Tramadol: A Deep Dive into Its Benefits, Risks, and Safe Usage for Effective Pain Management
Tramadol is a pain relief medicine that is often prescribed for after-injury and after-surgery pain. The duration for Tramadol treatment is usually short and it is not recommended for long-term chronic pain due to the low potency of the medication. However, tramadol is frequently prescribed for short-duration treatment because of the low risk of addiction and mental dependence. Due to the low addiction risk, it is used as a pain management solution for post-dental treatment pain and discomfort.
Tramadol provides a two-way relief from pain by increasing the serotonin(also known as the “feel good” chemical) level in your body which temporarily reduces the anxiety, boosting your mood. But this increase in serotonin level comes with its own risk, an uncontrolled growth of serotonin in our body can lead to serotonin syndrome which can be potentially life-threatening.
This article will walk you through the necessary information that will be very useful if you are going through tramadol treatment or deciding on using it in future. However, the most important part of the treatment involving these strong opioid-based substances is the need for medical supervision. The doctors monitor your condition after starting the treatment and the results determine the dosage and strength of tramadol that will be best for you.
Tramadol is a Schedule IV drug that is very efficient for short-term pain management, generally including after-surgery and after-injury pain. This drug is FDA-approved for oral usage and treating moderate pain, and should only be used for the short term because using this medication for a longer period can be addictive and habit-forming. Tramadol in some cases can be prescribed for chronic pain but that decision should only be taken by the professional.
A combination of tramadol and Acetaminophen is a popular choice for post-dental treatment pain, as Tramadol helps with the pain, and acetaminophen reduces fever providing further relief. Tramadol for Dental treatments should only be used in case other non-opioid-based pain medication is not effective.
To use and buy tramadol online you will need a prescription from a licenced medical professional and this is due to the cases of addiction and misuse associated with the medicine. Using tramadol gives you a high similar to what is provided by other drugs and is often misused because of this reason.
How Does Tramadol Work?
Tramadol is an opioid analgesic that belongs to the Narcotics medicine class. It works by changing the way our brain reacts to pain. This medicine directly affects the opioid receptors present in the brain and central nervous system. This interferes with the communication of nerve signals between your brain and the body, blocking the pain signals, that result in pain relief. Tramadol effectively reduces pain further by adding mood-boosting and temporary stress relief by increasing the serotonin level in our body.
This dual effect of tramadol is the reason for its post-injury use as patients may experience pain and anxiety following an accident that caused the injury. Tramadol is a strong medicine that affects our brain and this may lead to some mild to severe side effects, it is best to call your doctors immediately in such cases.
Different Uses of Tramadol
You can use tramadol in the following cases:
- Post-Surgery and Post-Injury: The pain after surgery or an injury is usually short-term and goes away within days or weeks, Tramadol is effective in providing pain relief for such short-duration treatments. In addition to reducing pain tramadol gives stress relief which is much needed when dealing with post-injury traumas.
- Chronic Pain Management: Although tramadol is not the first choice for Chronic pain, using the medicine for a longer time is not recommended. In case other medications are not helping with pain management, doctors may prescribe Tramadol for chronic pain but that depends on your medical and mental condition.
- Post-dental treatment pain: Tramadol has a relatively low addiction possibility when compared with other strong painkillers and because of this, it is often prescribed for post-dental treatment pain in combination with Acetaminophen. Dental treatments can be painful if done by an inexperienced dentist, and because of this Dentis Healthcare has gathered a team of professionals with experience who will help you with the treatment every step of the way. We are dedicated to providing you with best-in-class painless treatment with the help of our advanced and precise technological system.
Tramadol is an opioid-based pain relief medication and should only be used when other weaker non-opioid-based medications are not effective. The treatment with tramadol requires constant medical supervision as the doctors need to examine how your body and brain are reacting to the treatment.
Dosage and Types of Tramadol–A Key Factor in the Treatment
Medical supervision is required in tramadol treatment because the dosage and effects of medicine should be monitored regularly for a risk-free treatment. The dose of tramadol depends on factors like the severity of the pain and injury, previous medical history, and current mental and medical conditions. The key point below will give you an overview of the medicine dosage.
For Adults: The dosage for adults is different for chronic and short-term pain
- Short-term pain (tramadol type Immediate-release): The dosage starts from 25mg once per day or the tablets are taken at 5-6 hours intervals with their effects lasting about 3-4 hours. Warning: The dose should not exceed 400mg per day.
- Chronic pain (tramadol type Extended-release): Extended-release tramadol is strongly recommended when the pain is persistent and relief is needed all day. These pills are taken once per day and the effects last up to 10-12 hours. Warning: the dosage should not exceed 300mg in a day.
