Tramadol Addiction | Signs, Symptoms and Effects

While it is highly effective, tramadol can come with a range of dangerous side effects. This is why it is a Class C controlled drug in the UK and is illegal without a prescription. Some common tramadol side effects include drowsiness, nausea, dizziness, dry mouth and tramadol addiction.
Tramadol is available in pills, capsules and liquids and comes in both quick-acting and extended-release forms. Quick-acting tablets offer fast relief, while extended versions provide a steady dosage, perfect for ongoing pain management.

Tramadol addiction happens when the drug takes control of your life, making it hard to quit despite the negative effects piling up. Just like with other forms of opioid addiction, we hear tramadol addiction stories, which begin with both prescription use and recreational abuse.

Whether for prescription pain relief or to get high, you will usually find that tramadol is very effective for the first few days. However, you may be surprised at how quickly your body can build a tolerance and this can leave you feeling like you need to bump up your dose a little.

If you do this without consulting a doctor, the resulting high levels of tramadol in your body can cause physical dependency to kick in. This means that if you stop taking tramadol or even if you try to drop your dose again, withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, depression and nausea flare up.

Soon enough, a mental grip also takes hold, with tramadol becoming your only escape from life’s pressures. This dual mental and physical dependency causes you to lose control and turns “normal” tramadol use into a life-consuming compulsion.

Tramadol is very powerful, so anybody who takes it could potentially become dependent on it. However, everyone has their own level of tramadol addiction risk because of personal background and even genetics. Here are some facts that could raise your tramadol addiction risk:

Your genes

If addiction is common in your family, you might be more prone to it yourself. Studies suggest that this is because genetics can affect how your brain responds to drugs, making it more likely you will become addicted to tramadol.

Mental health struggles

Using tramadol to help with anxiety or depression, a common form of self-medication, it is easy to become reliant on tramadol 24/7. This can make giving up incredibly difficult, even when tramadol addiction begins to make those problems worse.

The risks of tramadol addiction ripple outwards rapidly, affecting nearly every part of your life. Here are some of the biggest dangers:

• Tramadol overdose: Taking more tramadol than your body is able to cope with can cause tramadol overdose. This may start with shallow breathing and heavy drowsiness and lead to loss of consciousness, respiratory failure and even death. A tramadol overdose is an emergency that needs immediate medical help.
• Liver damage: Long-term tramadol use, especially with alcohol, can damage your liver severely, risking even more serious health problems.
• Seizures: High doses of tramadol increase the risk of seizures, which can be especially hazardous if they happen at the wrong time, like while you’re driving.
• Serotonin syndrome: Rare but serious, tramadol can push up serotonin levels too high, leading to confusion, rapid heartbeat and muscle stiffness, especially if taken with other meds that affect serotonin. In the worst cases, serotonin syndrome can be fatal.
• Mental health impacts: Addiction to tramadol can worsen anxiety and depression or even lead to new mental health issues.
• Personal issues: Tramadol addiction can ruin your relationships, affect your job and education and quickly put you in a financial and legal mess.