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How Can Tiredness Be Managed While On Tramadol And Tylenol-Codeine?
My mother is 83 and recovering from knee replacement. She is taking Tramadol HCL 50 mg in conjunction with Tylenol codeine #3. She also takes and ambien to sleep. She is increasingly tired and wondering what I should reduce. She alternates every 3 hours so each pill is once every six hours, but she is taking something every three hours. Not at night. Only during the day.
Thu, 24 Jan 2019
Hello,
Ambien and tramadol are the most likely drugs to cause tiredness. If I were her doctor I would consider reducing Ambien first but it depends on her history and current status. If she's been taking Ambien for years then stopping or reducing its dosage might be difficult. And she's still in pain, reducing the dosage of the painkillers may cause suffering. You'd better let her doctor decide what's best for her.
For most patients, I would have started with Ambien, continued with tramadol and concluded with Tylenol 3.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis,
Internal Medicine Specialist
Ambien and tramadol are the most likely drugs to cause tiredness. If I were her doctor I would consider reducing Ambien first but it depends on her history and current status. If she's been taking Ambien for years then stopping or reducing its dosage might be difficult. And she's still in pain, reducing the dosage of the painkillers may cause suffering. You'd better let her doctor decide what's best for her.
For most patients, I would have started with Ambien, continued with tramadol and concluded with Tylenol 3.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis,
Internal Medicine Specialist
I find this answer helpful
Hello,
You are right to suspect that your mother is feeling some of the effects from the medications she is taking. The medications that you mention can often cause tiredness and fatigue, especially in the elderly. I would recommend that you try to minimize them as much as you can according to what she can tolerate. If you can use something else to help her with sleep such as melatonin, that would likely help as the Ambien may be staying in her system throughout the day. Between the Tramadol and Tylenol with codeine, I would suggest trying to stop the Tylenol with codeine first, however Tramadol can also cause fatigue as they are both similar medications. If her pain is controlled hopefully you could just give the Tramadol as needed.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Aaron Branch,
General & Family Physician
You are right to suspect that your mother is feeling some of the effects from the medications she is taking. The medications that you mention can often cause tiredness and fatigue, especially in the elderly. I would recommend that you try to minimize them as much as you can according to what she can tolerate. If you can use something else to help her with sleep such as melatonin, that would likely help as the Ambien may be staying in her system throughout the day. Between the Tramadol and Tylenol with codeine, I would suggest trying to stop the Tylenol with codeine first, however Tramadol can also cause fatigue as they are both similar medications. If her pain is controlled hopefully you could just give the Tramadol as needed.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Aaron Branch,
General & Family Physician
I find this answer helpful
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