Having read all that has been said about , I came to the conclusion that the world needed to hear my side of the story. At the mere age of 40 I had a work accident which led to the unfortunate amputation of my lower leg. They put me on the waiting list for a prosthetic leg, and on painkillers for the intense pain I was experiencing in the phantom limb. Life was extremely difficult with me and the only time I was happy, not to mention pain-free was when Tramadol was running through my veins.



I went from doctor to doctor trying to obtain that prosthesis as soon as possible but it seemed that I was in for the long run. They all told me I had to wait and take my meds without complaining. My active life had been reduced to sitting in the backyard and enjoying the last days of spring; I had become a person with a handicap unwillingly and without even knowing an addict. The prosthesis came after 6 months, a period in which I took Tramadol without stopping and when pain seemed to go away at the mere appearance of the drug.

With the aid of the prosthesis and a very experienced therapist I was able to walk again and life improved a lot. The only problem was that I could not live without Tramadol; as soon the dose would lose its effect I was starting to experience upsetting symptoms, characterized by intense sweating, nervousness combined with extreme discomfort and even irritability. As much as those symptoms scared me, I was more scared to go on without taking Tramadol. The doctor had mentioned something about Tramadol being a drug that can cause dependence but I had chosen not to listen to that part of the conversation. Maybe it would have been a better choice to have paid attention.

I could not go back to the same job as it was in constructions so I had to reorient towards something that was office-related. Knowing very well the increased demand for real estate agents, I chose a job where I was supposed to sit at the desk all day, taking care of clients and showing their possibilities. The moment I started working, I knew that I could not perform without Tramadol. I increased the dosage without even calling the doctor and for a few weeks everything seemed to work out just perfectly, except for one thing: when I reached home, my brain felt incredibly agitated and I could not eat nor sleep. I had to make a choice; remain an addict and lead a pain-free existence or regain the normal course of life.

My wife stood by my side the whole period I was injured and throughout the next months as well. The moment she found out I had taken more Tramadol than recommended (I had reached a dose of 400, sometimes 600 mg/day which was indeed exaggerated), I was taken to the doctor ?by force? and the withdrawal treatment began. The dose was lowered but not completely stopped and the doctor strongly advised against me taking more Tramadol. He said that the path towards healing is hard to walk on but at the end it is all worth it. During the period when the dose of Tramadol was low (100 mg/day let's say), I wanted to climb the walls because of the pain and nothing seemed to help me. I wanted so much to take more but this was no solution either.

As months went by, the doctor put me on a dose of 50 mg/day of Tramadol and I was finally experiencing a pain that was less intense. In fact, I don't know if it was less intense or I had grown accustomed with it. It might have been both but the truth is that Tramadol was no longer the mere reason of my existence. I was not feeling anxious, irritated or nervous any more, but somewhere in my heart I knew that the struggle was not over yet. Truth be told, I had one or two moments of relapse when I took an extra pill of Tramadol, but these were like I told you, rare occasions.

Now, I am proud to say that it's been almost two years since I stopped taking . I opened my own construction company and even though I do only office work, my business is quite successful. I thank my family for being there for me, the medical specialists for helping me with my Tramadol experience and God for keeping me strong and determined. As for you, just be careful, the line between normal and dependence is incredibly thin!