Potentiating Tramadol: The Dangers to Watch Out For

Think of the brain as a delicately calibrated machine. It’s nourished by blood and oxygen, and its chemical makeup is dictated by biology. Prescription drugs can upset this balance, and sometimes, that’s a good thing.

People in pain can benefit from opioid drugs like tramadol, as the pain signals originating in the brain can be amended through the chemical changes the drug brings about.

Those same beneficial chemical changes can also spur a completely different process, and that secondary process can lead to addiction. When an addiction takes hold, people can begin to make terrible choices to support that addiction. Potentiating tramadol is one such choice.

Keep reading to learn more about the risks of tramadol potentiation and how to get help if you or someone you love has developed an addiction to opioids like tramadol.

What You Need to Know About Tramadol

Tramadol is a prescription medication that is designed to relieve moderate to severe pain. It belongs in the opioid class. According to Mayo Clinic, it has been associated with both mental and physical dependence in people who use it for a long time.

People struggling with tramadol misuse or addiction may feel desperate to take the drug between doses. They may find that their thoughts center on getting more of the drug. They may grow panicked when they see their drug supplies running low.

People with a physical dependence on tramadol may experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking the drug. These symptoms are typically described as flulike and may include:

• Shivering.
• Sniffling.
• Muscle aches.
• Abdominal pain.

These symptoms may be mild and only be considered bothersome. But in later stages of the addiction process, physical withdrawal symptoms can be severe and life-threatening. For some people with tramadol addictions, these symptoms happen between doses.

Physical and mental dependence tend to work hand in hand in the development of an addiction. People who cut back may experience physical pain that makes the mental cravings and the need to avoid pain much stronger.

To avoid physical symptoms and mental distress, people who are addicted to pain medication need to keep taking that medication. But as the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) points out, people who are addicted may need to take more of the same drug in order to get the same high.

The brain tends to grow accustomed to the presence of drugs, and it may not respond to low doses of a drug the person has been taking habitually. This phenomenon is known as tolerance.

As a result, people with addictions may take massive amounts of tramadol just to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Potentiating is a dangerous way that people sometimes try to work around the issue of tolerance.

How Tramadol Potentiation Works

Tramadol potentiation works by introducing a secondary drug that boosts the effects of tramadol. It’s a bit like asking a friend to help push a rock uphill. That’s easier to do when there are four hands available instead of just two.

For example, antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) block reuptake of serotonin in the brain, according to Mayo Clinic. Since tramadol boosts serotonin levels, taking it with SSRIs is potentiation. The SSRIs make the serotonin tramadol produces much more effective.

Other prescription drugs, including amphetamines, can produce a similar effect. In a study in the Journal of Pain Symptom Management, authors report that amphetamines used in combination with drugs like tramadol tend to increase the effects of the opioids.

Stimulants also help to counteract the sleepiness opioids can cause, and that increased sense of alertness could help an addicted person to take more opioids. This is a synergy on two fronts, and it could be remarkably dangerous.

For people with tramadol addictions, these helper drugs sustain the addiction, while allowing the person to avoid upping the tramadol dose. This can seem like a smart idea, but it comes with serious consequences.

Tramadol Side Effects

Tramadol side effects may include:

• Confusion.
• Shivering.
• Diarrhea.
• Headache.
• Rapid heart rate.
• High blood pressure.
• Twitching or rigid muscles.

If serotonin levels continue to rise, people can experience seizures. That seizure reaction can be brought about through tramadol potentiation.

In a study published in Psychiatry, researchers found that half of the 83 cases of tramadol seizures involved the use of other drugs, often antidepressants. The researchers note that seizures can happen when tramadol is taken alone, but seizures are much more common when other drugs are involved.

Getting Help for Tramadol Addiction

People who misuse prescription drugs like tramadol may do so under the mistaken belief that these medications are safe. But tramadol use can certainly be dangerous, and people who potentiate tramadol deliberately are exhibiting a classic sign of addiction.

People who have addictions persist in the use and misuse of drugs, even though they may know that the drug they’re taking isn’t safe or useful. The chemical changes triggered by the brain, and the physical and mental dependence that follows, will encourage them to keep using and misusing substances despite what their higher mind might say.

Recovering from a tramadol addiction isn’t as easy as simply taking the pills away. But professional, evidence-based treatment programs like our inpatient drug and alcohol rehab in Mississippi can help people learn to deal with cravings in a safe and effective way. At Oxford, we offer compassionate, personalized care designed to meet the individual needs of each patient.

To learn more about our medical detox program and other types of rehab, call us at . Our admissions navigators are available around the clock to answer any questions you may have about paying for rehab, using insurance to pay for rehab, and more.

Don’t wait to get the help you deserve. Start treatment and begin the path to recovery today.