Tramadol is a pharmacological agent with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. It belongs to the group of combined drugs with an analgesic effect.

Indications for use

Tramadol is prescribed to patients with pain of severe or moderate intensity. Pain can be caused by oncological, inflammatory, traumatic, and other reasons. In addition, this drug is prescribed to people for pain relief during any diagnostic or therapeutic measures that are accompanied by significant pain.

Instructions for use

The tablets should be taken orally as a whole at any convenient time; the intake is not associated with food intake. If you miss the next dose, the dose is not doubled. The initial dosage is one or two tablets. It is allowed to take no more than 8 pieces per day, with a break between them of less than 6 hours. For patients over 75 years of age, the initial dose is not adjusted; the interval between doses should be increased. An interval of 12 hours between the use of tablets should be observed for patients suffering from functional renal pathologies.

 Contraindications

The tablets are contraindicated for use in patients suffering from epilepsy, drug withdrawal syndrome, severe renal or liver failure, acute alcohol poisoning, hypnotics, and psychotropic medications, as well as opioid analgesics. In addition, Tramadol is not prescribed to women expecting a child and breastfeeding, children under 14 years of age, and patients with personal hypersensitivity to the components included in the tablets. With caution, Tramadol can be prescribed to people with functional respiratory impairment, confusion of unknown origin, a tendency to convulsive syndrome, “acute abdomen” of unknown etiology, viral hepatitis, alcoholism, drug addiction, alcoholic liver damage, benign hyperbilirubinemia, intracranial hypertension, shock, trauma to the skull and brain. Also, caution should be observed when taking Tramadol simultaneously with local anesthetic and psychotropic medications, analgesics that have a central effect.

Side effects

General weakness, convulsive syndrome, depression, insomnia, blurred vision and taste, headache, memory loss, vomiting, dry mouth, increased gas formation, orthostatic collapse, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue, hyperexcitability, difficulty swallowing and urinating, tachycardia, urinary retention, arrhythmia, insomnia, unsteady gait, nausea, allergic reactions, hypoglycemia, increased sweating, dysuria manifestations – such undesirable reactions of the body can be observed in patients taking Tramadol. Exceeding dosages and long-term use of the drug can provoke the development of interstitial nephritis, functional disorders of hematopoiesis, and papillary necrosis.

Interaction with other drugs

It is important to consider the compatibility of the drug if it is used in complex therapy:

1. Tramadol is not compatible with drugs related to opioid receptor agonists/antagonists. We are talking about buprenorphine, pentazocine, nalbuphine. Combination with these substances leads to a decrease in the therapeutic effect. In addition, it causes withdrawal symptoms in the patient.
2. Simultaneous treatment with Tramadol and tranquilizers, psychotropic drugs is fraught with the appearance of side effects caused by tramadol.
3. When Tramadol is combined with phenytoin, tricyclic antidepressants, ethanol, barbiturates, carbamazepine, phenylbutazone, and rifampicin, its analgesic effect decreases.
4. Therapy with barbiturates decreases the severity of the effect. The drug should not be taken together with medications related to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This can cause the development of renal papillary necrosis and nephropathy. This combination of medications is fraught with end-stage renal failure.
5. Simultaneous treatment of Tramadol with cimetidine leads to a decrease in its hepatotoxic effects.
6. The combination of Tramadol with neuroleptic drugs and antidepressants is fraught with the development of convulsive syndrome.
7. The problem of bleeding may appear as a result of prolonged use of Tramadol along with coumarins like warfarin.