I was on oxycodone 30 mg and percecet 10mg muliple times a day for a year for back pain but wanted to get off it because I was becoming seriously addicted. My Dr just gave me this new drug tramadol and I'm a little worried and also wanted to know what the term "narcotic- like drug" means. Thank you!
Is tramadol an opiate since it works on opiate brain receptors?
Question posted by angie626 on 24 July 2012
Last updated on 13 September 2016
9 Answers
bugsbunny197930
14 Sep 2015
Yes
premasap
21 June 2015
I used Vicodin for 2 years and then was graduated to Percocet. I was taking upwards of 60-100 mgs a day for a year. I was ALSO prescribed tramadol. The withdrawals from Percocet were unbearable. To make a long story short, I got fed up with it running my life. I decided to get off Percocet and i used tramadol to do it. I took 9/day for 5 days, then 6/day, the 4 1/2, then 3/day. On day 21, I got off tramadol. Other than some fatigue and occasional dizziness, I was fine. It was way better than Percocet withdrawal. But i think it important, when getting off of any med to taper down like I did. It makes it a bit easier
Delila
3 Aug 2014
Tramadol is a narcotic-like analgesic, a synthetic opiate
martindw
12 Sep 2016
I love that many places even in the Internet started calling it a synthetic opiate when it became controlled in 2014. It is a racemic mixture inhibiting the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin and has an opiate like effect. Opiate-like and narcotic-like are the same exact thing. All opiate are narcotics. But not all controlled substances are narcotics!
NJjones
3 Aug 2014
Plain & Simple... YES!
DzooBaby
24 July 2012
Having withdrawals when an opioid drug is withheld is NOT a sign of addiction, it is a sign of dependence. Many drugs can cause dependence and have ill effects on the body if they are stopped suddenly. This is not the same as addiction. Addiction is a behavior characterized by cravings for a med, uncontrolled use of a med, preoccupation and spending most of ones time on obtaining and using a substance, continued unauthorized dose increases, use of a drug in spite of harm etc. One of the biggest factors in addiction is when a person loses control over taking a med and also taking an opioid for recreational use (for getting high or effects of the opioid other than pain relief) Just the fact that you get withdrawals when you stop taking a medication doesnt mean you are addicted as many people believe. Many medications must be withdrawn slowly to avoid ill effects.
A non-addicted person can be weaned off of opioids when they are no longer needed because they can control the amount they take. An addicted person cant. They will continue to take more and more for the desired results (the high).
I dont use the word narcotic. It is an antiquated term in medicine. Narcotics is a term used by law enforcement and tends to connotate illegal activity-the proper term medically is opioid. However "opioid-like" means that the drug is not derived from the opium poppy or is it sythesized to be chemically related to drugs from poppies, like morphine or thebaine. Tramadol is a synthetic drug not chemically related to any other opioid drug BUT it acts in the brain on opioid recepetors and therefore carries the same risks of misuse that opioids do. You can become dependent on tramadol and you can become addicted to tramadol but the incidence is usually lower than drugs like morphine or oxycodone.
skyler07
16 Nov 2013
This is a very good answer.
Inactive
24 July 2012
all that I have to say is that Kaismama answered your question perfectly! that said, I do know ppl who have developed a dependence to Tramadol so be careful! :)
kaismama
24 July 2012
It has opiate action, no matter what its called. Its not an opioid however. It is addicting if you make a habit of taking too many at a time and if you're taking it to get high. What do you mean you were becoming addicted? Addiction is a word that is tossed around by everyone and most don't really mean addiction. We develope a tolerance to opiates, and the dose has to be increased for it to be effective for pain relief, and if we stop them suddenly we have withdrawal. This is NOT addiction.
Jessaca
6 March 2013
I agree with Kaismama! I worked for a pain management doctor for 9 years and learned a lot during that time. I just wanted to add that addiction is often times also confused with dependency. There is a HUGE difference in the two. Dependency means that your body now needs the narcotic due to being in pain. Also, after taking a medication continuously for a period of time, your body gets used to it and therefore relies on it to function. I think that people confuse this with addiction a lot because of the word "need." Addiction has to do with your brain and is a completely different terminology. You'll know you're addicted if you start taking the medications for the feeling rather than for pain relief. There are many other symptoms of addiction but that's, I think, the most obvious.
LaurieShay
24 July 2012
Tramadol is not an opiate as it is not derived from the poppy plant. None the less, tramadol acts on the same receptor sites in the brain as opioid medications and also has antidepressant properties. As a narcotic-like drug, it can be addictive and if stopped abruptly after taking regularly for a period of time, the user will experience withdrawals. Many doctors over look this fact and fail to tell their patients.
Inactive
24 July 2012
hi angie, if tramadol is mixed with an antidepressant (especially an SNRI) there is a chance of serotonin syndrome, so just be aware.
And yes, LaurieShay and B are both right, addiction is possible.
I've seen too many posts of people having a helluva time getting off of it. Tread carefully.
carol14
13 April 2014
I just want to know will tramadol help my pain like percocet would. Because i am in pain on s scale of 1 to 10 its a 9 and a half. And i dont want
To take something that will not help
LaurieShay
14 April 2014
Although Tramadol is not as strong an analgesic as Percocet, it will at least reduce the pain and maybe enough. Just be aware to take as prescribed and that your body does become dependent on it overtime such that you must taper off it when discontinuing.
Geraldo Di G
12 Jan 2015
I have been taking Tramadol for about 10 yrs for chronic back pain. A few years ago, after noticing withdrawal symptoms after missing a dose, I decided to try stopping and see what happened even though it did not completely eliminate my pain. I also have pain from osteoarthritis that the Tramadol did not affect accept in very high doses.
Although I tapered off, it was very difficult because of withdrawal symptoms. The result when completely off the drug was that my, pain returned to previous levels. I then resumed taking the Tramadol.
I am now juicing marijuana (THC-a is non-psychoactive) and my pain is at relatively low levels. I've reduced my Tramadol intake from 500-800 mg/day to 50-100 mg/day depending... I've also completely stopped taking Ambien for sleep (difficult because of the pain).
I do inhale very small amounts marijuana in the evening and use an marijuana edible occasionally for sleep. I believe that some THC (psychoactive) is necessary along with the numerous other healing cannabanoids in MMJ. Prior to this I had not used marijuana for many years.
LaurieShay
12 Jan 2015
Wish I lived were it wasn't illegal.
thern6686
15 April 2015
I as well at about 9 9.5 on the paIn scale without takiING oxy for my pain, pain is also at the eye of the beholder and the mind set. I used to take 30 milligram oxy's and I found with meditation and certain forms of therapy I've been able to lower it down! Tramadol will not do nothing for that kind of pain personally. I have found that medical marijuana and a 10 MG helps extremely fast. I am now Disabled from degenerative disk disease and a few fractures from the stress caused by the degeneration. I. Have found a doctor that says he can fix me but we Shall see! these pain management people are a joke big time and when I prove it I'm going to have a day with them oh I tell you what, they will be in trouble legally..
balbanese
24 July 2012
Tramadol is a synthetic. Addiction is really a product of our behavior, rather than the med or substance, so you may want to look into the issue from that perspective. Why? Because Tramadol is just as "Addictive" if a person is predisposed to getting addicted. So you can approach this 2 ways, one, behaviorally, accepting that anything you get is something you can get addicted to. Two, maybe it's the behavior and not the substance. Either way (or any other way you may choose), I wish you the best and I hope this helps a bit.
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pain, oxycodone, tramadol, opiate
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