Tramadol is basically a painkiller that many people swear by. But as the number of people taking this pill is substantially rising by the day, many people are starting to wonder about the side effects or consequences this pill might have on their health in the long-run. Although it has undeniable results, many people are still wondering if tramadol is a narcotic substance or not. The answer is both yes and no. Although it is not officially classified as a narcotic by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), tramadol is categorized as a class of opioid analgesics, which is why it might be considered as a narcotic in some countries. Even though it does not have the great dangers that a narcotic possesses, it still has some addictive nature associated with it.
Why is tramadol HCl confused as a narcotic?
Tramadol provides excellent results in alleviating pain symptoms for different types of pain resulting from injuries, surgeries, and joint pain. This overall pain relieving capability of tramadol springs from the fact that it works on the central nervous system of the body. In the process of relieving pain, this drug produces effects that are identical to morphine or oxycodone which are hardcore opitates with a high risk of abuse and addiction. This pill also produces a mild euphoric feeling in some people. Hence many people confuse it for a narcotic. But in comparison to the true narcotic meds, the effects of generic tramadol are much milder and hence it is a non-narcotic substance in that sense. Evidence suggests that it is much less addictive compared to narcotics. It is actually advantageous that this medicine is not classified as a narcotic because that way the true medical use of tramadol does not go to waste.
How to prevent the dangers of tramadol addiction?
The addictive nature of this pill only dawns upon people who use it improperly. Take this pill by following the recommendations from the doctor and no bad consequences will occur. By bearing in mind the risks associated with this pill, many doctors only prescribe this medicine for a short duration. When tramadol is used for a long term one might develop tolerance towards the pill. Developing tolerance means that the current dosage must be increased so as to get the same effect as before. So the dose needs to go higher whereas the effect keeps going lower. So, in other words, it can also be termed as an addiction because now the body will start physically depending on the pill. If a regular dose of the pill is not given, the addicted individual will start feeling restless and depressed.
Another precaution to prevent oneself from addiction is to only use the pill to relieve pain and not for recreational purposes. When one uses this pill just for the euphoric feeling it produces, people tend to get very high, which can have detrimental effects on their health in the long-run. But when the pill is taken for genuine purposes such as to heal a medical illness, the focus of the medicine will be in relieving the pain and as a result people will not get as high as they do when they take it for fun.
This pill must be taken orally as a whole tablet and should not be crushed or broken. Snorting tramadol is very dangerous because it gets into the brain faster and there is a significantly higher risk of overdose.
All these dangers can be absolutely prevented if the drug is taken according to the instructions provided. One can enjoy a pain-free life with the right usage of this pill.
