Tramadol as anti depressant?

Guitar guy

Active Member
Umm... I really don't know how to open this thread up, so I guess ill just jump right into things.

So last year I had some major surgery done and was left with some chronic back pain. Originally I was prescribed Vicodin. This worked well for the pain, but I was essentially a vegetable until I got a tolerance built up a bit. Turns out I am allergic to hydrocodone and I went into a hydrocodone induced psychosis, fighting with my parents, almost throwing something at my step dad dad who was just a couple months short of passing away from cancer (sorry Bob, R.I.P.) so my mom called the surgeon and had me switched to tramadol.

I started taking it every day for my back pain, until I eventually built up a tolerance like a pill head. I believe I stopped taking it for a while because my back stopped hurting. After my step dad passing away, I was a complete mess. Depression hit me a couple weeks after he passed, and it hit me hard. My back also started hurting again so I resumed taking my tramadol. I still had my tolerance built up (damn) but I noticed that I was in a better mood from it. After some Googling, I found that tramadol can be prescribed as an anti depressant. So I kept taking my dose every day until I eventually ran out. Depression sank in again and unfortunately the only strains that were going around at the time were heavy indica strains so that didn't help my depression one bit.

So I finally got a hold of some white widow which can be medicinally used for depression, and it works great. While I'm high that is, and I'm in no position where I can be high or buzzed all day for the effects. My mom is afraid of my littlest brother seeing. So ANYWAYS, I smoked before I went to school today and white widow can cause headaches on the come down. So I had a headache all day and when I came home asked my brother for some tramadol. I popped 100 mg about two hours ago and then took a short nap. When I woke up, my headache was still there, but I felt really happy, and I still do.

For instance, I thought I heard someone doing the dishes for me, so I was going to get up, on my own, and do them. I would never do this normally. Also I apologized to my cousin for making him feel really bad yesterday (I was fucking with him the whole time though but he didn't know) and now I feel perfectly ok with all the troubles I'm going through right now.

So basically, tramadol is amazing at being an anti depressant. Typical anti depressants take a month or two to work, this stuff takes about an hour and a half. I really do recommend trying it if you are depressed. It has little recreation value, so don't even try lol. And on a side note, even though I'm allergic, I still sometimes take Vicodin and when I do, I turn into the most romantic guy ever. Any reason this could be caused by it?
 

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
I never noticed an antidepressant effect from tramadol. For a while, i was prescribed high-dose OxyContin. There was a false antidepressant effect from that for a while, but it was more like a metabolic MasterCard. That narcotics use episode left a dent in my (already poor) vitality that still isn't all the way healed out. Be careful. cn
 

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
tramadol is an anti-inflammatory, our dog just took it after getting neutered.
Tramadol is an odd one. I think of it more as an almost-opioid analgesic. I could find no reference to anti-inflammatory activity. On the antidepressant angle, it's been found to have SNRI activity (like venlafaxine = Effexor) but I'd seriously worry about the mu-opioid agonism undercutting that sooner rather than later.
 

sunni

Administrator
Staff member
i prefer to stay away from these kinda things but ill share my story
I am completely clean off any pills including things like advil ect. and have been for a while I still have problems with my anxiety and depression but i choose to deal with it on my own. it can be a struggle at times and i can feel overwhelmed but at least im not killing myself everyday with meds like that anymore

