In the 1990s, a certain pharmaceutical drug was released and intended to offer those who suffered from serious injuries or conditions that involve chronic pain a means of relief. At the time, there was very little evidence to suggest that the drug should be the cause of any concern, which is why doctors and physicians began prescribing it to patients quite liberally. Unfortunately, we came to discover that the drug — OxyContin — could not only be abused, but had an exceptionally high addictive potential. This marked the beginning of what one might refer to as the OxyContin era, and although the past couple years have seen a small decline in the rate at which Americans are becoming addicted to prescription pain medications, the effects of the OxyContin and painkiller epidemics on society can still be readily seen today.
With a greater awareness of addictive and abuse potential, today’s healthcare providers have a number of different substances from which to choose when treating patients’ afflictions. Although it’s still relatively common for doctors and physicians to prescribe opiate painkillers to patients, there are a number of federal regulations in place as well as prescription drug monitoring programs in each state that help to ensure that these dangerous substances are kept out of the wrong hands. Additionally, in instances when some sort of pain medication is necessary, many physicians will first attempt to use an alternative to opiates, something that’s not a controlled and, therefore, dangerous substance with a high potential for abuse.
Tramadol is one such non-narcotic medication that’s often prescribed as an alternative to opiate painkillers; however, many have begun to assert that tramadol should actually be considered a narcotic and become a controlled substance. As such, the following will define tramadol — what it is and what it’s used to treat — and explain why it’s a dangerous substance.
What Exactly is Tramadol?
tramadol
Tramadol — which is sold under the more well-known brand name Ultram — is a medication that was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat moderate to severe pain in 1995. Rather than being classified as a painkiller like oxycodone and other opiate drugs, tramadol is described as a “narcotic-like” pain reliever and was widely held to be safe with very little potential for respiratory depression. The drug works by affecting how the brain responds to or perceives pain, causing an increase in the production of neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, serotonin, and also hormones such as endorphins; in effect, these are natural substances that work to alleviate feelings of pain. Alternately, the drug’s psychoactive properties have led to its occasional use as a mild antidepressant. However, in terms of its potency, it’s been said that tramadol is roughly equivalent to codeine in strength and a dose of tramadol is about ten percent of the strength of a same-sized dose of morphine.
