Cold Turkey.

I'm coming off a medication, and I'm feeling it.

I was taking Ultram....it's a non-narcotic, but it works in much the same way a narcotic does.  Consequently, it can cause withdrawl symptoms if you quit unexpectedly.

I didn't know that.  Had I known the way Ultram worked, I'd never have taken it in the first place.  I have enough going on as it is without adding withdrawl to the mix.

I had to quit taking it because it made me swell up.  Hands, feet, face....all swollen.  I had to take off my rings and watch with the aid of ice and dish soap, and I couldn't get my shoes on. I went to see my doc, who said that the Ultram wasn't agreeing with my kidneys and liver, so I should stop.

That was Tuesday. 

Yesterday all I did was shiver and sweat.  I felt like crap, and spent half the day in the bathroom - the other half was spent in bed, crying for no good reason other than I felt like it.

I thought that I'd eaten something bad.  This morning I didn't feel any better, so I called my doc, who said I was going through withdrawl.

Well, that's just lovely.  I've managed to get myself a physical dependency on a medication, and I wasn't even taking it that long.  To make matters worse, I never even got a buzz!  If I was going to get dependent on something, I'd have liked to have at least enjoyed taking it! (kidding) 

I'm going to have to be more careful about what I take.  I'm going to have to research it properly before I just agree to start taking it.  Just because my doc prescribes it, doesn't mean that it's going to be good for me.....my god, I can't wait to get this surgery done.  Yes, it's going to be painful, yes there's going to be a long recovery time, but at the end of it all I'll be able to come off all the meds I'm taking.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel.....