While on break from medical school, I got an rx for ultram ER. The script was for lots of the little white 100 mg extended release pills. I have taken lots of stuff before (um for the sake of medical knowledge) and had no problems. I have chewed percocets, darvocets, demorol (pill form obviously), and vicodin and never had any problems. Ultram however, was different.
I chewed 300 mg of extended release ultram because I was in a lot of pain (it was only 3 tiny pills). At first it was comfortably numb. After about 45 minutes, I started to feel a typical narcotic analgesic numbness... that was way too intense. I only weigh 100 lbs so 300 mg was apparently an overdose.
I went back to my computer and tried to focus but things were blurring and I just felt far away from the world. I can't say it was a bad feeling though.
After 60 minutes, I am told I had a grand mal seizure. I woke up on the couch with my husband freaking out and paramedics putting an IV line in. I could taste blood from apparently biting my tongue and I was in a state of confusion that is still scary to remember. My husband was crying, he saw the tonic clonic part where my body was stiff and I wasn't breathing and he thought I was dead. I remember bits and pieces after the seizure, and I was taken to the ER and I can only remember bits and pieces. I have never had a seizure before this! Needless to say, the hospital did a tox screen. I had said nothing about taking the ultram because I know ultram cannot be detected on tox screens... it doesn't have the morphine or codeine like peaks... so that is why I didn't confess to doing such a stupid thing.
I am still freaked out by it because I am in medical school and if the ER docs had discovered I had od'ed on ultram, typical overdose protocol is to get a psych consult. I would have had to talk to a psychiatrist or gone to counseling or worse... rehab! Even though I was taking it because I was in a great deal of pain, I shouldn't have chewed them and I shouldn't have taken 200mg.
I should have known better- I mean I knew the risks, the pharmacology, contraindications, mechanism of action, hell I can even draw the chemical structure! This was one of the stupidest things I have ever done.
