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How is tramadol different from classic opiates?

Well, technically its not an opiate, but an opioid... so that is one difference. opiate is a alkaloid derived from the opium poppy, an opioid is a compound which binds to opioid receptors. But that hardly has to do with pharmacology.
 
Not at all. I'm interested in how its pharmacology differs.
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It binds to mu receptors similar to classic opiates but also has SNRI properties similar to some antidepressants. This is probably why it has efficacy against neuropathy, as well as physical pain.
 
It has worse withdrawals than Vicodin and isn't even as strong. I felt downright depressed as heck coming off small doses of tramadol. I'll never touch that stuff again.
 
By the way, is it contraindicated with MAOIs, e.g. Parnate?
 
Tramadol can be good for break through pain with moderate to severe pain, so that pain stays manageable. It is classified as an analgesic (pain reliever) and recently (as of August 18th, 2014) has been added to the list of controlled substances (class IV) per DEA guidelines. In the past, it has been considered a non narcotic substitute for narcotic analgesics and therefore was thought to be less addictive. In addition to it being centrally acting it also inhibits the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin which probally explains werk2play's reaction to it. Naturally occurring "opiates" are from poppy (a plant alkaloid) such as morphine, opium, heroin, etc. while opioid synthetics include drugs like ocycodone, fentanyl, or Demerol. I think opiates and opioids are often used interchangeably although technically its not 100% accurate. It's also my understanding that the mechanism of opioids and or opiates are not yet entirely understood, but certain combinations of say tramadol and morphine or tramadol and psychedelics, CNS stimulants (cocaine, MDA, etc.) can cause serotonin syndrome (way toooooooo much) ... My mind just sidebars ... Anyway, hope that helps a little :-)
 
It's a Sigma antagonist, Sigma antagonists dramatically potentially potentials opiates, it causes more opiate effects then it should, that's why I could combine it with GHB for example, while the opiate effects are simular to codeine and that combo is deadly.
 
Its affinity for mu is extremely week, so the first order metabolite is likely responsible for the majority of its opioid effects.

ebola
 
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