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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Tramadol information

When patients must start a treatment, they need some reliable information to feel safe and optimistic. The person who will be in charge of this so special task is their family doctor. Physicians should give patients all the necessary details on the product and its manufacturers, such as: how the product works, dosages, treatment duration, possible side effects, if interact with food, storage instructions, etc. By having more Tramadol Information, patients will begin the therapy in a more relaxing way.

Tramadol has its own history and it is necessary and important to tell it. It was launched in 1977, in Germany by Grünenthal GmbH. What is Grünenthal GmbH? It is a huge German Pharmaceutical Company whose medications (most of them produced to treat pain) are commercialized in more than 80 different places around the world. Since its foundation in 1946, a family has owned this corporation. Nowadays, one of the most important ambitions they want to fulfill is being the leader R&D Company all over the world.

And now the most important question has to be asked: what is Tramadol? It is a drug substance used to manufacture some brand name medications that are intended to treat moderate to severe pain. Nevertheless, it is not a simple painkiller. It has been designed to perform the role of a central acting palliative. It may be a substitute to NSAIDS and an alternative to morphine in low doses.

How does Tramadol come? Tramadol is available in oral preparations (immediate-release tablets and extended-release tablets) and injectable formulations and the newest formulations may allow patients to enjoy a single-dose administration.

Like with other prescription medicines, you will always need your doctor’s guide to have a secure treatment. His or her advice is thought to avoid side effects (the most common are nausea, vomiting and sweating). Even though, they can occur but if patients are monitored properly, they can be shunned.

Can everybody take Tramadol? The answer is “No”. Tramadol Information is available through doctors, pharmacists, package inserts and reliable sites for clarifying these sorts of specific points.

If you like surfing the Web, you may find some controversial Tramadol Information. Grünenthal has always advertised it as an opioid with a low risk of abuse. In spite of this promotion, dependence and abuse occur, so if you are going to be prescribed any of the products that contain Tramadol, your doctor and you will have to take into account the following issues:

a medical history of seizures or epilepsy,
a head injury,
a metabolic disease (In fact, physicians should be aware of any previous disease that patients could have suffered from),
treatments with any other medication,
drug or alcohol withdrawal or abuse.

If you read all this Tramadol Information without having talked to your doctor before, you may be afraid of using it. But, you shouldn’t because with your GP’s recommendations, you will find the best dosage and pharmaceutical form for you.

Remember that medications have been designed to help and cure persons, they are not dangerous if you take them by following professional advice. Science is at human beings service, therefore its commitment is one of the most important for people all over the world.

Apart from Tramadol scientific Information, you must know that all its pharmaceutical forms are marketed in local and online pharmacies. If you prefer purchasing it online, you can get big discounts and promo packs. Of course, you will have to complete some important forms before placing the order. These forms are related to your personal medical history, your doctor’s prescription and any other important detail that may be useful for a better and reliable buy and use of the medication.

Tramadol Information can be your ally to go along a road of recovery and health. It is your obligation as patient to be well-informed. General practitioners should also accompany and support their patients during the healing process. Tramadol drug substance has been on the Pharmaceutical Market for more than thirty years and it seems to want to stay there to go on helping people to be healthier and happier. Perhaps, it will change its forms but it will be always a safe product while being used correctly.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Tramadol Side Effects

Side Effects of Tramadol - for the Consumer
Tramadol/Acetaminophen

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Tramadol/Acetaminophen:

Constipation; diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness; increased sweating; loss of appetite; nausea.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Tramadol/Acetaminophen:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, throat, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); chest pain; confusion; difficult or painful urination; disorientation; excessive sweating; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; fever; hallucinations; loss of coordination; mental or mood changes (eg, agitation, depression); red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin; seizures (convulsions); severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; severe or persistent headache or dizziness; slow or shallow breathing; suicidal thoughts or behaviors; symptoms of liver problems (eg, yellowing of the eyes or skin, pale stools, dark urine, persistent loss of appetite); tremor; unusual tiredness or weakness; vision changes.

This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. To report side effects to the appropriate agency, please read the Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA.
Tramadol

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Tramadol:

Constipation; diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth; headache; increased sweating; indigestion; mild itching; nausea; trouble sleeping; vomiting; weakness.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Tramadol:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); agitation; chest pain; confusion; difficult or painful urination; disorientation; excessive sweating; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; fever; hallucinations; loss of coordination; mood or mental changes (eg, depression); red, blistered, swollen, or peeling skin; seizures; severe dizziness or light-headedness; severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; severe or persistent headache; slow or shallow breathing; suicidal thoughts or behaviors; tremor; vision problems.

This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. To report side effects to the appropriate agency, please read the Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA.
Tramadol Extended-Release Tablets

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Tramadol Extended-Release Tablets:

Constipation; diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth; headache; increased sweating; indigestion; mild itching; nausea; trouble sleeping; vomiting; weakness.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Tramadol Extended-Release Tablets:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); agitation; chest pain; confusion; difficult or painful urination; disorientation; excessive sweating; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; fever; hallucinations; loss of coordination; mood or mental changes (eg, depression); red, blistered, swollen, or peeling skin; seizures; severe dizziness or light-headedness; severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; severe or persistent headache; slow or shallow breathing; suicidal thoughts or behaviors; tremor; vision problems.

