Responses to Drug Reactions
Responses to Various Drug Interactions with Tramadol
Most people know that Tramadol is a prescription medication used to treat moderate to moderately severe pain associated with illnesses and injuries and that unlike many other pain medications, this drug is not an opioid or narcotic. Because of this, the risk of someone becoming addicted or even developing a dependency on Tramadol is very low. However, actual responses to the various drug interactions with Tramadol is something not widely known, which is why we felt it was important to discuss.
Benefits of Tramadol
The list of benefits in taking Tramadol is impressive. As mentioned, this drug is not a narcotic, which dramatically reduces the risk of addiction and dependency. In addition, a wide group of people can take Tramadol without problem. Another benefit is that there are few side effects. Best of all, Tramadol is a highly effective drug that produces morphine and hydrocodone effects but again without concern of addiction or dependency.
Because this has been proven to be such a great alternative to narcotic pain relievers and the fact that Tramadol can be used to treat pain for an array of illnesses and injuries, more and more doctors now prescribe it. Of course as with any drug, it would be imperative to follow the dose exact and notify the doctor of any issues that might arise.
Potential Drug Interactions
Typically when someone is prescribed medication, the drug itself becomes the focus of research. In other words, most people try to find out how the medication works, as well as any risks and/or side effects. Unfortunately, interaction with other prescription medications and even supplements is something often overlooked, although very important.
What happens is that medication is entered into a computer system when a person goes to a pharmacy to have a prescription filled. If another prescription is filled at that same pharmacy or the same company but at a different location, the system automatically checks for possible drug interactions. If one is flagged, the individual and doctor are notified, at which time one of the two medications is changed. This is critical since certain drug interactions can prove fatal.
Unfortunately, there is always risk for something going wrong. A very small risk involves the computer system overlooking a potential risk but an even bigger concern is that if an individual were to take a second prescription to an entirely different pharmacy, information about a drug interaction would be missed completely. For this reason, everyone who is prescribed medication should talk to the doctor about possible interactions but go one-step further by conducting online research.
Tramadol Interactions
Keep in mind that the types of reactions often include rash, swelling, reduced mobility, headache, and so on. However, more serious drug interactions can cause elevated blood pressure, stroke, and even death. Another way that various drugs interact is by diminishing the effect of Tramadol. In other words, if someone were taking this medication after having surgery but was also taking another drug that interacted, the effects of the Tramadol might not be enough to control that person's pain.
Some of the more common people and scenarios that would cause a negative response to Tramadol have been listed below. Following, we listed two specific drug interactions with Tramadol to show how critical having this information is.
- History of alcohol and/or illicit drug addiction
- Currently taking narcotic pain relievers, sedatives, and medicine for mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, muscle relaxers, and anti-nausea/vomiting medication
- History of seizures, epilepsy, metabolic disorder, and head injury
- History of kidney disease or if on dialysis
- History of liver disease such as cirrhosis
- History of stomach or intestinal disorders
- History of suicidal thoughts
Drug Interaction Responses
As mentioned, we wanted to offer two specific examples of drug interactions with Tramadol and the associated response.
- Tramadol and Xanax: Both of these medications depress the respiratory and central nervous system. As a result, shared and common side effects include fatigue, dizziness, and slowed breathing. Although there are times when the two drugs are prescribed together, special caution must be taken. The benefit is a more favorable sedating effect but the concern is that if a doctor prescribes these two medications without having full knowledge of the risks or if an individual were to take too much of one or both drugs, a person could go into a deep sleep and actually stop breathing.
- Tramadol and Hydrocodone: While Tramadol is a non-narcotic pain reliever, Hydrocodone is a narcotic, also used for treating pain. Again, both of these drugs depress the central nervous system, which leads to shallow breathing and fatigue. As with Tramadol and Xanax, unless a person is under the care of a qualified doctor and following the dose exactly as prescribed, there would be risk of accidental overdose, causing a person to stop breathing after falling into a very deep sleep.