I suffered the same horrifying addiction as TV’s Ant
READING about TV presenter Ant McPartlin’s terrifying spiral into prescription drug addiction (Mail) brought back some difficult memories. I developed an addiction to Tramadol, one of the same painkillers taken by Ant, following a slipped disc in July 2013. It was only through the wise counsel of my GP that I beat it. To find myself physically dependent on a packet of pills was shocking, and getting off them was very unpleasant. Where there is a danger of addiction, this should be stressed when a drug is prescribed, and a minimum number dispensed before the patient has to see their GP for a further consultation. I was prescribed Tramadol for just a few weeks, but when I tried to cut back, the withdrawal symptoms were terrible: my skin felt cold, but I burned inside; I was shaky, restless and so distracted it was uncomfortable to lie still, let alone sleep; and I even had to shave off my beard because every hair felt like a pin jabbing into my skin. After two nights I went back to my original dose to find relief. With help, I started a gradual reduction programme before finally going ‘cold turkey’. I kept busy and active during the day in order to be as tired as possible by bedtime. I also drank lots of water to hydrate my system. I put lavender oil on my pillow, listened to a meditation tape and had hot baths with Epsom Salts to draw out toxins and relax me. My GP also prescribed Diazepam, a tranquilliser, to help me through the first three nights. I was conscious on the fourth night that there was nothing more to help me, but I got through it. The withdrawal symptoms had largely worn off after 16 days, but it took much longer for my sleep pattern to return to normal. The pattern was two nights when I was lucky to get more than four or five hours’ sleep, followed by a third night of seven hours of sleep. I will make sure I don’t find myself in this position again. More should be done to warn people of the dangers of addiction to prescription drugs.
TIM LYON, Meols, Wirral.