Brief Answer:
You tell me......

Detailed Answer:
First, Hello, good evening, hope things go better for you, and...I am not a fan of back surgery. I do not believe it has proof of efficacy for PAIN. It certainly should be able to prevent/help/aleviate paralysis and nerve damage, and nerve dysfunction from disk, but not pain relief.

Second, sorry for the wait. I was doing book keeping and did not notice the page. Generally there are at least 2 doctors available! The website is
healthcaremagic.com and we are here 24/7!

Then, oxycodone is about a 4 hr drug. The risk of withdrawal from it depends mainly on the daily dose and secondarily how long one is on it. The severity of the withdrawal depends upon the same factors. The smallest signs of withdrawal are mild anxiety symptoms. This, return of pain, and changes in gut motility--while they can be withdrawal--also occur commonly in people with pain and are not a very good indicator of withdrawal. Furthermore, if it is not withdrawal there is no predicting whether these symptoms go away/lessen, while withdrawal would peak within 1 week and decline thereafter. If someone is on the more usual doses of oxycodone, (5 mg , up to 4 times a day) then withdrawal is unusual and would be quite mild. If someone is on more, then the chances of withdrawal increase. It is only when someone is on the long acting, very high dose levels that this gets to be an issue (daily doses 3 to 5 times higher are common with oxycontin; that is a lot). If someone has gone 8 hrs before without any withdrawal symptoms, they aren't going to have withdrawal symptoms. Most people for various reasons have gone that long without any oxycodone just due to circumstances and know if they get withdrawal.

Then, ultram is a lower category of narcotic. It lasts much longer, but is less potent. It probably would NOT stop withdrawal. It might lower withdrawal slightly if someone has narcotic withdrawal BUT it is a mild narcotic and it can't prevent significant withdrawal if someone is on a high enough dose of oxycodone. Tramadol is a fairly good pill for pain. It has a lower safety margin than oxycodone. Oxycodone can be tripled from 5 to 15 mg. Tramadol dose is quite unsafe if it is tripled.

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Brief Answer:
they are different drugs.

Detailed Answer:
First, tramadol doesn't have a lot of effect on narcotic receptors. Second, it gets to be toxic above 300 mg per day with a real risk of very dangerous seizures. You just aren't going to get an equivalent dose. If someone starts tapering with half doses of oxycodone, the underlying pain will be worsened but withdrawal is mild or none. Then, at 7.5 x 5-6 a day, real withdrawal is rare. Feeling bummed out, or having underlying conditions becoming painful, that is common with any narcotic taper, but new abdominal cramps, diarrhea, yawning and nasal congestion... not going to happen. It's even doubtful at just stopping 15. 3rd day peak is mostly true and the symptoms aren't that much different on day 2 and 4, so, if someone felt tolerable on day 2, they just aren't going to have significant wtihdrawal.
So... tapering is a strategy people use.
And stopping over a weekend would allow someone to gauge what was going to occur. There are also many medications that can damp down specific withdrawal symptoms.

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