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Effect of medication (tramadol) on shooting accurately


Joe L

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Some days I can shoot very well out to 25 yards, like sub 2" groups standing strong hand. On other days, like today, 5" groups at 20 yards. I am having some difficulty seeing the sights as clearly as I do on the good days. Also some trigger control issues, obviously, on the "bad" days. I've been thinking about what may be different on the good days versus the bad days and have come up with one likely possibility so far.

I have been taking 25mg of tramadol (Ultram) per day for nearly 10 years, with some increase over the last 6 months while recovering from 2 shoulder surgeries. Usually I take the medication in the morning and shoot in the afternoon. Sometimes another 25mg at lunch time, but never less than 4 hours before shooting well. Never more than 75mg/day, which is a very low dosage, I'm told. Today, I took the full 50 mg after breakfast and was shooting at the range about an hour later so I was out of my normal routine. I had a much worse day than normal.

I'm thinking the tramadol has been affecting my eyesight and muscle control just enough to cause the groups to spread. Has anyone else observed this when taking medications or better yet, specifically tramadol?

I am allergic to NSAIDS and can't take any of the usual pain killer narcotics, and I don't drink any alcohol, so tramadol has been very helpful for controlling back pain and, most recently, shoulder pain.

I'll lay off the tramadol entirely for 24 hours and try again tomorrow morning while waiting for any responses or input.

I am looking for other people's experience regarding how muscle/trigger/vision control can be affected by even these supposedly non-narcotic medications.

Joe

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I took 300mg/day for about 6 months while recovering from a disc issue.

I don't know if it affected my shooting because once I got off of it I didn't really remember much from the last 6 months.

I had to ask my wife if I had been going to work and I asked her if I had been shooting, yes to both.

Since I didn't get fired from my job, DQ'ed at a match or worse, I guess I was functioning OK.

I will never take it again.

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Thanks for the replies. I must be very sensitive to the stuff--that is why I have never taken very much. I am just surprised that as little as 15-25mg can affect my shooting, especially if 300mg/day is sometimes prescribed.

Joe

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I was prescribed it after I had surgery, it wiped me out. Nothing hurt, on me, but it was like going from sober to drinking a bottle of rum blocking out and waking up the next day wondering what happened.

10 years, be careful stopping it, serious withdraw, possible seizures etc.

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Routine is important. Not simply with meds when required, but sleep and nurtition.

I know some on this forum will go quietly mental at the thought of someone with a medical need arriving at the range with a drug in thier system.

How many of those same people would be openly critical of a peer shooting after working a night shift?

How about shooting while dehydrated or with low blood sugar because they haven't stopped to eat and drink anything in hours?

At the end of the day, you need to know yourself.

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I have a script for it and take 2-3 50mg a day with ibuprofen. Have for years. It's a non narcotic that works great for me. My wife used to get free samples at work. I don't notice any difference on days when I don't take vs do for motor skills. For me it helps with neck and joint pain and is a great product. It can however cause strange dreams for me. Not bad strange just a little strange. Hard to describe. I don't have any issues on days I don't such as any type withdrawal symptoms. I go thru a 100 in a script in 6-8 weeks. I have even given a couple to co-workers when they complain of a twisted ankle or such.

It's a pretty popular drug since it is a non narcotic.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tramadol

Edit to add. I function at a normal level using this. I work around dangerous machinery and high voltage, and have to be quick thinking with various kinds of ladder logic etc. in short there is NO narcotic like side effects. Matter of fact I always take one and 3 ibuprofen on my way to a match to keep me pain free till at least mid afternoon. I'm suprised that it has that kind of impact on some.

Edited by Kent Grewe
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Well, it is obvious that there is a wide range of tolerance for this stuff, judging from just the shooters on his board alone. I'm going to back off and see if there is any difference in my shooting results. I can't tell any impairment at all in other activities at the very small dosage I have taken, just possibly with the shooting.

