Ultram is the brand name and Tramadol is the generic.

Besides the price, I could not find a difference between Tramadol and Ultram.

Boondock~

Do you you mean after taking both of them? As in comparing the quality? I always wondered about that....only problem is, there are some pretty [censored] py generics out there!

I personally feel that there is a HUGE difference between the various generics; some are great others make me nauseous and don't help my pain at all (ie cor 127, white round).

I would love to know if that is what you meant~

Thanks,
Alyssa

I can't say c r a p p y?

Alyssa03,

I ment to say that there was no difference in pain relief. I had brand once and generic once. Save your money and go with generic unless there is some type of side effect.

I aggree that generics vary in relief and side effects. For example, when I have Hydros filled I preferr Watsons to Mallies. It seems that I would need to take two mallies for every one Watson (all things being equal).

Alyssa! Hey - how's it going there? I've missed you.

Hey, dmg.....I've missed you too. I don't "see" you around here quite as much (probably a good thing for you).

I'm going through a really rough time right now (I'll spare you the details), so I haven't been posting or visiting the board quite as much as well.

It's always good to get a "shout-out" from you.....you know how great I think you are. I hope all is well with you and your family.

Take care~
Alyssa

ps sorry about the off topic post

dmg...... where r ya'???

Bump......I'm not going away like a bad itch on your crotch until you acknowledge me!!!! Now, I will take my ball and run home!

It was the "itch on my crotch" thing that has really compelled me to take some action here. Actually - it was your PM - but I wrote you back as I'm sure you already know by now. This was just so people wouldn't think I'm leaving you hanging out there....

Thanks for your throwing me a bone over here, dmg. See, everyone, I'm not crazy!!!

I have been taking them both together for the past 6 months or so. I never take more than 100-200 mgs per day, usually 100mgs a day. I'll take the hydro first, then 2 hours later, take 1 tram. It extends the pain relief for almost 6+ hours instead of 4. I never had w/ds from tram and often switched from tram directly to hydro only. Out of hydro, I'll take tram.

I found the long thin Tramadol 377s to be much more powerful than the cor 127s.

But, if you do plan on taking tram with hydro, be prepaired to not feel that "high" from the hydro. It definitely causes the euphoric effect to diminish since it does compete with the hydro on the receptors.

Which receptors does it compete at? The only things I've been able to find state that Tramadol is has low levels of mu receptor affinity...making it an opiate agonist. It's other properties, as has already been noted, revolve around the serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the brain. I'm very confused about all the back and forths I'm reading about Tramadol...because I thought I had this stuff fairly well understood.

http://www.epharmacywatch.com/freeboard/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/676779/#Post676779

You are correct in that Tramadol is an opioid agonist, albeit a rather weak one.

The misconception that Tramadol's opioid properties are anything but agonist may stem from an odd statement published in the original Ultram US prescribing information (archived at http://opioids.com/tramadol/prescribe.html):

"Ultram is not recommended for patients who are dependent on opioids. Patients who have recently taken substantial amounts of opioids may experience withdrawal symptoms. Because of the difficulty in assessing dependence in patients who have previously received substantial amounts of opioid medication, caution should be used in the administration of Ultram to such patients."

This statement doesn't appear in the current Ultram PI (https://ortho-mcneil.com/ortho-mcneil/shared/pi/ultram.pdf) and I'd like to see the research that put it there originally.

I took hydro and tram together for quite a while. I got longer-lasting pain relief that way, and never felt that they fought each other.

I cannot comment on how it destroys the "high" of hydro. I don't think that is a concern of most chronic pain patients, we stopped feeling high from hydro a long time ago.

I think that what they are trying to say is that Tramadol is not a potent enough opioid to be substituted in such cases, and if it were, withdrawal may occur because not enough opioid is being taken. This is not peculiar to Tramadol, and a patient who has been receiving massive doses of fentanyl, for example, would experience withdrawal if the fentanyl were changed to codeine.

Nephro, out of curiosity, how long should someone wait after taking a dose of 10mg cyclobenzaprine before administering Tramadol? Most publications caution against simultaneous usage of these substances. I'm assuming that it has something to do with cyclobenzaprine's effect on the serotonin levels in one's brain. I've read that it's loosely related in chemical structure to the early tricyclic anti-depressants. Of these I know little. Do they have seratogenic properties as well?

