Tramadol and Drowsiness: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Mtn...
• January 16, 2015

For Pain "Was given tramadol for extreme pain from kidney stone that would pass. Couldn't get into specialist for a week. Very thankful it really helped with the pain. Side effects for me: sleeplessness, mild itching on face. Only made me tired and dizzy for the first hour or so."

• Anonymous
• November 17, 2009

Tramadol for Pain "Aside from occasional nausea if I don't take it with food, I find it takes the edge off my lower back and arthritis pain. Causes some drowsiness, so I don't take it when I need to drive. Works better for pain than pretty much anything else I have tried."

• SL ...
• October 12, 2010

Tramadol for Pain "I was prescribed this medicine for moderate pain after surgery. My incisions bothered me, and I took 4 pills a day for the first 3 days, then usually 2 a day. However, the side effects: nausea, palpitations, dizziness, drowsiness and sleeplessness, constipation and mental vagueness were really too unpleasant to be rid of minor pain, so after a week I stopped taking it. It is annoying that after stopping it, I suffered nausea, palpitations, and weakness/drowsiness after large meals-possibly due to withdrawal."

• SL ...
• October 12, 2010

Tramadol for Pain "I was prescribed this medicine for moderate pain after surgery. My incisions bothered me, and I took 4 pills a day for the first 3 days, then usually 2 a day. However, the side effects: nausea, palpitations, dizziness, drowsiness and sleeplessness, constipation and mental vagueness were really too unpleasant to be rid of minor pain, so after a week I stopped taking it. It is annoying that after stopping it, I suffered nausea, palpitations, and weakness/drowsiness after large meals-possibly due to withdrawal."

• Dav...
• January 4, 2011

Tramadol for Pain "Ultram-50 relieved my neck pain (arthritis) and made me much more alert by removing the fog of pain, instead of the 'drowsy' side effect mentioned in the literature. However, when I was switched to generic Tramadol, I experienced severe itching all over."

• zan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 1, 2013

For Pain "Tramadol is amazing when it comes to what it's prescribed to do, which is relieve pain. I have an ulcer on the back of my tongue and tonsillitis. The ulcer is rubbing against both my throat and my tonsils, causing inflammation and severe pain when I try to talk, eat, or drink. Which is where the positive 7 out of 10 comes from. However, I took three off of the total possible 10 because of side effects. I'm drowsy and doze off in the middle of conversations and/or working. I'm currently fighting to keep my eyes open at the computer, and it's almost ten in the morning. I am taking an average 50 mg dosage. I will probably cut it in half just to save my drowsiness from happening or take it only before bed."

• Anonymous
• November 12, 2009

Tramadol for Pain "I have been taking Ultram for three months now for a compressed lumbar disc. I have had no problems with it like I did with narcotic pain relievers (serious withdrawals when I did not need the medicine for pain). It does cause some drowsiness and once made me feel nauseated, but all in all I like this medication much more than any codeine-based painkiller."

• awa...
• May 17, 2011

For Restless Legs Syndrome "I'm lying here wide awake at 3:45 am on my 2nd night of trying to wean myself off tramadol under my doctor's orders. He gave me temazepam as a sleep aid and told me to go from 100 mg to 50 mg of tramadol plus 30 mg of temazepam. Last night was okay, woke up feeling pretty good, but tonight I am back to being miserable because of my restless legs syndrome. He's never had it, obviously. His concern is that I will require more as I go along. I've been on 100 mg tramadol for about 6 months. I love that I can sleep, but I'm groggy during the day. If I don't sleep, I'm groggy as well. I prefer to sleep! This RLS has been lifelong, since 8 years old. Brothers and mother have it as well. My middle brother just started tramadol tonight. We'll see what he thinks!"

• Ade...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 1, 2016

Tramadol for Pain "I was on this medication briefly for my arthritis pain. I would describe it as 'many side effects, no good effects.' It had the side effects generally associated with narcotics (sleepiness, dizziness, nausea), but it didn't help my pain at all."

• val...
• November 8, 2007

For Pain "I have switched from Dilaudid to tramadol, and have found it to make me feel more groggy, yet have insomnia. I have Crohn's disease, and it has helped with the pain immensely, and not making me as nauseous as some of the stronger narcotics. I'd recommend it for people with gastro problems!"

• Blu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 7, 2020

For Anxiety "Dreadful stuff! I took this for 4-5 days for severe back pain. It didn't touch the pain, made me very drowsy, and worst of all, GAVE me anxiety. I have just stopped taking them, but the anxiety and drowsiness still remain 3 days later."

• Deb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 20, 2017

For Chronic Pain "I was prescribed tramadol 2 days ago. On the 2nd day, I couldn't do the simplest tasks. I had no coordination, I was falling asleep. It was the most horrible experience I've ever had with that medication."

• Abi...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 11, 2012

For Pain "I take tramadol for 7 days every three months following trigger point injections, and as needed for back pain following a car accident. This medication takes away my pain from the injections and when I have flare-ups! Side effects for me include dizziness (if I take it without food), drowsiness, slight insomnia, dry mouth, and euphoria or a floating feeling. I cannot drive or do anything requiring intense concentration after taking this medication. That said, I am sensitive to the effects of medications. Although there are some side effects, overall this medication helps me a lot and allows me to deal with pain more easily."

• NAa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 31, 2022

For Depression "I wanted to know if tramadol doubled as any psychological medications after taking it for neck pain because I was on Seroquel and Ambien for sleep and the side effects were unreal. The Seroquel worked for sleep, but I was unable to be productive the following day. Groggy, irritable, low energy, just would take more to go back to bed because I felt like complete garbage. Then tried Ambien... hahahaha what fun that was... ended up 'sleep driving' and hit something in my car. Woke up the next morning and had no idea what happened to my car or how the damage got there. The first time I took tramadol, it cured all pain and I loved the feeling, but because I was prescribed it as a pain killer, I discontinued it out of fear of the label 'pain killer'. A few years later after I stopped taking Seroquel, I stumbled upon a few and have been taking them on my own terms at 200 mg a day because of my mood swings. I thought that I couldn't have been the only one to figure this out, which led me here, and I was right."

