I hate being on drugs. How can I restore my mental clarity?

No not cannabis, I'm on a prescription painkiller called tramadol. It's an opiate painkiller, and I'm sick to death of having to be on it. Ever since I started using it on a regular basis (about last January) I've noticed a steady decline in my cognitive function, mainly my processing speed. As long as I'm on this stuff my brain is so much slower, I can't write like I used to, I can't learn nearly as effectively, I don't have the sharp mind I used to make use of daily. If I want to read the books I love, I have to do it in the morning and not take any, then have it at noon and by then the pain is too much. Otherwise when I'm on it I plod through so slowly it takes me like 4 minutes to finish a page and I have to keep re-reading paragraphs to retain them.

I'm feeling so frustrated right now I want to throw my fist through the wall. My intellect has always been my most valued posession and I feel it going down the drain, struggling with everything like I'm fucking retarded. I know it's the tramadol because when I'm not on it my intelligence is back 100%. I take it every day, and if I try to go without the pain becomes overwhelming until I finally break and take some anyway. I'm not physically addicted, the pain just really is that bad.

I want to quit it so much and have my mind back. Are there any other options besides quitting it? Like would a doc be willing to put me on methylphenidate (commonly labeled "ritalin"), if I just find one who's willing? Would the right B-Vitamin combo help? Is there anything I can do?

You are in a common situation for people living with severe pain. You need the painkillers to survive, but they come with their own consequences.

The best advice anyone here could offer you is to see several different doctors until you find the right one for you. Not all physicians are created equal.

No one here is really qualified to give you a medical diagnosis, especially over the internet.

Good luck.

have you tried seeing a chiropractor? i know they cost an arm and a leg but it may be worth it

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Originally Posted by Alive

have you tried seeing a chiropractor? i know they cost an arm and a leg but it may be worth it

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Chiro's in my area, at least the one that I visit, arent that expensive really.

My insurance doesnt cover office visits or chiro work, and I usually only pay around 30-40 a session.

Alot of insurance plans do cover chiro and/or office visits, but this entire idea depends on what the pain is coming from first.

Isnt part of withdrawal from opiates extreme pain? How do you know you aren't addicted?

Welcome to my world.
What kind of pain are you having?

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Originally Posted by Alive

have you tried seeing a chiropractor? i know they cost an arm and a leg but it may be worth it

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There's no treatment on this planet I haven't tried.

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Isnt part of withdrawal from opiates extreme pain? How do you know you aren't addicted?

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It's the exact same pain and level of pain I had before I got onto the pills. When i wasn't on them I'd be taking 1g. accetaminophen and 1g. ibeprophen, plus 200mg celebrix every day, and I was still in too much pain to have any kind of life. I'll give tramadol that, it enabled me to have a life.

Besides that, I never crave it, I don't get the sweats, shakies, or insomnia.

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Welcome to my world.

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You too eh. It really gets to wear on you mentally after years of it, doesn't it? What do you have?

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What kind of pain are you having?

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I don't know if I still have the initial soft-tissue damage from my initial injury 5 years ago, but there's definately lots of nerve damage throughout my back, neck, and spine. The front of my torso is the only area that doesn't hurt.

I hope FakeBoobsRule will comment on this post. He's our resident pain-relief expert and always has good info to provide.

Nerve pain is the worst.
I have muscle spasms, spine damage and migraines.
I use celebrex and cannabis most days, and opiates when I need them.

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Originally Posted by psteve

Nerve pain is the worst.
I have muscle spasms, spine damage and migraines.
I use celebrex and cannabis most days, and opiates when I need them.

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Ouch, yeah man I know the muscle spasms, I had them the first 2 years. Have you tried Flexeril (or cyclobenzaprine) yet? Might makes you reeeeaaaly sleepy, might just make you feel kind of drunk, but holy crap there's no muscle relaxer like it! It's non-opiate, it shouldn't be hard to get a prescription.