Tramadol is one of the most common prescriptions that is given to treat moderate pain. One of the reasons that it is so commonly prescribed is that it is believed that it is more safe and less prone to addiction. There is some truth to that but it can lead to a false sense of security. We are going to go over some of the most common side effects and issues that you need to watch for if you are to safely take this medication.
Tramadol is one of the most commonly prescribed medications for pain in the united states. oxycodone or any of the other keep watching to find out a little more about hi, i?m dr. erik richardson a board i?d like to welcome you to familymed, a channel that focuses giving you practical and accurate medical information
To help you and your family. if you think this would be something that is helpful to you make sure you subscribe, hit that notification button and follow along with us. so today, we are going to be talking about the pain medication tramadol. this is a medication was first patented in europe in the 1960?s but
Wasn?t approved in the united states until the mid 1990?s. it?s main indication is to treat moderate to moderately severe pain that isn?t controlled by other medications like ibuprofen or tylenol. it?s actually a very commonly prescribed. in 2019, it was the 29th most prescribed medication in the united states. one of the
Main reasons why it has become so popular is due to the belief that as some of the other narcotic medications. now pain is one of the hardest things we treat in medicine and there isn?t a lot of great options out there that are proven to work and don?t have a lot of baggage and problems with them. so ,the
Thought of having something that may help but won?t cause the same problems of some of the to many doctors. the problem with this, security and that can get patients in trouble. tramadol is a narcotic pain medication that does block the receptors in the brain that help disrupt how your body perceives pain. tramadol
Is a little bit different though because not only does it work control, it also has effect on increasing your brain. this can have some advantages when you are trying to treat pain but it also brings some challenges that we will talk about in a minute. hydrocodone or oxycodone. it?s going to be more similar to
Medications like codeine. one of the advantages is that because it is than the stronger medications ,but the danger of that thinking, is that you are still at risk for dependency, addiction and abuse by taking it. because of that, it is a schedule iv controlled substance in the united states. that means that
It a doctor can give refills of the medication but you cannot get more than 5 refills and the original prescription expires after 6 months. and 100mg and and extended release tablet of 100, 200 and 300mg. the immediate release version hours as needed for pain. the extended release ok, so let?s talk about some of the
Issues the most common ,more mild side effects that you may see, are similar to what you can find with other pain medications. it can cause some dizziness and drowsiness, nausea and vomiting, most of these symptoms tend to be mild and by being careful how you take them, example, to avoid the nausea and
Vomiting, taking them with food can oftentimes make a difference. it can make you sleepy, so certainly taking it at night or being aware and avoiding driving or other dangerous activities are very important. the most concerning of side effects. any pain medication can cause similar symptoms so most of us
Are familiar with these kinds of effects. they aren?t necessarily harmful, just bothersome where we need to focus most of our time though is in some of the more concerning effects that can be one of our biggest concerns with any of the pain medications is dependency and abuse. when used properly the risk of this with
Tramadol is lower but it still can be an issue. it?s very important that you work closely with your doctor, you don?t take more than prescribed and you take them as little as possible to control your symptoms. if you are on them chronically then your body will likely become dependant on them over time. this
Doesn?t mean that you are addicted but you don?t want to just stop them abruptly. if you notice that you are needing more and more to be able to control the pain, this is a big warning sign that if you already have had a history of addiction or even a family history of the same, you need to make your doctor aware and take
Extra precautions. can make it easier for you to have seizures. one of the things that it can do is lower what we call your seizure threshold. so things that may normally not kick off a seizure may while on this medication. those most at risk are those who have an underlying seizure disorder or are taking other
Medications that can also decrease this risk. for who had been on tramadol and bupropion-a common antidepressant medication which also can decrease this threshold, after suffering a seizure. this isn?t common but it is possible, so make sure you are reviewing all your medications with now speaking of medications,
Other medications together are your other antidepressants. combining these medications can increase your risk of developing a condition called serotonin syndrome. this is a condition where your body gets too much serotonin. this is very rare but can present with symptoms like agitation, confusion, rapid
Heart rate and high blood pressure, muscle rigidity, diarrhea and heavy sweating. if you think this is happening to you, get into your doctor or the emergency room right away. there are quite a few interactions that tramadol can have with other medications so again, another area that you need to be careful
With while taking this medication relates to how narcotic type medications can affect your breathing. narcotics can suppress your reflex to breathe and tramadol is no different. watching for issues with shortness of breath or just slowed breathing are very important and you should stop the medication and contact your
Doctor if you do. such as asthma, copd, or any other state really be careful and likely avoid tramadol because of the way it works finally you need to strictly avoid taking this medication with any other medication or substance that causes sedation. this means any other types of narcotics or sedative
Medications like your benzodiazepines or sleep aids and even alcohol really need risk of overdose. although it may not be as significant as with your stronger narcotics, combine it with the substances i just mentioned. having symptoms such as smaller pupils, difficulty breathing, slow or shallow breathing,
Extreme drowsiness or sleepiness, unable to weakness or cold and clammy skin, you need to so that?s an overview of some of the most important things you need to know about taking tramadol. it can be an effective medication for majority of people do just fine with taking. need to watch out for can help you be
A little more safe if you need to take this medication. if you work closely with your doctor and take the medication as prescribed, you will have the best chance of having this medication control well, i hope you found this to be helpful, if you did, please take the time to give this video a like and share
It with your friends. it helps our channel to grow and reach other people that may need this in their life. if you haven?t and hitting that notification button so you so until next time, this is familymed with dr. body because it?s the only one you have.
Transcribed from video
TRAMADOL | Is it SAFE to treat your PAIN? By Erik Richardson D.O.
