What is tramadol?

Tramadol is an opioid pain-relieving medication sold under the trade names Ultram, Ultram ER, and others. The medicine is mainly used to treat mild to moderately severe pain. It is an oral medication that comes in both immediate-release and extended-release formulations.

The immediate-release Tramadol oral tablets usually start working within an hour of administration and peak the analgesic effects in 2-4 hours. The effects last for about six hours.

Extended-release Tramadol pills have their analgesic effects lasting for more than twelve hours. They are useful for pain conditions that are chronic and long-lasting.

Tramadol is also available in combination with other medicines such as acetaminophen. The primary Tramadol work is to provide analgesia.

What is tramadol used for?

What is Tramadol used for is the main question that comes to mind when you buy it. The primary Tramadol use is to treat both acute and chronic pain conditions ranging from mild to severe pain.

Fair evidence shows that the medication is also useful as a second-line treatment for fibromyalgia; however, the FDA does not approve Tramadol for that use.

When comparing Tramadol on a dose-by-dose basis, it has about one-tenth potency of morphine, and it is almost equally potent as codeine and pethidine.

The effectiveness of Tramadol is equivalent to that of morphine when it comes to moderate pain treatment. However, for severe pain conditions, the medication is less effective than morphine.

The analgesic potency of Tramadol varies widely as it depends on a person’s genetics and several other individualized factors. People whose body does not contain specific variants of the CYP2D6 enzymes are unable to convert Tramadol into its active metabolite, thus resulting in lower effects of pain control.

The common conditions for which Tramadol gets prescribed include:

• General pain
• Migraine pain
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Coughing
• Restless leg syndrome
• Premature ejaculation

What does Tramadol look like?

Tramadol comes in different strengths, sizes, shapes, and formulations. The conventional immediate-release Tramadol pills come in white color in the strengths of Tramadol 50 mg, Tramadol 100 mg, Tramadol 200 mg, and others.

You must be looking for an answer to what does Tramadol look like if you want to identify the pill. The most common strength of the medication, Tramadol 50 mg pills are white-colored, capsule-shaped, surrounded with a coating. The coating contains an imprint of “ULTRAM” on one side and a number “06 59” on the other.

Most common brand names under which Tramadol are available include:

• Ultram
• Ultram ER
• Ryzolt
• Conzip

The Tramadol generic medication is sold under the name Tramadol itself.

Some common slang or street names for Tramadol are ultras, trammies, and chill pills.

What schedule is Tramadol?

The Controlled Substance Act, formed under the Drug Enforcement Administration, classified Tramadol as a controlled substance under schedule-IV.

Why is Tramadol a controlled substance?

Earlier, Tramadol was not a controlled substance. But due to its high risk of habit-forming and dependence, the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) now classified Tramadol as a controlled substance.

It signifies that Tramadol has the potential for abuse, misuse, dependence, and addiction. Being a controlled substance, the medication will be available only on prescription.

Side effects of tramadol

The most frequently reported Tramadol side effects include:

• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Hallucinations
• Constipation
• Nausea

Some other common effects include tremor, diarrhea, itchy skin, excessive sweating, and vomiting.