Tramadol - Is it the Best Remedy for Pain?

Steven Bender - August 23rd, 2008

Being an opiate analogue of codeine, Tramadol has proven to be an effective treatment for pain caused by various diseases of the locomotor system, cancerous tumors, bone fractures and other similar traumas, plus the pathology of peripheral nerves. The medication is usually recommended for moderate pain, acting on the nervous centers in the brain that control the way we experience pain.

It goes without saying that Tramadol should be taken as prescribed by the doctor, no matter if it is to be administered orally or intravenous. For oral use, Tramadol can be taken with or without food, having a rapid effect. As one of the most common side effects of Tramadol is nausea, many patients prefer taking the medication without any food. The doctor must be consulted in case nausea or other similar symptoms appear more often, particularly as there are specific ways they can be reduced. For example, one can reduce the intensity of the nauseous feeling by assuming a reclining position or by taking antihistamines.

The dosage of Tramadol is another important aspect that must be taken into consideration. It is of course based on the condition that you are suffering from, the type of pain and schedule of appearance, and on your response to such treatment as well. Any medical specialist with experience in the field knows that such treatment must start at a low dose, which will be raised in the following weeks. This is a precautionary step that usually reduces the appearance and the gravity of the side effects.

Thus, the dosage of Tramadol should never exceed 400-600 mg/day and it implies certain reductions in case of associated illness. If you suffer from kidney failure and you go through dialysis, then Tramadol should not be your first choice; however, the recommended dosage is of maximum 100 mg/12 hours. For those who have been diagnosed with liver failure (such as chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis or hepatic cancer) the dosage is of 50 mg tops every 12 hours. Doctors are also extremely careful when they prescribe Tramadol for older patients, especially those who are over 75 years, recommending a maximum dosage of maximum 300 mg/day.

If you follow the indications of the doctor regarding the treatment with Tramadol you should have no problem on the long run. You should always ask for detailed information where your treatment is concerned, especially as this medication is known to cause dependence in patients who use it for extended periods of time or are used to taking high doses. Never stop taking Tramadol just because you feel it does not have the desired effect as you expose yourself to unnecessary risks, including severe withdrawal symptoms. These might include but are not limited to anxiousness, insomnia and shivering accompanied by sweating, diarrhea and tachycardia. If you want to make sure that these things do not happen to you, then make sure that you decrease the dosage step by step, according to the doctor's orders.

Another important fact has come recently to the attention of many doctors who have prescribed Tramadol. They warn patients who are already on narcotic medication to be very careful when adding Tramadol to their pain management plan. Scientists have discovered that the association between Tramadol and other narcotic drugs can have severe consequences, often time manifested through withdrawal symptoms. The habit-forming potential of Tramadol is also worrying, so be careful not to increase the dose or take it at shorter intervals without consulting the doctor first. The treatment with Tramadol should be properly stopped but only when indicated that this is indeed the best and safest decision.

Controlled studies have shown that the general properties of Tramadol are not the type to cause dependence and this is why there are probably so few cases of Tramadol addiction. The medication is well received by the body, many patients having already declared that Tramadol worked perfectly fine for the pain they were experiencing. The adverse effects include those that are similar to other opioids, less harmful and intense, and also the ones that are specific to the medication, including nausea and sweating. It must not be given at the same time with drugs that influence the regular functioning of the central nervous system, as these in their turn can actually increase the severity of Tramadol's adverse reactions.