In this video, I'd like to address another question about medications that I received. This one was in regards to tramadol. The questioner wanted to know if tramadol was safe to take and was it a good pain medication for lower back pain? Tramadol is an interesting medication and we are going to talk about what it is, who and how to safely use it, and if you should use it.

0:00 Introduction
0:41 What is Tramadol and What are the Side Effects?
2:13 What are the Effects of Tramadol?
2:57 What is Tramadol Used for?
3:30 How to Come Off of Tramadol?
4:18 Like & Subscribe!

Tramadol is indicated for moderate to severe pain. Because tramadol is a synthetic opiate or opiate agonist, it has all the same potential side effects and problems as other, stronger opiates such as Vicodin, Percocet and Oxycontin. Tramadol can cause dizziness, headache, constipation, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and sweating. You can become physically and mentally dependent on tramadol. You shouldn't generally take tramadol if you are taking other serotonin medications such as antidepressants.

For my own prescribing, I can say that I hardly ever prescribe narcotic medications except for tramadol. Tramadol is my go to medication when there is serious, severe pain that we need to control for a few days or even weeks while we get a handle on the underlying problem. I haven't personally seen addiction or abuse issues, at least not to my knowledge, but it definitely always carries that risk and as such all of its risks as well as its potential benefits need to be fully discussed with your doctor.

I hope you have found this video helpful. Please remember to like the video by clicking the thumbs up button, subscribe to the channel, and if you have any questions you can email me at [email protected] or feel free to leave me a question or comment in the comments section. Thank you. I'll see you in the next video.