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Is tramadol a risky pain medication?
POSTED JUNE 14, 2019, 6:30 AM , UPDATED AUGUST 16, 2019, 8:56 AM
Robert H. Shmerling,
Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
A large group of medicines in foreground, man in pain in background.
All medications come with a dose of risk. From minor side effects to life-threatening allergic reactions, every decision to take a medication should be made only after the expected benefits are weighed against the known risks. You aren’t on your own in this: your doctor, your pharmacist, and a trove of information are available for your review.
Recently, I wrote about how newly approved drugs often accumulate new warnings about their safety, including a gout medication that garnered a new warning due to an increased risk of death. Now, according to a new study, the common prescription pain medication tramadol may earn a similar warning.
Tramadol is unique:
When first approved in 1995, tramadol was not considered an opiate (like morphine or oxycodone) even though it acted in similar ways. However, because there were cases of abuse and addiction with its use, the thinking and warnings changed. In 2014, the FDA designated tramadol as a controlled substance.
This means that although it may have accepted use in medical care, it also has potential for abuse or addiction and therefore is more tightly regulated. For example, a doctor can only prescribe a maximum of five refills, and a new prescription is required every 6 months.
Compared with other controlled substances, tramadol is at the safer end of the spectrum. Heroin, for example, is a Schedule I drug (high abuse potential and no acceptable medical use).
OxyContin is a Schedule II drug (it also has high abuse potential, but has an accepted medical use). Classified as a Schedule IV drug, tramadol is considered useful as a pain reliever with a low potential for abuse.
Despite these concerns, tramadol is one of many common treatments recommended for osteoarthritis and other painful conditions. Several professional societies, including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, include it in their guidelines as a recommended drug for osteoarthritis.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-tramadol-a-risky-pain-medication-2019061416844
Thanks Gramps for the info. It reinforces from a highly credible source what I already know: tramadol, when used appropriately is effective.
I’ve taken it on and off for about 2.5 years now. I’ve never taken a lot and I’ve had extended periods of time not taking it in between with no ill effects.
Actually I had the same experience with ativan. I gave up on asking for prescriptions for it because primary doctors are afraid of it. They actually seem to be avoiding prescribing any controlled substance because of tighter controls being imposed on them by state laws. Since last summer, in Michigan, if a doctor wants to prescribe a controlled substance he first has to review your entire prescription history (available on a central state-administrated database). Doctors prefer not to go through the hassle.