Tramadol: Functions And Dosage

Tramadol is a drug indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. When administering this medication, the dose should be adjusted to the intensity of the pain and the individual sensitivity of each patient.

Tramadol is a medicine indicated to relieve pain. Indeed,  it acts on specific nerve cells of the spinal cord and the brain. We will see the mechanism of action of this drug in more detail in this article.

Concretely,  tramadol is an effective analgesic against the pain experienced by a patient after an operation.  A single dose of 100 mg of this medicine is equivalent to 1 g of paracetamol. One of the world’s most widely used pain medications.

This substance belongs to the pharmacological family of opioids. However,  tramadol behaves differently from opiates.

In addition to its usefulness in relieving pain,  its use as an antidepressant and against obsessive-compulsive disorder has also been studied. Because it also works by increasing the release of serotonin. However, there is still no study on its long-term antidepressant effects.

Learn more about opioid drugs

The opiate family is  a group of active ingredients which are characterized by a highly analgesic effect. They act in interaction with a few receptors which are found mainly in the central nervous system and in the gastrointestinal tract.

Although the term opiate is normally used to denote all drugs similar to opium,  it is more appropriate to limit its scope to the natural alkaloids of opium  and its semi-synthetic derivatives.

In this sense,  we can differentiate three major groups:

• Opium alkaloids:  morphine and codeine
• Semi-synthetic opioids:  heroin and oxycodone
• Synthetic opioids:  tramadol

What is the effect of tramadol in the body?

The mechanism of action of this drug is twofold. In other words, it triggers its analgesic effect  thanks to the combination of two simultaneous mechanisms. In addition, it contains an agonist activity on  central opioid receptors of the µ type. 

In addition to its agonism with opiate receptors, the analgesic effect of tramadol is also due to  its ability to block the reuptake of synaptic amines.  Hence the desire to investigate other indications of this drug with depression.

Tramadol therefore inhibits the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin in the central nervous system. Thus, it prevents the transmission of the pain impulse through the spinal cord.

What are the reasons for tramadol?

Tramadol is a drug indicated  for the treatment of pain of moderate to severe intensity,  as we mentioned at the beginning of this article.

When administering this medication, the dose is adjusted to the intensity of the pain as well as to the individual sensitivity of each patient. However,  the lowest effective dose should always be given to prevent adverse effects.

There are certain population groups in which dosage adjustment should be as careful as possible. Because, due to their clinical situation, they are more prone to suffer from complications. It is :

• Adults and adolescents over 12 years:  they should never exceed a daily dose of 400 mg. In the event that the condition is very serious and requires prolonged treatment, the latter must be strictly monitored by a specialist.
• Elderly:  It is usually not necessary to adjust the dose until the age of 75 years if there is no renal or hepatic impairment with symptoms. The older the patient, the longer the dosing intervals
• Patients with renal insufficiency and hepatic insufficiency:  The doctor usually prolongs the dosing intervals according to the clinical needs of each patient.

Adverse reactions to tramadol

Tramadol, like other medicines,  is not free from side effects. Some of the most common are nausea and dizziness.

However, it can also  trigger other symptoms like:

• Psychiatric alterations:  dependence
• Gastrointestinal System Problems
• Vision alterations
• Affecting the nervous system

Conclusion…

Finally, tramadol  is a drug subject to a medical prescription which should therefore not be taken without the doctor’s permission. Indeed, improper use of tramadol can lead to a situation of dependence with serious consequences for health.