• Anonymous
• June 1, 2011

Tramadol for Pain "It sometimes works when I take 50 mg, and sometimes I have to take 100 mg. I am allergic to Tylenol, and there are not many options. This medication makes me feel like I have a buzz, and I can't drive when I take it. If I do drive, I feel hot, my heart starts racing, and I almost black out. So I take it in the evening when I am home. I also itch all over. No rash or hives, just itching. Sometimes it makes me sleepy, and other times I cannot sleep. To me, as long as it helps, I can deal with the itching and buzz feeling."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 26, 2018

For Chronic Pain "This medicine made me feel absolutely terrible. I was prescribed this to take for migraines, and after dealing with the side effects/withdrawal symptoms... I think I’d rather just deal with my migraine. Nausea, vomiting, itching, heart palpitations, sleeplessness, anxiety, depression, etc. You name it, I was experiencing it. And have been for 3 days. Take at your own risk."

• Anonymous
• July 16, 2008

For Pain "I have always suffered from migraines, and Tramadol is the only effective drug I have found. It successfully relieves the pain when all other drugs to abort the migraine have failed. A good side effect is it makes me feel calm and maybe a bit drowsy. A bad side effect is it makes me itch all over."

• Ice...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 11, 2023

"I started taking tramadol about 3 weeks ago for my club foot pain. Due to my having to walk everywhere and stand at work, nothing was helping the pain. I would take ibuprofen, Tylenol, etc., and it didn’t even take a pinch of the pain away. My doctor decided to prescribe me tramadol 50 mg, and so far it has worked! It doesn’t take all the pain away, but it definitely takes the edge off. The only downside is it makes me incredibly nauseous. I already deal with nausea on a daily basis, but this medication definitely enhances it. I recommend taking something for nausea along with it. The first few days I was really drowsy and tired, but it slowly went away the more I was taking it. I got recommended to take a half but take a full if needed. I definitely needed to take the full, but half might work just as well for other people. But it depends on how much pain you are in. Overall, I think it’s a great medication to take for pain!"

• Get...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 17, 2021

Tramadol for Chronic Pain "I have been on Tramadol/Ultram for 13 years. It works on my pain 80% of the time. However, when I added Tizanidine (a muscle relaxer - not to be taken with Tramadol at the same time), I have been mostly pain-free. I take Tizanidine at night for back pain. It causes drowsiness, so do not take during the day. I take 100 mg Tramadol 3x a day for nerve pain. It works PERFECTLY for me. Unfortunately, I was forced to taper off and get off Tramadol to try Nortriptyline, which only worked 60% and made me so fatigued I was bed-bound. Now I am tapering off Nortriptyline and going to whatever plan B my neurologist has for me. My honest opinion - Tramadol works for moderate pain - not severe pain. I like it because it keeps me comfortable and does not have the loopy side effect of Hydrocodone. I can function well at least until 5 or 6 p.m. before the nerve pain hits. This, to me, is a win."

• Anonymous
• December 12, 2008

For Pain "I had a cervical (neck) fusion about 20 years ago, then in 2004 had a road traffic accident fracturing 3 of my lower spine transverse processes. The accident exacerbated the old neck problems. Could get through the day, but began to dread bedtime because I knew I would be sleepless and in pain. I tried everything: ibuprofen, diclofenac, cocktails of paracetamol/co-codamol. Even getting up at 3 am for another dose. I now take a 100 mg tramadol each night, and it seems to be working. I get a decent night's sleep, but am worried about getting hooked on it."

• Coc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 25, 2021

For Pain "I am under 18, doctor prescribed it, makes you REALLY tired. First time using an opioid because my ear pain is severe. I believe dizziness and drowsiness are common. I also had some sweating randomly. Use it wisely. Definitely helps pain, but also might make you tired."

• Anonymous
• June 20, 2011

For Pain "I have chronic pain, multilevel degenerative disc disease, arthritis, and other illnesses, and after many years on many different types of NSAIDs, I went to a different doctor who prescribed tramadol. It has made a positive difference for me. I don't have any of the side effects (drowsiness, euphoria, etc.), which has always been a concern for me. This medicine works great for pain management. I do not suspect that there are any addictive effects (I hope not), just good pain management!"

• Rel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 26, 2021

For Depression "I was prescribed a few Tramacet 325 mg/37.5 mg pills for temporary pain. 112.5 mg was taken at bedtime. Upon waking up in the morning, I discovered that I was in a positive mood for the first time in years. I was able to clean, go out for walks, and had an average of 8+ hours of restful sleep. Communication was more fluid, and my mind felt clearer and relaxed. For the first few doses, these lasted 48-72 hours (after which point I would redose). After my last dose, the antidepressant effect continued for a little over 2 weeks before my depressive symptoms relapsed. I have tried many antidepressants over the years, however, none has shown marked improvements as tramadol. Unfortunately, my psychiatrist won't prescribe it again due to it being an opioid. The only side effects that I have personally experienced are that for the first 8 to 16 hours, it made me quite drowsy, hence, I took it at night."

• kam...
• April 16, 2014

Tramadol for Back Pain "I love this medicine. The chronic back pain disappears, and tramadol doesn't provide any drowsiness."

• Mik...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 27, 2013

For Back Pain "This medication has helped tremendously since I started taking it last week. Just the drowsiness is the downside, this medicine works better than Vicodin, Percocet, etc."