This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. To report side effects to the appropriate agency, please read the Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA.
Tramadol Orally Disintegrating Tablets

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Tramadol Orally Disintegrating Tablets:

Constipation; diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth; headache; increased sweating; indigestion; mild itching; nausea; trouble sleeping; vomiting; weakness.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Tramadol Orally Disintegrating Tablets:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); agitation; chest pain; confusion; difficult or painful urination; disorientation; excessive sweating; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; fever; hallucinations; loss of coordination; mood or mental changes (eg, depression); red, blistered, swollen, or peeling skin; seizures; severe dizziness or light-headedness; severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; severe or persistent headache; slow or shallow breathing; suicidal thoughts or behaviors; tremor; vision problems.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Tramadol vs Other Analgesics

Tramadol hydrochloride

Tramadol hydrochloride is an orally active, centrally acting analgesic with a dual mechanism of action introduced in July 1994. It has been used in post-surgical pain, obstetric pain, and chronic pain of mechanical and neurogenic origin. Analgesic tolerance is not a significant problem, and psychological dependence and euphoric effects are minimal.

There are a significant number of patients in the chronic group who develop side-effects, but many of those who tolerate the drug get useful benefit in pain reduction. The most common adverse events (incidence of 1.6 to 6.1%) were nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, sweating, vomiting and dry mouth.

Unlike other opioids, tramadol has no clinically relevant effects on respiratory or cardiovascular parameters. Tramadol may prove particularly useful in patients with poor cardiopulmonary function, including the elderly, the obese and smokers, in patients with impaired hepatic or renal function, and in patients in whom nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are not recommended or need to be used with caution.

Several different studies on tramadol have shown the following:

Tramadol has a dose-dependent efficacy that lies between that of codeine and morphine, with a parenteral potency comparable to that of pethidine, i.e. about 10-20% of the gold standard morphine. Oral bioavailability is high (85-100%) and permits easy conversion from the oral to the parenteral route and visa versa.
Tramadol has been demonstrated to provide superior analgesia to combined acetaminophen-propoxyphene (i.e. Darvocet) in patients experiencing severe postoperative pain, and similar analgesia.
Four-week study of 390 elderly patients with chronic pain secondary to a variety of conditions, tramadol was found to provide comparable analgesia to acetaminophen with codeine without a significant difference in associated adverse effects.
A meta-analysis of RCTs in patients with acute pain found that single doses of tramadol 75mg to 150mg had analgesic efficacy similar to combinations of paracetamol 650mg plus propoxyphene 100mg and aspirin 650mg plus codeine 60mg. Short-term studies in chronic pain have shown tramadol 100mg three times a day to be as effective as dextropropoxyphene 100mg three times a day, and tramadol 50mg to be as effective as paracetamol 300mg plus codeine 30mg (both up to 8 capsules a day)

Mechanism of action

Tramadol shows a selective interaction with mu receptors, which are responsible for nociception, and has weak pharmacodynamic activity on other opioid receptors. At the same time, it acts synergistically on neuroamine transmission by inhibiting synaptic noradrenaline (norepinephrine) reuptake and inducing intrasynaptic serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) release.

Tramadol vs. Codeine

Relative to codeine, tramadol has similar analgesic properties but may have fewer constipating, euphoric, and respiratory depressant effects.

Metanalysis by Moore and McQuay indicates an appropriate dose response curve for tramadol, and suggests a reduced number needed to treat to show therapeutic efficacy as compared with codeine, in doses of 75 to 150 mg. Nausea, vomiting and dizziness are greater than with codeine, somnolence about the same and constipation much less. In the chronic pain situation nausea and vomiting are attenuated with usage, as is somnolence for both drugs, but constipation remains a particular problem with codeine and dihydrocodeine, and less of a problem with tramadol.

Tramadol vs. Morphine

Tramadol administration may produce a set of symptoms (including dizziness, somnolence, nausea, constipation, sweating and pruritus) similar to that of an opioid. However, tramadol causes significantly less respiratory depression than morphine. In contrast to morphine, tramadol has not been shown to cause histamine release. At therapeutic doses, tramadol has no effect on heart rate, left-ventricular function or cardiac index. Orthostatic changes in blood pressure have been observed.

Different studies have shown:

Tramadol may represent a superior choice over morphine for children undergoing adenotonsillectomy, with a potential to cause less postoperative sedation and respiratory depression.
Tramadol is as effective as morphine for moderate postoperative pain but it does appear to be less effective for severe acute pain.
Tramadol has been compared with morphine in patients with post-traumatic musculoskeletal pain in the pre-hospital setting. Intravenous tramadol 100mg was equivalent to 5-10mg morphine, with similar incidence of side effects and similar degree of patient satisfaction
Demiraran Y, Kocaman B, Akman RY. A comparison of the postoperative analgesic efficacy of single-dose epidural tramadol versus morphine in children. Br J Anaesth. 2005 Oct;95(4):510-3