How does it work?
Tramadol binds to brain receptors, relieving pain. The feeling of pain and a person's response to pain are also decreased. It also allows other chemicals to gather together and reduce pain. This medicine is not a narcotic (like morphine, codeine, Demerol®).

Tramadol is comparable to those of pethidine (meperidine) and about 10 times higher than those of morphine. While it is not recommended as a supplement to general anaesthesia because of its insufficient sedative activity, tramadol has been successful in the treatment of postoperative pain. A randomised double-blind study reported acceptable analgesia with postoperative intravenous tramadol 50mg, repeated once if required after 30 minutes. It produced an effect similar to that of morphine 5mg or the alpha 2 agonist, clonidine 150 micrograms. In another study, it was shown that the 50mg dose of tramadol fulfilled the requirements of an analgesic for the treatment of moderate postoperative pain, whereas for severe pain a higher dose was recommended. Tramadol is generally well tolerated, the most common adverse events being nausea and vomiting. MORE INFO