Tramadol - pain salvation and its dark side

A prescription drug Tramadol is known for its considerable analgesic effect. Its strong analgesic activity provides a rapid, long-lasting effect of up to 36 hours with the first reception. The medication is inferior to morphine in terms of pharmacological action at the same doses; it is therefore used in large doses, respectively.

In recent years, its use for the treatment of moderate to severe pain of various genesis is gaining momentum. For this purpose a synthetic analgesic of central action of the last generation is applied - tramadol hydrochloride (available at many markets as Tramal). The medication holds the title of the fourth most prescribed analgesic in the world, and is appointed to treat both oncology and non-cancer pain in 70 countries around the world. With the years of clinical trials, practice and observations, the modern treatment approaches offer a large knowledgebase on the optimal application. The considerably high results presented in this data gives reason to draw the attention of clinicians dealing with acute and chronic pain syndromes of high intensity. The latest anesthesiology trends reveal the essential role of tramadol hydrochloride in rheumatology.

Where did it all start

The medication’s history dates back to 1962 - the employee of the German pharmaceutical company Grünenthal GmbH, Dr. Kurt Flick, has synthesized the drug’s formula, which heralded the new era of opioid narcotic analgesics. Within just a few years Tramadol has acquired the status of the world’s most prescribed mono-analgesic preparation of central action.

During the time that has elapsed since the creation of the drug, Tramadol was distributed to over 82 million patients worldwide, but despite its wide application, it has been included in none of the top 100 bestselling drugs lists in the US, published annually and quarterly by Drugs.com. Currently, in addition to companies Grünenthal, the production and distribution of Tramadol in the world is a prerogative of another 17 companies. Their total sales amount, on average, is 25 million unit doses of tramadol per minute, although the need for medicine, tramadol, is not going beyond of 75 percent of this amount.

Non-prescription use of Tramadol

In most states, tramadol equated to high-risk narcotic substances, and its manufacture, storage, distribution and use is strictly limited and is under control of the authorities. Due to the existing negative impact on the human body in a number of Central and Eastern European countries it is officially recognized as illegal drug. In Sweden, for example, the production and distribution of the drug is heavily controlled, however, the preparations containing it need just a regular prescription.

Almost immediately after the appearance of the drug in the environment of drug users it was revealed that it has a huge narcotic substance potential. The nature of its effects on the human body is comparable to the strongest substances; and because of the official drug status in most states at the moment of release, Tramadol was primarily used as a substitution for the existing drugs or even a primary narcotic substance. Non-prescription use of tramadol may lead to lethal consequences and trigger suicidal behaviour, while the chronic abuse, regardless of the general health conditions, reduces the anticipated life period up to 4 years.