Joe

Edited by Joe L
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Went back to the range this morning without taking any medication at all and was able to get everything on the 7" plates at 25 yards, but still only got one group less than 3". Shoulders hurt bad. I think my problem this week has more to do with shoulder stiffness and pain than it does with the medication, although I need a few more range sessions without taking anything to confirm. I am not relaxed and have to force arm extension. Today was good...compared to yesterday! For whatever reason.

Joe

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I am on a similar medication and dosage. I do not take it within 6 - 8 hours of shooting. I am in pain leaving the meds off. I take ibuprofren in place of my paim medication and it takes the edge off the pain enough to shoot. On match days I do the same and immediately take my pain medication after the last stage.It is worth it to me to put up with the pain inorder to be able to shoot.

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Jaxshooter--I think I will have to do the same, except I am allergic to ibuprofen and other NSAIDs. I think I have been shooting best with no more than 25mg at least 4 hours before shooting.

Right now I just need to work the stiffness out of my shoulders.

Joe

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There might be a few things contributing to your problem shooting.

From what I know of it (I don't prescribe meds of this sort much, being a pediatrician), tramadol is an analgesic (pain killer), not an anti-inflammatory medication. So if you are having a bad day with pain, inflammation, stiffness, etc., the tramadol may take care of only the first. That might IMPROVE your groups from baseline if the main issue is pain, with inability to maintain the hold, or involuntary flinching in anticipation of the pain of recoil. The groups might WORSEN from baseline if it is really stiffness/inflammation that interferes with the mechanics of shooting. So you took more meds because you had more symptoms. Was it the increased meds or the increased symptoms that made you shoot worse?

The 2012 Physician's Desk Reference does show that tremor is an adverse reaction of the med, occuring in no more than 5% of patients, and incoordination, attention disturbance, sedation, agitation, irritability and mental impairment are also listed as adverse reactions, occuring in no more than 1% of patients. Symptoms may be dose dependent, worsening with higher dosing. Any of those can mess with your ability to shoot groups.

So, yes, the higher dose may be having adverse effects, but it could be that the symptoms that made you take the higher dose are contributing as well.

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Kevin C--thanks for the reply. I think the problem this last week is really due more to the stiffness than to the medication. I'll know more tomorrow, when I return to the home range at a reasonable time of day for me. I appreciate the explanation.

Joe

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Went to the range on Tuesay, 70F, 25-35 mph cross winds, 25 mg of tramadol at 6am, shot at 2pm, shot very well for me, no problems. 3" groups with every gun I shot, even a couple of borrowed 1911's that I don't normally shoot. I'm back.

The rule for me is going to be no more than 25mg tramadol 4 hours before shooting, and not much caffeine. And never 50 mg just before going to the range. Never. That was a disaster, accuracy-wise for me. Your results may vary.

Thanks again for everyone's input.

Joe

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Lots of good info here. I've had 2 back surgeries in my 20s/30s - that's like 25 years ago - and had been on Tylenol 3 for ages, until a friend DR. told me about Tramadol. I take 50mg X 3 a day, adding 800mg of Advil before shooting. I notice blurred vision on some days when shooting, but I never thought this may be related to my tramadol intake. I will try to be 'drug-free' for my next practice and see if it helps. Thanks for the info!

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Ardo, glad you might get some ideas from the original post. I hesitated even posting the question but now that I have seen how varied people's responses are to both the post and to the medication, I'm glad I did. I am apparently very sensitive to the drug. I would not be able to function at all on 150mg, but that is just me, apparently.

Joe

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I have had 2 back surgeries also and 54 years old. I am taking Tramadol ER, Timed release for all day and it works great for me. If I have severe pain I take some Advil but most of the time I just use the ER. Something you might want to try. I use it every day and the only thing hurting my shooting is my brain that does not work anymore, but drugs is not doing that.