When i was in highschool (long time ago) I had upset stomach everyday, i thougth it was IBS or something, my doctor couldnt figure it out but it turns out it was anxiety however i never knew it. So finally i went to a diff doctor he prescriped me cerlexa and busapr i believe, they worked well and didnt have much of a chance of me being addicted because i was 16 he gave me a low dose anyways i started feeling way better no anxiousness ect, then i decided to get off them,,,bad idea....then i felt great for about 3 years ..but i got addicted to taking gravol because my tummy is still upset alot which is a symptom of anxiety I did what anyone else would do, i took gravol (anti motion sickness drug) eventually i needed to take 2 , then 4, then one day i randomly decided to take 8 , then 15 lets just say i dont advise it , its basically like acid on acid...ROFL i probably looked like a craziest mother fucker ever. I was at the bus station one day having a convo with a friend when someone came up to me and asked me who the fuck i was talking to, then i decided to say its james (we'll call him james) and i went to go touch him and james disappeared.
THis is when my entire life fell down the drain because of sites like erowid (i suggest you go there for a full details on what gravol does)when i smoked pot with gravol the strangest thing happend i would feel an electric shock go from my feet up to my brain. Basically when taking too much gravol you brain shuts down and you enter a awakening dreaming like state where everything feels like a dream and looks like a dream even hallucinations both auditory and visiual i dont know the side effects afterwards no one or none i can find has any answered but im sure its not good. i could find anythingI needed to be able to get high. Its obvious to me now i was self medicating, one day my dealer only had e he sold my last gram of pot to someone while i went to my locker to get my money so i took 2.
then e was the next subject for me, i ate tabs day after day. one day new tabs came into town i ended up taking 4 (im 5'3 125lbs at that point) so anyways it wasnt mdma it was pure meth , i was up for 5 days straight i hadent aten i fainted and hurt myself threw up everywhere ect so i stopped taking e afte rlike 6 month binge, then i got into oxy cottons, i watched some guy die while doing a needle, i didnt do needles i just snorted but i cant remember much from back at that point with oxies and morphine, but i know the only feeling i felt was melting and happiness. then i decided to do heroin and cocaine at the same time while drinking (thank god i didnt die) , then it was ritalin when i couldnt find any more but one day i just woke up and cut cold turkey this entire speal went on for about 7 years, i was a bags of skin and bone i wont go into too much detail but i had ruined my entire life doing that now i just smoke pot and drink ont he occasion i dont take anything for my depression or anxiety i deal with it. every day i tell it to fuck off and not to ruin my life obviously this cannot work for everyone and some days i miss my drug abuse because everything seemed to carefree however i could've died. many times if i didn't getmy stomach pumped 7 times...in my opinion prescription pills, pills in general or anything chemical + human body dont work. I wont say it isnt a struggle everyday dealing with anxiety like i have because i have it horribly but i know i can get over anything i put my mind too...
in short for all the drugs i did prescription and non i ruined my temple. and anyone who reads this little blurb i thank you iknow its long.
 

Guitar guy

Active Member
Thank you for sharing that Sunni. I don't personally know you but I am glad you are able to keep yourself off the drugs. Especially cold turkey. I've seen people have to quit drugs like that cold turkey and I know it can be hell.

Tramadol is a synthetic opiate and after taking it for like 4 months straight I never had a problem stopping it cold turkey so I'm not afraid of addiction. Addiction does scare me though because I do have an addictive personality, so I just stick to marijuana for recreational purposes (alcohol isn't my thing)

I know I shouldn't be taking pills to help with my depression but at such a young age and dealing with so much hurt in my life I need that extra boost of feel good sometimes. I may buy a mflb so I can toke all day and keep it secret from my brother, but until then I will carry a couple tramadol on me in case I have a bad day or bad period of emotions
 

sunni

Administrator
Staff member
Thank you for sharing that Sunni. I don't personally know you but I am glad you are able to keep yourself off the drugs. Especially cold turkey. I've seen people have to quit drugs like that cold turkey and I know it can be hell.