- For Elders(over 65-70): For the elders, using the extended-release version is not recommended and the immediate-release version is used in both short-term and chronic pain. The risk of opioid use in elders should be studied before starting the treatment and the dosage should not exceed 300mg in a day. Consult with your doctors for further clarity on the dosage and use.
- For children (below 17-18): Tramadol should not be used with patients under the age of 17. Learn more about why the FDA restricted the use of tramadol with children.
Know the Potential Side Effects before Using Tramadol Before starting the treatment you should be aware of the side effects associated with the use of Tramadol and they may be mild or severe. A list of side effects is given below:
Mild or Common side effects:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Constipation
- Headache
- Dry mouth
- Low Energy
These are non-lethal side effects that are commonly encountered at the start of treatment. These effects gradually reduce as the treatment proceeds and your body gets used to the medication. But you can ask for your doctor’s help if the discomfort is unbearable. For constipation, it is advised to take fiber-rich food or get some laxatives prescribed by the doctors.
Severe Side Effects:
- Serotonin Syndrome: Tramadol increases the serotonin level which provides stress and anxiety relief that helps in managing pain further. But this increase in serotonin comes with its risks, a high level of serotonin in the body can lead to serotonin syndrome that can have fatal consequences.
- Respiratory Depression: Tramadol can disturb your breathing patterns which may cause slow and shallow breathing and can be life-threatening in severe cases. Contact your doctors immediately if you feel your breathing is getting irregular. Learn more about Respiratory risks associated with Tramadol if you already have a respiration-related disease.
- Extreme Sleepiness or Coma: Using tramadol irresponsibly can cause extreme sleepiness and coma, do not take an increased dose without asking your doctors.
To avoid any fatal health risk keep the doctors updated with any irregularity in your mental and physical health. If these severe side effects are reported in the early stage, fatal consequences can be avoided. These health risks are the reason to be extremely cautious while you are buying tramadol online because purchasing the medicine from a scam website can result in a wrong or expired dose and some shady websites may sell you fake tramadol.
Risk of Dependence and Addiction
Tramadol was added to the category of controlled substances because of the frequent misuse and risk of addiction with long-term usage. However, tramadol is relatively safe when compared with other strong opioid-based pain relief medicines like Oxycodone and Hydrocodone, which are more potent. Dependence on Tramadol: Your body develops tolerance against Tramadol after using it for a longer period and this tolerance reduces the pain-relieving effect of the medicine. Now the only option left is to increase the dosage to get the desired pain-relief effect, this loop of tolerance and increasing dose continues till you are dependent on the drug.
Addiction: Tramadol affects our nervous system by blocking the communication of pain signals between the brain and the body, and also increases the serotonin level in our body. This dual action of tramadol results in a pleasure feeling which is similar to the high provided by other conventional drugs. People get addicted to this euphoric feeling and misuse the medication. You should seek the help of relatives and professionals in case you are suffering from Tramadol addiction or contact the emergency helpline number.
Safety Precautions to Avoid Health Risks from the Treatment
These precautions should be kept in mind before starting the treatment or during the treatment to avoid any side effects and potential health risks:
- Pregnancy or Breastfeeding: It is not advised to take tramadol if you are pregnant or planning for a baby as it can affect the health of the newborn. Similarly, tramadol treatment should be avoided while you are breastfeeding.
- Seizures: Patients with seizures and epilepsy should avoid using tramadol unless told by the doctors.
- Alcohol: Using alcohol and tramadol together can cause serious depression in your brain and central nervous system because both alcohol and tramadol slow down your brain function. When used together they can cause serious drowsiness and can further cause death in the worst-case scenario.
- Do not drive immediately after taking the medicine because driving needs the total attention of your brain and requires muscle coordination. The medicine slows down your mental state and impairs your decision-making skills and driving in this state can be risky for you and the people around you.
- Interaction with other drugs: Precautionary measures are needed to be taken in case you are on other medications because tramadol can interact with these medications leading to harmful consequences. For example, taking sleeping medicines like Lunesta while using tramadol for pain treatment can have severe health risks. Lunesta if used with Tramadol can cause major central nervous system depression which can lead to severe sedation, and respiratory depression and can be life-threatening. Learn more about these interactions before using strong medications like Lunesta and you should only buy Lunesta online with a prescription from a licenced doctor.
How to Take Tramadol Safely
Tramadol is a controlled substance that can have adverse effects on your health if used carelessly. Although doctors are always there to answer your questions, you are also responsible for your health. Here are some tips that you can follow to ensure a safe and risk-free treatment.
