Your doctor may want to monitor your breathing and kidney function while you take this medicine. They may also do blood tests to check your liver function.
This medication can cause serious allergic reactions, especially if you have other health problems or use certain medicines. Get emergency medical help if you have symptoms such as swollen lips, face, tongue, throat, or rash that is swollen, itchy, blistered, or peeling.
Dosage
Tramadol is a pain reliever that works in your brain and nervous system to decrease the pain signals your body sends. It can be used alone or with other medications that treat different conditions. This medication is in a class of drugs called opiate (narcotic) analgesics. It may be prescribed for short-term or long-term use. Long-term use can lead to addiction. Your doctor will decide how much you need and how often.
Take this medication exactly as directed by your doctor. Do not increase your dose or use it more frequently than prescribed. This medicine can cause drowsiness, so it is important to avoid alcohol and other sedatives while taking it. Do not drive or perform any other dangerous activities until you know how this medication affects you.
Your doctor will probably prescribe the immediate-release tablet or extended-release tablet for you, and your dosage depends on how severe your pain is. Your doctor may start you on a low dose and gradually increase it. You should not take more than 400 mg per day.
It is important to tell your doctor if you have a history of liver disease or kidney disease. You should also let your doctor know if you have ever had a stomach ulcer or duodenal ulcer, or a bleeding disorder. This medication should not be taken by people with a history of depression or mental illness. It may also increase the risk of seizures in people with epilepsy or other seizure disorders.
If you take this drug with other central nervous system depressants, or if you have an unusually low blood pressure, you could develop respiratory depression. This can be life-threatening. If respiratory depression occurs, emergency treatment should be given. The antidote for respiratory depression is naloxone. It is also advisable to have the stomach emptied by forcing the patient to vomit (conscious patients only) or gastric lavage, and to administer activated charcoal.
Elderly patients have a greater tendency to experience adverse reactions from this medication, especially in the elderly 75 years of age or older. Your doctor should weigh the benefits and risks before prescribing this medication for an elderly patient.
Side effects
Tramadol is in a class of medications called opioid analgesics. It works in the brain to relieve pain by blocking certain chemicals from being released. It is usually taken orally. It can be used to treat mild to moderately severe pain or for chronic ongoing pain. It may also be used to relieve a headache or post-surgery pain. It is available only with a doctor’s prescription and is protected under a restricted distribution program. It is not for use by children.
This medication can cause life-threatening side effects in some children. It can slow or stop breathing, especially in young children or in people with certain medical conditions. It is not safe to take this medicine if you have: severe breathing problems, a blockage in your stomach or intestines, or paralytic ileus (a condition in which digested food does not move through your digestive tract). It is also not safe to take this medication if you have: liver disease; a history of mental/mood disorders (such as confusion, hallucinations, depression), or a personal or family history of drug/alcohol abuse. Your doctor will do blood tests to check your liver function before and during treatment with this medication.
Other side effects of tramadol overnight may include dizziness or drowsiness. If these effects occur, do not drive or use machinery. Alcohol or marijuana (cannabis) can increase these side effects. If you are taking this medication with other drugs, tell your doctor or pharmacist about the drug interactions.
In rare cases, this medication can cause a condition that affects your heart rhythm (QT prolongation). This effect can be very dangerous or life-threatening. Get medical help right away if you have signs of this side effect, including: irregular heartbeat, fast/irregular heartbeat, confusion. This medication can interact with antifungals, certain antibiotics, antidepressants, blood thinners, heart or blood pressure medications, seizure medications, and some medicines that affect serotonin (including antidepressants, stimulants, and medicines for migraines or Parkinson’s disease). It can also affect your reaction to narcotic pain relievers.
If you are taking this medication for a long time or in high doses, it can cause withdrawal symptoms when you stop it suddenly. Withdrawal symptoms may include restlessness, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, sweating, shaking, muscle aches, trouble sleeping, or thoughts of suicide. To prevent withdrawal, your doctor may lower your dose gradually.
Precautions
Before you take tramadol overnight, follow the directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides. This medication may make you dizzy or drowsy. Do not drive or do anything that requires mental alertness until you know how this drug affects you. Drinking alcohol can increase these effects. Take this medication with or without food, but do not take it more often than prescribed. Do not crush or break a tramadol pill to inhale the powder or mix it into a liquid to inject it into your vein. Doing so can result in death.
This medication is a controlled substance and can only be used under a doctor’s supervision. This medication can cause addiction and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death. If you have a history of substance abuse, you may be at higher risk for addiction. This drug is not recommended for use during pregnancy. It can cause serious harm to the unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking this medication, stop it as soon as possible. If you do not, the baby could develop withdrawal symptoms at birth.
Using this drug during the last two months of pregnancy increases the risk of birth defects in the newborn. This includes heart defects and brain disorders, such as seizures and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). It can also cause neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome in the infant, which may be fatal.
Talk to your doctor if you are breast-feeding or planning to be. This medication passes into breast milk and can affect the baby’s heartbeat. Tell your doctor if you have any other health problems, such as stomach/intestinal problems (such as blockage, constipation, diarrhea due to infection, paralytic ileus), liver disease, kidney disease, diabetes, gallbladder disease, mental/mood disorders (such as confusion, depression, suicidal thoughts), or a family history of brain/spinal cord tumors.
Before having surgery, tell your doctor or dentist that you are using this medication. Also, tell them if you have any other medical conditions, such as lung disease, neuromuscular disorder, or obstructive sleep apnea. This medicine can change the way your body produces and uses serotonin, which can increase your risk of having seizures or other side effects.
Overdose
Tramadol is an opioid that affects the central nervous system and binds to opioid receptors. It relieves pain by suppressing the activity of the brain’s natural pain-killing chemicals, serotonin and norepinephrine. It is a controlled substance and must be used under the supervision of a doctor because it can cause addiction and overdose.
Like other opiate drugs, tramadol can have serious side effects when it is taken in large doses or with certain medications. If you take it with nitrates, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) such as isocarboxazid [Marplan(r)], linezolid [Zyvox(r)], phenelzine [Nardil(r)], selegiline [Eldepryl(r)], or tranylcypromine [Parnate(r)], it can increase your risk of a life-threatening liver reaction. It also can cause liver damage if combined with alcoholic beverages. It can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. It is not recommended during breastfeeding.
A person who is taking this medicine must not drive or operate machinery until they know how it affects them. It can cause dizziness and drowsiness, which can lead to accidents or injuries. This medication can also decrease the amount of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep is the restorative phase of sleep that leaves you feeling rested when you wake up. If you have less REM sleep, it could make you feel more tired and have more problems with memory and attention.
If you have a history of depression, suicidal thoughts or attempts, or mental health problems, talk to your doctor before using this medication. It can increase your risk of suicide. It can also cause serotonin toxicity, which can cause sedation, low blood pressure, tachycardia, and seizures. This problem is more common in children and people who are sensitive to the drug.
Overdose with tramadol overnight is rare. It takes high doses to cause fatal respiratory depression, and it often occurs with co-ingestants that depress the CNS. The amount of tramadol needed to cause overdose depends on a person’s tolerance and genetics. It can cause life-threatening breathing problems, even in those with normal metabolisms. It is a Schedule II controlled substance under the Drug Enforcement Administration and can only be prescribed by a doctor.