Tramadol
And Alcohol
Table of Contents
What Is Tramadol?
Tramadol is an opioid that acts against certain nerve receptors in the brain, changing pain and physical discomfort experienced by the body. It is often prescribed in cases of muscle spasms, nerve damage, or other chronic conditions, which cause severe pain.
There are a variety of health issues associated with tramadol and alcohol use. Some of these health issues associated with tramadol and alcohol are seizures, respiratory depression, hypothermia, hypertension, kidney damage, and stroke.
Dangers of Tramadol and Alcohol
The first danger of alcohol and tramadol is that they increase blood pressure. It also makes you feel more energetic and can increase an overall sense of wellbeing, which lures you into a false sense of security and make you think you can continue to drink or take alcohol and tramadol greater than what your body can handle.
Mixing alcohol and tramadol is also dangerous since they both act as depressants, which makes the combination potentially more addictive.
The Effects of Tramadol And Alcohol
If a combination of these substances is used together frequently, alcohol and tramadol will likely cause serious effects. Combining tramadol and alcohol will increase the risk of psychosis, anxiety, delusions, mania, and paranoia. Dependence upon tramadol and alcohol can occur quickly. Many people do not even realize that they are dependent on tramadol until it is too late, and their health is already suffering. The abuse of alcohol and tramadol should not be taken lightly. Many people have lost their lives because of these two substances.
The common side effects of mixing alcohol and tramadol are:
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Irritability
- Confusion
- Slurred speech
- Slurred speech
However, tramadol has side effects, specifically that include liver damage, circulatory problems, memory loss, hallucinations, and convulsions. It is also important to note that tramadol abuse has been linked to the use of amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin.
When alcohol and tramadol are taken together, it further compounds any negative effects of tramadol and alcohol alone. This means that an individual taking tramadol could potentially combine the effects, increasing the risk of overdose or other negative effects.
Alcohol and Tramadol High
Because of the way alcohol and tramadol work on the body, it is quite easy to abuse them. Tramadol has a very long-lasting effect on your body because of the way it makes you feel due to the chemicals it releases in your brain. When you are getting drunk, the brain is flooded with chemicals that make you feel good and eliminate pain or discomfort. However, when the body gets used to outside chemicals, the body will stop making these feel-good chemicals on their own. This is called tolerance and can lead to dependence and a cycle of addiction.
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Tramadol vs. Hydrocodone
When you compare tramadol vs. hydrocodone, you may wonder why you would be prescribed one over the other, and the short answer is it depends on how your body reacts to them. When considering taking a pain reliever for chronic pain, many people tend to use hydrocodone to relieve pain since it also combines over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol that can address inflammation. Though hydrocodone is less effective for pain relief than tramadol, it does not have as many side effects.
Tramadol is also a prescription pain reliever found in pharmacies. Tramadol is less effective than hydrocodone because it does not act on the same brain chemical pathways as hydrocodone. One of the major reason’s tramadol doesn’t work as a chronic pain treatment is its effects on the neurotransmitters that cause pain.
It is thought that tramadol blocks the receptors in the brain that control pain in such a way that pain becomes a problem without medication. Many studies have been conducted to investigate how tramadol works, and the results have shown that it does not affect the same pathways that hydrocodone does.
Gabapentin and Tramadol
Gabapentin is a non-stimulant anti-seizure non-anxiety causing medication that is primarily used for treating epilepsy and controlling post-traumatic neurologic pain. Gabapentin works by structurally resembling the neuromodulator GABA. GABA plays a pivotal role in regulating brain activity by keeping synapses open.
When taken as needed, gabapentin and tramadol are considered effective at reducing seizure frequency and duration. There is some evidence that gabapentin may also reduce the incidence and severity of migraines. If you take other drugs or suffer from depression or anxiety, gabapentin is also not for you.
Compared to tramadol, gabapentin is great medicine for treating anxiety, and choosing one over the other will depend on how your body reacts to the drug. Gabapentin and tramadol are both used to treat anxiety, and using either one should involve a conversation with your doctor.
Tramadol And Alcohol Treatment
Tramadol is commonly used in treating various types of conditions such as fatigue, sleeping disorders, depression, insomnia, and muscle tension. The reason for its popularity stems from the fact that it is generally easier to use than other sleep aids since it is less likely to produce any unpleasant side effects. It also works much faster than others and has been proven to have excellent results.
Thus, unfortunately, it is quite easy to form a substance use disorder, which usually requires treatment for a successful recovery. Since tramadol is used to treat common sleeping disorders, anyone who seeks treatment for taking tramadol and alcohol abuse should, in addition to traditional treatment options, receive help for any underlying issues that led to the substance abuse.
Resources
- https://www.drugs.com/tramadol.html
- https://www.drugs.com/gabapentin.html
- https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a614045.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6481580/pdf/CD003726.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6536297/pdf/CD005522.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5617157/pdf/pone.0184649.pdf