New Pain Killer Regulations - Tramadol

While reading up on the new pain killer laws, I discovered that Tramadol is now a controlled substance. I feel a little confused an conflicted now. I was in a lot of pain before my last surgery and the doctor wanted to put me on Vicodin. I was so afraid I would get addicted, and I said, "No". My doctor then recommended Tramadol. From what I understood, it was a much safer pain killer, and less addictive. I had no problems with it. My surgery went well and I am pain free, thankfully. I just don't know what I would have done without Tramadol. Is it really so addictive that it needs be a controlled substance?

I to am very confused about Tramadol being a controlled substance. I have took it for several years and it doesn't seem to do anything even close to my other pain pills. I am on Vicodin and Neurotin and do not seem where it would be classified as that. I had no problems with it.

I am not aware that it is already a controlled substance or medicine. Maybe they see something about it to make it regulated and better if they will also give the reasons why. That will help the public understand about it more.

So Tramadol is an opioid. It seems so much more mild than that. My father had a terrible back surgery, and now he is in pain and there is nothing they can do. Now, the new laws dictate they reduce his dose. That is a good thing, because he has been using it for a long time. I sort of thought you could use Tramadol to step down from Vicodin, but if they are both opioids, maybe that doesn't solve anything.

I can not believe that Tramadol is now considered a controlled substance. I have used this before and felt that is was so mild. When they put these pills in that category, are they taking in consideration all the people that aren't drug addicts trying to just get high? I feel it is going to get to the point where you will only be able to get pain medication while in the hospital or ER. I think anything even Tylenol can be addictive if taken all the time.

This is why we have to be careful about what medicine we take. It's really scary to think that something prescribed by a doctor is now considered a controlled substance. I've always been into holistic healing for this very reason. When it comes to painkillers you learn something new everyday.

@Tsky45 No kidding! I am starting to take going holistic more seriously. I know there are other ways to treat pains. For me, treating pain might be more about treating inflammation. If that is the case then there are lots of different treatments, such as turmeric and ginger root.

I wasn't aware that Tramadol was now considered a controlled substance. I can however understand the reasoning behind it. Tramadol doesn't work like most pain relievers. If someone is taking it for actual pain, it goes directly to the source so to speak. It takes that pain away. If someone is using it that's not in pain, it gets them high for a prolonged period of time. The amount that their body tolerates increases very quickly and can easily cause someone to overdose. Tramadol is still prescribed before a stronger pain medication is given as an option. At least that is the case in my state. However due to people abusing it, I expect that to possibly change.

Tramadol can be addictive, and causes freaky dreams--at least for me. I can imagine someone liking these dreams enough to abuse it.

Inflammation is sometimes something desirable, or impossible to treat enough to take the pain away. Especially after major surgeries. After mine, I was on two high doses of anti-inflammatory drugs but still had to take tramadol as the pain would make me nauseous (as if antibiotics weren't doing that enough).

As mentioned above, Tramadol is an opiate. That is, it's directly derived from the opium poppy which is also where heroin (diamorphine) comes from. My brother is in his mid-thirties and has had problems with Tramadol addiction most of his life. He has severe medical problems with his foot after having a nasty accident when he was ten years old. They basically had to rebuild his foot but he's still having problems with it now. If he has any more surgery done it it, there could be a risk of amputation. I've also used Tramadol myself and I found it more addictive than any other drug I've taken, apart from maybe (meth)aphetamine.

I understand why they're changing the laws, since there is so much abuse, but it does make it more difficult for people who actually need pain medication.

I also know people who take Tramadol, and someone recently suggested that I ask my doctor for it due to my severe, chronic, pain. I'm glad I read this, because it sounds like this is a painkiller that I should definitely avoid.

I learn so much here. Thanks for the info.

I'm not super surprised it's being considered a controlled substance. Maybe 6 or so years ago I would have been surprised. My doctor originally put me on tramadol for Crohn's Disease(which is an absolute joke, and did nothing). Back then I would have assumed it was just a fancy aspirin, so I just never took the rest of them.