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Lots of good info here. I've had 2 back surgeries in my 20s/30s - that's like 25 years ago - and had been on Tylenol 3 for ages, until a friend DR. told me about Tramadol. I take 50mg X 3 a day, adding 800mg of Advil before shooting. I notice blurred vision on some days when shooting, but I never thought this may be related to my tramadol intake. I will try to be 'drug-free' for my next practice and see if it helps. Thanks for the info!

The same PDR lists blurred vision/vision disturbance as one of those fairly rare reactions occuring in <1% of users in the initial trials. No mention of whether it was related to dose.

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Two more very successful range trips with less than 25mg tramadol 4 hours before shooting. I am convinced my problem was too much medication for me (50mg), affecting both vision and trigger control just enough to show up in group shooting. Thanks again for everyone's input.

Joe

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I went to the range Friday, being Tramadol-free for over 4Hrs. Not only was I seeing my front sight in sharp focus, I also had less of so-called 'essential tremors' i.e. very slight shaking of hands. Most people have these, but I'm certainly above-average LOL.

No more Tramadol for me while shooting. Thanks for a great thread, Joe!

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I hurt my back on a hunting trip to Texas and one of my buddies gave me some tramadol and it was the only thing that got me on my feet. I shot two hogs with my bow, both at about 40 yards about an hour apart, about two hours after my first tramadol ever. Both hits were heart/lung shots and neither pig went more than 20 yards. I was very relaxed, I sat there while about 30 hogs milled about under my tree.

So accuracy, it did not affect me. But, I would not have been able to shoot very fast IMO.

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I function at a normal level using this.

I used to think that until I got off of it.

The last person to accurately judge the effects of medication on function is the "user".

Drugs don't affect me, affect me, affect me. :eatdrink:

Signed,

Previous Ultram user.

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I function at a normal level using this.

I used to think that until I got off of it.

The last person to accurately judge the effects of medication on function is the "user".

Drugs don't affect me, affect me, affect me. :eatdrink:

Signed,

Previous Ultram user.

A little perspective please. We are not talking about a narcotic drug such as oxycontin, vicoden or pain killers at that level. Im not a doctor nor do I play one. BUT I have talked to other physicians about this particular drug. From what I know it is barely strong enough to require prescription. Like I mentioned before in the clinic my wife works at the drug reps used to leave literally dozens of sample blister packs for free dispersement. I used it at that point for knee/joint pain before I had my knee scoped.

I started taking it again for a disc in my neck that I also treat with the steroid injections at a pain clinic. Its similar to what Peyton and lots of others have. I may end up having to go surgical at some point. Also like a lot of us middle aged folks I'm also having a touch of arthritis in my upper spine as well. Its just part of not being kid anymore.

I also mentioned that I work in an industrial environment at a car plant. I have to be alert to dangerous moving machinery, robots, and be able to think quickly and clearly when using industrial computers, PLCs,CNCs etc. In short I really cant afford to be affected by meds for my own safety, which is number one and two the ability to do my job.

On days I feel fine and DONT take any of this I have no difference from days I DO take this in my level of function. Thats why on this medication can be prescribed this way. There ARE a couple warning labels on it about taking care when operating machinery. Also about it MAY cause dizziness. I do notice if I take 2 or dont wait 5-6 hours between doeses it will make me a bit tired. I think taking any medicine we are all responsible for doing our part to pay attention to the effects. Yes someone may not notice any effects just sitting at home but when your up and moving and working any kind of side effects should be easy to notice. IMO.

I WILL say that I acknowledge there is a possibility it may have a effect on the finer motor skills and affect my accuracy. Im going to test it myself as the weather improves.

For the most part I do use it 3 days out of 4 on average I suppose. IF there is a better substitute Im interested and if you have a replacement that works for you Id appreciate knowing what it is.

When I take this I perceive no "fun factor" in it.

I have 2 choices at this point. Take what I find to be a VERY helpful pain control as needed that is very low dosage and does not affect me in a negative way I can perceive OR live with chronic back and joint pain that DOES limit my ability to function.

Anyone who has knowledge of a better drug please let me know.

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