I live in Houston, TX. I have 4 severe disc herniations in my lumbar region, 2 of which are pressing on the nerves on the left side. As well as several in my neck. The laws in Texas for pain medicine are extremely limiting . I understand why but that only makes it harder for someone like me to get proper treatment. My pain doctor recently switched me from percocet to ultracet, which didn t work, so then put me on tramadol 50mg. Still unable to function normally, but after 11 years on opiates, and now being 9 days without opiates, my head is clearer, which makes me happy. I detoxed at home which was horrible. My questions are: Is tramadol an opiate or a narcotic? Will I need to detox from tramadol like I did the opiates, because if so, I think rehab is in my future? Finally, how can I handle the chronic pain without these medicines?