DrugBuyers.Com: Help Help How Much is Too Much?

i agree that weening down is the best way to go, but ultram is no longer considered non-addictive. from RXList:
"Tramadol HCl has a potential to cause psychic and physical dependence of the morphone-type (mc-opioid). The drug has been associated with craving, drug-seeking behavior and tolerance development. Cases of abuse and dependence on tramadol HCl have been reported. Tramadol HCl should not be used in opioid-dependent patients. Tramadol HCl can reinitiate physical dependence in patients that have been previously dependent or chronically using other opioids. In patients with a tendency to drug abuse, a history of drug dependence, or are chronically using opioids, treatment with tramadol HCl is not recommended."

i imagine that it is different for different people, but i have experienced both tramadol and hydrocodone withdrawals, and for me the tramadol was worse. your mileage may vary.

anyway, i would suggest that you start with some even number of pills and make an actual written schedule of the number of pills that you plan to take a day. try to slowly decrease the amount that you take over time. you might try to take a potentiator with your pills to increase the pain killing effect of each pill. tagamet is said to work well. you also might try replacing a nighttime dose of vicodin with a valium and an aleve or ibuprofen. this works for me, though i know others for who it is completely ineffectual. valium can also help with withdrawal symptoms, though it is of course addictive as well. immodium, as mentioned above, is vital for withdrawal. i suggest doubling the recommended dosage at first, then adjusting depending upon your needs. there are other things that help, some over the counter, some RX. Do a search on google for "opiate withdrawals".

As far as a holiday versus stopping completely, only you know the answer to that. Just like alcohol and nicotine, some people can keep their usage under control others cannot. I don't neccesarily agree with the statement that taking more than the precribed dosage automaticaly equals abuse. Undertreatment of pain is a real and serious problem, and the prescribed dose can be a fairly arbitrary decision made by the doc. in the past year i have seen 2 neurologists for the same problem. one prescribed 800MG of ibuprofen every 12 hours, while one prescribed 1 lortab every 8 hours. what you need to ask yourself is why you are taking the dosage that you are. if it is because you can't deal with your pain, then maybe you need to see a PM doc, or at least get a second opinion from another PCP. As the saying goes, there is a difference between physical dependence and addiction. Check out this link Maybe some other regiment of meds or PT can help you to decrease the pain. if you are taking your meds for reasons other than pain management, that is where you can get into trouble. that is not a value judgement, it is my personal experience.

Finally, whatever you do, watch your apap intake. The 4000MG daily dosage is really not meant to aply to every day. In other words taking 4000MG of APAP in a day every now and then is fine. taking 4000MG of APAP every day is probably not a good idea.
good luck to you. as james said above, it is not easy, but you can do it.
hk