Fast forward a year or so, and a friend I had been working with had been secretly dealing with addiction without really letting on. Turned out it was tramadol. At first I didn't take him super seriously(I was only freshly discovering my path to addiction then, and was very naive), however a few months later when his doctor took him off it, he became in very rough shape.

I believe when you take it only as needed for pain you won't have a problem. I have never taken Tramadol, but I have used Viodin after my wisdom tooth was pulled and after having my babies. I now use Tylenol #3 for dysmenorrhea (painful periods). I know that may be pretty mild, but it works for me. I only take when I'm in a lot of pain and if the pain does not go completely away, I just use a heating pad and Motrin.

I used to take it for my chronic back pain. I can remember my doctor telling me that I had to have a paper prescription instead of having it called in because even though it was not officially a narcotic, it was considered a controlled substance. Tramadol was by no means as strong as some other medications I have taken in the past. All it mainly does it put me to sleep. Now, I no longer take it because it may not interact well with the Cymbalta I have to have for my fibromyalgia.

It's not that Tramadol is addictive but some people develop an addictive behavior in an attempt to get away from pain. It's because they don't want to endure or perhaps the pain is too much for them to endure that they become dependent on pain killers. There was an Asian actress who got addicted to propofol (anaesthesia) and you rarely hear about such cases. This boils down to the fact that more often than not, behavioral factors lead to addiction.

Propofol is the same medicine that Michael Jackson was taking and later died because of it. I was given Propofol when I had a colonoscopy. That drug knocks you out really fast. I am amazed at how face it works. I was talking with the assistent in the procedure room, then the next thing I am waking up and everything is done. I really don't see how one would want to take that on a regular basis.

Any painkiller has the ability to make the user dependant on it. Being in pain is a terrible thing, and if you are in constant pain every day, then those meds and the relief from the pain becomes the most important thing in your life. However, some people will respond better to some painkillers more than others. We all react differently, and can experience different side-effects. I am one of those people who can't use Tramadol as I find it will bring in a migraine fairly soon after taking it. Others will be able to use it just fine. With regards to regulation, I think a separate 'with caution' category should be introduced. Nothing ever all black or all white.

No, it isn't so addictive that it needs to be a controlled substance. Keep in mind that the DEA, a notoriously corrupt agency, is in the process of losing its favorite prohibited drug - marijuana (THC) - as its 'go to' for funding, arrests, and property confiscation. Tramadol was a logical choice to fill the void (for the DEA) left by marijuana legalization. However,
I have Crohn's Disease and I've been taking Tramadol for about 4 years (ever since infliximab, 'Remicade', stopped working for me) at the same dosage (five 50 mg pills per day) during all that time. It reduces the pain, inflammation and bloating of Crohn's with no side effects (for me, anyway), no addiction, and no tolerance increase. It isn't an opiate, per se. It's a synthetic opioid that operates to reduce pain in much the same way that opiates do, but without the 'high' that opiates induce. Using tramadol to get 'high', or using it addictively is like an alcoholic drinking mouthwash for its relatively small alcohol content. You wouldn't call mouthwash with alcohol 'addictive' and schedule it as a controlled substance would you? But everybody is job-scared, and nobody wants to oppose the DEA, so health care professionals tend to err on the side of 'caution' with regard to Tramadol -- even though it's been used for several decades with no particularly or necessarily bad downside to it (both here and in Europe). It's virtually impossible to accidentally, or even purposely, overdose to the point of death with Tramadol. Unfortunately, the drug enforcement industry is big business, and Tramadol is now a part of the DEA's 'agenda'.

This medication is used to help relieve moderate to moderately severe pain. Tramadol is similar to narcotic analgesics. It works in the brain to change how your body feels and responds to pain. Strong opioids (sometimes called opiates) are medicines used to treat severe pain and is a type of strong opioid