Tramadol is a synthetic opiate and after taking it for like 4 months straight I never had a problem stopping it cold turkey so I'm not afraid of addiction. Addiction does scare me though because I do have an addictive personality, so I just stick to marijuana for recreational purposes (alcohol isn't my thing)

I know I shouldn't be taking pills to help with my depression but at such a young age and dealing with so much hurt in my life I need that extra boost of feel good sometimes. I may buy a mflb so I can toke all day and keep it secret from my brother, but until then I will carry a couple tramadol on me in case I have a bad day or bad period of emotions
i was quite young when i quit too, i was 18 so very impressionable age, i had to change wher ei lived, phone number ect ect cut myself off all my friends and had to start anew in a town of 75k people its very hard to do, but i know you can do it, if you put your mind too it.
I feel more free and liberated now then i ever do, like i said its hard all the time, but the good outweights the bad. Just remember everyone has a bad day, but thats all it is a bad day and everyone has hurt in their lives, but thats how it is, gotta roll with the punches.
I tend to type out/ post shit on my computer desk or a journal i keep of inspiring and helping quotes/images.
 

dannyboy602

Well-Known Member
tramadol/ultram binds to the same opiate receptors in your brain as percocet et al. they are not chemically addicting. you can buy them over the web but they are way too expensive that way. my sister's rottie had them prescribed from a vet at a cost of 20.USD. I have had them prescribed and they work almost as good for my pain as a low dose perc. but only if i don't do anything to aggrivate it. IDK about it's use for anything other than pain. and even though they are not habit forming anything can be addicting. but i'm not a doctor, nor am i a drug dealer. i just play one on t.v.
 

Guitar guy

Active Member
Its not that I have an addiction to pills, just that now that I have tramadol, that will be my go to if I really need it. Until I get a vaporizer. The only downside is opiates, even synthetic, make me itch like a mofo.

I'm trying to cope with the pain I feel inside. I regularly see a grief counselor, I talk and hang out with friends a lot, and I'm on RIU a lot, a place I can call my second home :) most everyone is extremely nice on here and I like helping people out with their grows

I'm also trying to find a new girlfriend which is proving harder than I thought. That's a whole 'nother group of problems though haha
 

Tenner

Well-Known Member
Nothing wrong with using something once in a while for a chiller. I used to carry benzodiazepines on me (end of relationship) at all times, I never got addicted or dependant. I never got dependant because I knew that the happiness from the pills was a false promise. Its like a red carpet that gets darker and darker as you walk on it (tolerance).

As long as you acknowledge that you`ll be okay man... Nothing wrong with getting a bit higher SOMETIMES to give you a few good thoughts. Don`t get hooked. Also don`t ever go out and buy stronger opiates at a fragile point in your life, don`t get involved in that scene :)
 

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
Thank you for sharing that Sunni. I don't personally know you but I am glad you are able to keep yourself off the drugs. Especially cold turkey. I've seen people have to quit drugs like that cold turkey and I know it can be hell.

Tramadol is a synthetic opiate and after taking it for like 4 months straight I never had a problem stopping it cold turkey so I'm not afraid of addiction. Addiction does scare me though because I do have an addictive personality, so I just stick to marijuana for recreational purposes (alcohol isn't my thing)

I know I shouldn't be taking pills to help with my depression but at such a young age and dealing with so much hurt in my life I need that extra boost of feel good sometimes. I may buy a mflb so I can toke all day and keep it secret from my brother, but until then I will carry a couple tramadol on me in case I have a bad day or bad period of emotions
I'm not talking about addiction potential, but as a depressive with *much* experience with the disease and its therapies, I'm more concerned that the perceived antidepressant effect might be the reverse in disguise. of course, everyone responds differently, and my drug metabolism has always been <cough> peculiar. cn
 

Guitar guy

Active Member
Oh man I already know not to go out and but other opiates. Like I said, I'm aware I have an addictive personality, and I think its pretty damn responsible of me at 18 years old to realize this and want to stay away from other drugs. Marijuana is perfectly fine to me, I don't need other drugs
 

cannofbliss

Well-Known Member
ummm... yeah i would advise not to take tramadol... as the ONLY good thing out of it would be that smoke tastes sweet...

it is as big of a bitch of withdrawal as any heavy opioid...

although it does work well as an "anti-depressant" and literally can give you plenty of "energy" in the form of stimulating your endorphins...

its just NOT worth it imo...
 
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