Tramadol Addiction Symptoms and Treatment: Do you know What is the Addiction Risk with Tramadol?

Pain killers in general are addictive when their use is not controlled. A lot of people ingest pain killers even if the discomfort they’re feeling is actually psychosomatic. While Tramadol may be less addictive than other pain killers, there is still an addiction risk when you do not follow the prescription given to you by your physician. So what is the addiction risk with tramadol? Are there any symptoms you should watch out for? What is the recommended treatment for Tramadol addiction?

Risks involved

People who are taking Tramadol for chronic aches and pains, and those who are prone to substance abuse are highly susceptible to Tramadol addiction. Tramadol is a very strong pain killer. Its effects can be felt in a couple of hours, and not more than one dosage is necessary in 24 hours. Most of the time, people are asked to discontinue taking Tramadol after five days. Taking the drug over long periods of time (more than five days) can be drastic. Some patients may claim that they’re getting “immune” to the pain killing effects of the drug, while others imagine the pain just to have an excuse to take another dosage even if it’s unnecessary.

Symptoms

You don’t have to be a doctor to know that you or your loved one is addicted to the pain killer. There are very obvious symptoms of Tramadol addiction. They include overdosing or ingesting the medicine more frequently than is prescribed by the doctor, reporting “lost” medication just so you can acquire more pain killers, asking for refills even if you still have enough Tramadol to last your prescription, stealing the drug from other people who may be taking the same medication for pain, and obsessing over your next dosage. People who are addicted to Tramadol may also have hallucinations, insomnia, anxiety attacks, excessive sweating, tremors, and diarrhea.

Treatment for the addiction

Mild Tramadol addiction only requires minimal treatment including mild withdrawal from the substance. Pulling out of the medication completely can cause negative effects. Withdrawal symptoms from Tramadol include cold sweating, tremors, anxiety attacks, irregular heartbeats, and “flashes” caused by extreme headaches. These are, for the most part, psychological. Tramadol affects the serotonin levels of the brain, which may account for the imbalance when you’re no longer using the drug. Withdrawing from the medicine by lessening the dosage until the patient is no longer dependent on it is the only way to treat mild Tramadol addiction. Counseling is recommended even for the mildest cases of addiction. Group sessions for narcotic abuse are available in almost all parts of the globe.

More severe cases may require in-patient treatment. Usually, this begins with detox. This may be more difficult than the mild withdrawal treatment used for outpatients. This is necessary especially for those whose brains may have been damaged severely because of the drug abuse. Rehabilitation for in-house patients can take about 90 days to a year. Counseling is also necessary once they’ve been detoxified from the substance. Family support is crucial during the treatment.