I've only been taking cyclobenzaprine as needed every few days...and I haven't found it to be particularly helpful. Are there any anti-spasmodics that you can think of that are considered safe to take with Tramadol, should one need to?

Tricyclics to indeed inhibit the re-uptake of both serotonin and noradrenaline, though in slightly different proportions according to which particular tricyclic is used.

Cyclobenzaprine I am not at all familiar with, as it isn't used in the UK. But it does apparently increase noradrenaline levels in addition to any effect on serotonin.

Personally, I would not be happy taking the two drugs together at all, and try a different muscle relaxant, the safest of which is dantrolene. This drug acts directly on skeletal muscle and does not depress the CNS in the same way as many others.

Thanks, that certainly looks like a much better choice. It's actually used in people with serotonin syndrome, but yet still targets the relaxation of the musculoskeletal system...hmm. I'll read up on that a little more as my morning progresses. I don't think my doc would think twice about switching me to that if I so desired.

Ah... That makes sense and could also explain why the copy only appeared in an older revision of the PI, when the drug was new and a doctor may have been more prone to attempt to substitute it for a stronger opioid.

BTW, your signature is hilarious.

I've also taken Tramadol and hydrocodone together for months. I take the former on a schedule and use the latter when I need something which doesn't take 1-2 hours to "kick in." Taken together, they do seem to potentiate each other.



True dat.

Hi Scruf, I have a question for you (I have read you are on Sub., so I figured you may know)

I saw a post earlier saying that the Dr. of this gentleman on oxys, would not prescribe Sub.....Do you know why an individual would not be prescribed Sub., by the Dr., or at least referred to a Sub. Dr., if the patient wanted to try it? It just made me wonder......

I know your question was directed towards Nephro (and in fact I'm entirely unqualified to respond,) but I wanted to say that there's no way to exactly predict serotogenic drug interactions. It really depends on your brain chemistry.

I've taken Tramadol, an SNRI, and trazodone together daily for many months with no symptoms of serotonin excess. Of course I would never recommend that anybody take such medications together.

My partner had some very serious complications after taking cyclobenzaprine for a couple of weeks while she was on an SSRI.



It's most similar to amitriptyline.

Actually, I just realized I've only been taking Tramadol regularly for less than two months. Time flies when you're in pain, or something.

anyone have problems with taking a piisss on Tramadol?

I've taken Tramadol for mild pain for a few years, but I've found it works better as an anti-depressant and for overall energy, and without the side-effects. Only 1 50mg dose kicks in about 45 minutes after taking it, but taking 2 50mg doses really works best, better than spacing out the 50mg doses; 100mg really works best. It has been prescribed for this in Europe for years, but only for pain in the US.

When my brain starts tiring out late in the day, I'll sometimes cut a 50 in half (or a whole if I'm going out) and that clears my head and gives me energy for the evening work. Though not recommended, alcohol does not exacerbate it's effects for me, or cause fatigue etc. I used to have problems getting going in the AM, since I have to do a lot of late night computer work, but the AM Tramadol is a godsend (sometimes I'll wake up an hour or so before I have to get up, take it, go back to bed, and I'm ready to go right away!) Which means I can drink less coffee or forego the java altogether.

Doctorscripts.com is who I've been using, since they're reliable, fairy cheap, have no consult fees and it arrives via FedEx in only 2 days in the US, without customs hassles (180 pills=$72USD+18 shipping). Most importantly, they work. Still, I might give Clickdrug or HealthcarePharma a try since they're both even cheaper than Doctorscripts.

I have taken trams for about a yr. I also find they do give me energy to cope with some daily challenges. i get mine from friendly. However today my order is still waiting for approval , its been over 24 hrs and this has never happened bfore.

sometimes they take a few days - not to worry. Good luck!

Hey all. I know I have been MIA for a while. Just bought a house. Anyways,I was wondering if anyone had ever taken the APOTEX brand of Tramadol? TR 50 APO They are tiny white and oblong. I have had every brand under the sun but I have never seen these. I prefere the cor 127's. The 377's dont seem to work as well for me.I am wondering how the APOTEX brand compaires to these. Just got them today so I havent tried them yet. Happy 4th to everyone!!!