics and SSNRI’s.