- Follow your Doctor’s instruction: A doctor’s supervision is required for tramadol treatment because multiple factors can affect your health for example dosage, timing, interactions and precautions. Even adjusting the dose based on personal preference can lead to addiction, this is why doctors constantly check your medical and mental condition while going through the treatment.
- Avoid Alcohol and Learn more about Interactions: Tramadol when taken with Alcohol or other drugs can lead to severe life-threatening consequences. Ask your doctor in detail about these interactions then make a list and put every potentially risky substance on the list and keep the list close so that you can always check before having any unsafe substance.
- Dealing with Withdrawal Symptoms: The termination of treatment is as important as the start because suddenly stopping the dosage of tramadol can cause withdrawal symptoms. To deal with the withdrawal symptoms doctors gradually decrease the dose over time before completely stopping the treatment.
- Regular monitoring: The use of tramadol for a longer duration is not recommended as it can lead to mental dependence but in some cases when regular non-opioid medication is not providing relief, doctors may prescribe you tramadol. This treatment requires regular monitoring, further treatment and dosage are decided based on this data.
How to Get Tramadol?
To buy and use tramadol, you will need a prescription from a licenced medical professional then you can choose whether to get it from a physical store or to buy tramadol online from an online pharmacy. When you are shopping for tramadol online there are things to keep in mind:
- Buy from a Licenced Pharmacy: You can search for tramadol online and there are hundreds of sites that claim to sell the original medication, but before you buy the medication from any of these websites ensure that they have a government-issued licence to sell controlled medication and in case you have any queries or doubts, contact customer care or directly call the medicine provider.
- Buy with a prescription: Pharmacies and websites that sell these strong medications without a prescription are probably obtaining them through banned channels and because of that they offer huge discounts on the medicine. A prescription has important details related to the treatment and that’s why all licenced pharmacies ask for a valid prescription before giving you the medicine.
- Use customer reviews: If you have any suspicion related to the website, you can seek help from other customer’s reviews and see what they said about the quality and services of the online pharmacy.
Conclusion
Tramadol is very effective in managing short-term pain including pain after surgery and injury. The use of tramadol for chronic pain is not recommended as the first choice but your doctors may prescribe you tramadol in case other weaker medications are not providing any relief. Tramadol is a relatively safe medicine with a low risk of addiction. Using tramadol for a long time may cause dependence on the drug, which can be avoided with a doctor’s advice and following the precautions throughout the treatment.
There are risks and rewards associated with the use of Tramadol. But these risks can be avoided by following your doctor’s advice and taking the necessary precautions before starting the treatment and while taking the medicine. Avoidance and dosage are two important factors that should be kept in mind when using tramadol.
It is important to choose a licenced online pharmacy before buying tramadol online, falling into the trap of huge discounts and “no prescription required” can be harmful. Choose the online pharmacy carefully and after receiving the medicine make sure the container is sealed.
FAQs
A: Tramadol is an opioid analgesic and works by changing the way your brain reacts to pain. Another way tramadol provides relief is by increasing the serotonin levels which temporarily reduces anxiety.
A: Yes, tramadol is only prescribed for short-term uses and using it for a longer duration may be habit-forming and addictive. Doctors prescribe Tramadol for longer duration under special circumstances.
A: No it is not safe, tramadol directly affects our central nervous system which can affect our decision-making skills. So driving can be dangerous for you and the people around you.
A: Tramadol has a low risk of addiction and dependence but it is not zero. You can develop a tramadol addiction even with small doses when used carelessly and for a long duration without medical supervision.
A: Yes, Tramadol can treat moderate and chronic pain in most dogs but consult with a veterinarian before giving your dog any strong medication as the use of tramadol comes with risks.
A: The immediate-release version of tramadol can start its effect within 30 minutes and the pain relief will stay for about 3-4 hours. For extended-release, the effect can kick off within an hour and remain in your system for 10 hours or more.
A: No, drinking alcohol while using tramadol can cause fatal health risks, causing extreme dizziness, respiratory depression and in severe cases can lead to death.
A: Yes, there are other opioid-based and non-opioid-based painkillers that you can try as alternatives but you should first consult with your doctors. Oxycodone and Hydrocodone are two popular painkillers that are stronger than tramadol.
A: Yes, you can take tramadol with acetaminophen and this combination is often prescribed for post-dental treatment pain.
A: Yes, suddenly stopping the tramadol treatment can lead to withdrawal symptoms and they may include deep craving for tramadol, insomnia, anxiety and panic disorders.