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Beach House Rehab Center » Blog » How Long Does It Take to Get Addicted to Tramadol?
Because tramadol is an opiate analgesic painkiller, it has cultivated an underclass of opiate users who seek it out for recreational purposes. With its relatively recent introduction to the market as a safer, less addictive, alternative to more potent synthetic opiates such as Percocet or oxycodone, various misconceptions about tramadol have developed with some of these distorting its reputation for not being highly addictive into meaning not addictive at all.
While tramadol is not as addictive as those opiates mentioned above, regular use or abuse of the drug can carry serious risks and addictive potential. Reading this, you may be left wondering, then how long does it take to get addicted to tramadol? The short answer to this question is, it depends; depends on the user, their consumption habits, and a variety of other factors. Below, we will discuss these factors and delve into how tramadol interacts with the body so that you can have a greater understanding of how addiction may develop and how the need for medically-assisted inpatient treatment may occur.
As mentioned, tramadol is an opiate analgesic prescribed for people dealing with moderate to moderately severe pain. It is regularly prescribed to people who suffer from chronic pain or have recently undergone a semi-serious surgery. Tramadol is taken orally as a 50mg tablet.
Tramadol is commonly sold under the following brand names:
When purchased on the street it is often referred to as:
When first released in the mid-90s under the name Ultram, tramadol was marketed as the new wonder painkiller that offered all the benefits of other synthetic opiates without many of the drawbacks of more potent pain pills. As a result, doctors spent years prescribing this “safer” painkilling substitute; surprisingly, the DEA didn’t even have it classified as a controlled substance due to this misconception of low potential for abuse.
This perception that tramadol was relatively safe made it easier to get a hold of since it was much more freely prescribed by well-meaning doctors. People who would have never otherwise been drug seeking felt fine popping the pills like candy because their doctor told them it was a safe, non-narcotic. As you might imagine, a divergence between clinical trials and the real world set in, as an increasingly larger percentage of users wound up addicted or in the emergency room.
This aspect of seeming benignity is what makes tramadol such a threat. According to SAMHSA, 43 million Americans have prescribed tramadol in 2013, a five-time increase in prescriptions since 2003. It wasn’t until 2014 that the DEA finally rescheduled the drug as a Schedule IV controlled substance.
In order to understand how long it takes to get addicted to tramadol, it is important to know how tramadol interacts with your brain and body. Our bodies have natural opioid receptors in various parts of our systems including:
The synthetic opiates within tramadol adhere to these opioid receptors, tricking them into believing that they are natural opiates. This activates the receptors, causing somatic and psychoactive effects. Tramadol modifies the brain’s dispensation of pain signals as they journey between the brain and the nerves. It targets several different parts of the nervous system, each one contributing to feelings of pain relief and mood changing. When taken orally, the onset of effects will usually occur within sixty minutes. These include:
Common side effects of tramadol use and abuse include:
Despite the inherent dangers and possible side effects, the pleasant effects of tramadol make it all too easy to fall into a drug addiction. This begins with a building tolerance that eventually turns into physical dependence.
As we first mentioned, how long it takes you to get addicted and the seriousness of withdrawal symptoms to tramadol depends on various factors including:
As a result, men are more likely to become addicted to tramadol. Naturally, this tends to mean that their withdrawal symptoms and detox timeline are longer and more unpleasant than those commonly experienced by women.
Tramadol dependence and addiction will be affected by these symptoms, but on average, a person taking 200-300mgs of tramadol a day can find themselves at least somewhat physically dependent within as little as ten days. If you were taking 4-6 pills a day for a week and a half, it would not be surprising if you experienced at least moderate withdrawal symptoms after stopping.
There are several signs of impending tramadol addiction. Some of these signs are easier to spot than others, but by knowing what to look for on the horizon, you may be able to save yourself or someone you love from falling into the clutches of addiction.
o Dry mouth
o Extreme sweating
o Feelings of depression
o Fever
o Headache
o Heartburn
o Inability to concentrate
o Indigestion
o Lack of appetite
o Light-headedness
o Mood swings
o Muscle aches
o Nausea
o Opiate-induced constipation
o Regular drowsiness
o Vomiting
o Weakness
o Aches
o Anxiety
o Arrhythmia
o Cold chills
o Coughing
o Diarrhea
o Hallucinations
o Hypertension
o Insomnia
o Muscle spasms
o Nausea
o Pain
o Panic
o Runny nose
o Seizures
o Shaking
o Sneezing
o Sweating
o Tremors
o Vomiting
o Abandonment of personal or professional responsibilities
o Absence from work
o Failing relationships with friends and family
o Financial troubles
o Inattention to personal care and hygiene
o Serious health problems
o Hanging with other friends and circles who regularly engage in recreational drug usage.
o Visiting multiple doctors to get multiple tramadol prescriptions
o Going to the emergency room to get tramadol
o Repeatedly claiming that you lost your tramadol prescription
While the addiction timeline is different for every tramadol user, the ever-increasing frequency of annual ER visits clearly illustrates that this is an epidemic that must be addressed. If you feel as if you or a loved one have fallen victim to the temptation of tramadol abuse and addiction, it is essential you seek help immediately.
Because can be quite uncomfortable, it is recommended that you detox at an inpatient facility, under the medical supervision of professionals. Beach House Recovery is one such medical clinic that can help you fight your way free from the clutches of addiction. The road to recovery can be arduous and uncomfortable, but autonomy from addiction is well worth the short-term discomfort. If you are ready to change your life for the better and enroll in a Florida inpatient treatment facility for your drug addiction, Beach House Recovery is ready to guide you.
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