Author: Charles Frank

Tramadol: Uses, Interactions, Mechanism of Action DrugBank Online

Low levels of potassium or magnesium in the blood may also increase your risk of QT prolongation. This risk may increase if you use certain drugs (such as diuretics/”water pills”) or if you have conditions such as severe sweating, diarrhea, or vomiting. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you should have naloxone available to treat opioid overdose. Teach your family or household members about the signs of an opioid overdose and how to treat it.

Do not increase your dose, take the medication more often, or take it for a longer time than prescribed. Check with your doctor right away if you or your child have anxiety, restlessness, a fast heartbeat, fever, sweating, muscle spasms, twitching, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or see or hear things that are not there. These may be symptoms of a serious condition called serotonin syndrome. Your risk may be higher if you also take certain other medicines that affect serotonin levels in your body. Tramadol is used to relieve moderate to moderately severe pain, including pain after surgery. It is also used to treat pain severe enough to require opioid treatment and when other pain medicines did not work well enough or cannot be tolerated.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. If you use tramadol while you are pregnant, your baby could become dependent on the drug (addicted). Possibly fatal withdrawal symptoms may occur in your baby after it is born, causing death. Babies born dependent on habit-forming medicine may need medical treatment for several weeks.

1. Do not take more medication as a single dose or take more doses per day than prescribed by your doctor.
2. Antitussive effects may occur with doses lower than those usually required for analgesia.
3. This medication has been prescribed for your current condition only.

If you wait until the pain has worsened, the medication may not work as well. The easiest way to lookup drug information, identify pills, check interactions and set up your own personal medication records. Never share tramadol with another person, especially someone with a history of drug addiction.

What happens if I miss a dose?

However, support groups may be helpful for patients who take tramadol, who use medications for pain relief, or who are in need of addiction support. Keep your tramadol in a safe and out-of-sight place at home to prevent theft, accidental overdose or death. Dispose of unused tramadol in a Drug Take-Back Program. If one is not available, your pharmacist can tell you the best way to safely dispose of tramadol. In many people, tramadol is well-tolerated when used for pain, but tramadol can also cause some common and serious side effects.

Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take. Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of tramadol extended-release tablets in the pediatric population. Selling or giving away this medication is dangerous and against the law.

Symptoms of overdose may include the following:

If you do not have a bowel movement for 3 days, call your care team. A special MedGuide will be given to you by the pharmacist with each prescription and refill. Be sure to read this information carefully each time. The extended-release form of tramadol is for around-the-clock treatment of pain and not for use on an as-needed basis. Tramadol extended-release tablets / capsules must be swallowed whole and intact; do not split, break, chew, crush or dissolve the product. Tramadol prescriptions in the U.S. may now only be refilled up to five times within a six month period after the date on which the prescription was written.

Do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you. Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use. If you miss a dose of this medicine, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of Ryzolt™ in children younger than 16 years of age. Chewing sugarless gum or sucking hard candy and drinking plenty of water may help.

During pregnancy, this medication should be used only when clearly needed. It may slightly increase the risk of birth defects if used during the first two months of pregnancy. Also, using it for a long time or in high doses near the expected delivery date may harm the unborn baby. To lessen the risk, take the smallest effective dose for the shortest possible time. Babies born to mothers who use this drug for a long time may develop severe (possibly fatal) withdrawal symptoms.

Is tramadol available generically?

The rash may be red or purple and then turn into blisters or peeling of the skin. Or, you might notice a red rash with swelling of the face, lips, or lymph nodes in your neck or under your arms. Tell your care team if your pain does not go away, if it gets worse, or if you have new or a different type of pain. Tolerance means that you will need a higher dose of the medication for pain relief.

This medicine may cause some people to be agitated, irritable, or display other abnormal behaviors. It may also cause some people to have suicidal thoughts and tendencies or to become more depressed. Make sure your doctor knows if you have trouble sleeping, get upset easily, have a big increase in energy, or start to act reckless.

Before taking tramadol,

While taking tramadol, you should talk to your doctor about having a rescue medication called naloxone readily available (e.g., home, office). Naloxone is used to reverse the life-threatening effects of an overdose. It works by blocking the effects of opiates to relieve dangerous symptoms caused by high levels of opiates in the blood. Your doctor may also prescribe you naloxone if you are living in a household where there are small children or someone who has abused street or prescription drugs.

Tramadol safety in the elderly

Children between 12 and 18 years old should not use tramadol after certain surgeries (including tonsil/adenoid removal). Also, tramadol use is not recommended for children between 12 and 18 years old who are obese or have breathing problems. Some children are more sensitive to tramadol and have had very serious (rarely fatal) breathing problems such as slow/shallow breathing (see also Side Effects section). Talk with your doctor or pharmacist about the risks and benefits of this medication. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products.