General Information and Indications:
Tramadol is used to relieve moderate to
moderately severe pain. It may be used to treat pain caused by surgery and
chronic conditions such as cancer or joint pain. Tramadol is in a class of
medications called opiate (narcotic) analgesics. It works by decreasing the
body's sense of pain.
Information For Users:
Tramadol comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It
may be taken with or without food. Your doctor might start you on a low dose
of tramadol and slowly increase your dose not more often than every 3 days.
Tramadol may be taken every 4–6 hours as needed. If you take too much
tramadol, you may experience serious side effects.Ask your doctor about the
maximum number of tablets that you may take for each dose or for a 24-hour
period.Follow the directions on your prescription label, ask your doctor or
pharmacist If you have any questions. Take tramadol exactly as directed.
Tramadol can be habit-forming. Do not take a larger dose, take it more
often, or take it for a longer period of time than prescribed by your
doctor. Call your doctor if you find that you want to take extra medication
or notice any other unusual changes in your behavior or mood.
Do not discontinue taking tramadol suddenly without informing your doctor.
If you suddenly stop taking tramadol, you may experience side effects. Your
doctor will probably decrease your dose gradually.If you suddenly stop
taking tramadol you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as nervousness;
panic; sweating; difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; runny nose,
sneezing, or cough; numbness, pain, burning, or tingling in your hands or
feet; hair standing on end; or rarely, hallucinations (seeing things or
hearing voices that do not exist).
special precautions:
o Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have
allergy to tramadol or other narcotic pain medications such as meperidine
(Demerol), morphine, codeine (or medications that contain codeine such as
Tylenol with Codeine), hydrocodone (e.g., Vicodin), hydromorphone (e.g.,
Dilaudid), oxycodone (e.g., Percocet), propoxyphene (e.g., Darvon, Darvon
N), any other medications, or corn.
o Inform your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and
nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal
products you are taking. Be sure to mention any of the following: amiodarone
(Cordarone, Pacerone); antihistamines; bupropion (Wellbutrin);celecoxib (Celebrex);
cimetidine (Tagamet);cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril); digoxin (lanoxin);
doxorubincin (Adriamycin);haloperidol (Haldol); imipenem and cilastatin (Primaxin);
methadone (Dolophine, Methadose); monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors,
including isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl),
and tranylcypromine (Parnate); medications for anxiety, mental illness,
nausea, pain; medications for seizures, such as carbamazepine (Tegretol);
metoclopramide (Reglan); nefazodone; promethazine (Phenergan); quinidine (Quinaglute;
Quinidex); ranitidine (Zantac); ritonavir (Norvir, in Kaletra); sedatives;
sleeping pills; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as
citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox),
paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft); ticlopidine (Ticlid);
tranquilizers; tricylic antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil),
amoxapine (Asendin), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin),
doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Aventyl,
Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), and trimipramine (Surmontil);venlafaxine
(Effexor);warfarin (Coumadin). Many other medications may also interact with
tramadol, so be sure to Inform your doctor about all the medications you are
taking, even those that do not appear on this list. Your doctor may need to
change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side
effects.
o inform your doctor if you are breast-feeding seizures, head injury,
infection in your brain or nervous system, increased intracranial pressure
(increased pressure within the skull), diabetes, breathing problems or lung
disease, or kidney or liver disease. Also Inform your doctor if you drink or
have ever drunk large amounts of alcohol, use or have ever used street
drugs, or have overused prescription medications.
o Inform your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are
breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking tramadol, call your
doctor.
o if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, Inform your doctor or
dentist that you are taking tramadol.
o you should know that this drug may make you drowsy and may affect your
coordination. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how
this drug affects you.
o remember that alcohol can add to the drowsiness caused by this drug. The
manufacturer states that tramadol should not be taken with alcohol
containing beverages.
o you should know that tramadol may cause dizziness, lightheadedness, and
fainting when you get up from a lying position. To avoid this, get out of
bed slowly, resting your feet on the floor for a few minutes before standing
up.
Possible Adverse
Effects:
Tramadol may cause adverse effects. Inform your doctor if
any of the following symptoms are severe or do not go away:
o dizziness
o weakness
o headache
o nervousness or anxiety
o agitation
o hand tremor, shaking hands
o increased muscle tightness
o changes in mood
o drowsiness
o blurred vision (Impaired vision)
o heartburn or indigestion
o upset stomach
o vomiting
o diarrhea
o constipation
o itching
o sweating
o flushing
o dry mouth
Some adverse effects could be serious. If you experience any of these
symptoms, call your doctor without delay:
o hives (Urticaria)
o rash
o sores on the inside of your mouth, nose, eyes, or throat
o flu-like symptoms
o itching
o difficulty swallowing or breathing
o swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or
lower legs
o fast heartbeat
o hoarseness
o difficulty swallowing or breathing
o changes in urination
o seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist (hallucinating)
o seizures
Symptoms of overdose
may include:
o confusion
o vomiting
o decreased size of the pupil (the black circle in the center of the eye)
o difficulty breathing
o extreme drowsiness
o unconciousness
o coma
o seizure
o heart attack
Brand Name(s):
o Ultram®
o Ultracet® (combination with acetaminophen) |
