izo said:
i have in mind that tramadol is more neurotoxic than most opiates. i know people that have gone through grams of it in one day claiming they never noticed any neurotoxic effects.
on the other hand there are many who got tramadol prescribed as a pain med on a regular basis and reported of a reduced ability to think afterwards.
I am seeing way much more hogwash from all sides than I am used to. Almost every statement brought up by anyone (in this thread) really opens up a can of worms, and needs several paragraphs to reconcile it. Fact is, comformationally, be it a protein or long peptide chain, in comparison to all different organic narcotics, certain shapes and electrical charges between the two must be in common in order to activate opioid receptors. Its similar to an enzyme and an active site.
On your side: tramadol has been EXTENSIVELY studied in many countries over many years over a long period of time with many millions of people taking it. From a quick reading of the literature, both skeptics and endorsers of the drug seem to agree it is very safe, albeit somewhat addictive. Tramadol is in fact a narcotic opiate, and is quite typical in so many ways. It is funny how it could have ever been classified differently. Perhaps, because it looks chemically like Effexor’s API (structurally), combined with the fact of extremely low (parent) mu agonistic potency, and also the re-uptake properties (which may be looked at in with knowledge of an Effexor type looking molecule.) Whatever the case, FDA got it all wrong. For many, tramadol is just like hydrocodone, same nod, same buzz, longer lasting, and effects due to primarily opioid activation. Worldwide, with such wide, long term usage, if there were anything out of the ordinary especially significant with regards to safety and(or) brain damage, I believe it is more likely (vs less likely) that someone, somewhere, at some time, in some country, would have reported this. There are many reasons that tramadol doesn't seem to cause MDMA like damage. And there are other reasons why, although (red neuronal) degen. has been seen, this model (link above) is the exception. There is much evidence that tramadol can be used long term, with minimal permanent effects. If someone wants me to put all the shit together, its going to be very lengthy, but from the data available, and in the spirit of correctly interpreting the studies at hand, tramadol seems to be safer than even aspirin in some ways. Tramadol may even have a built in neuro-protective effect similar to mechanisms with which PCP can protect neurons from amphetamine toxicity. Anyway, I’m not going to get anymore into it on such a crappy, jerry springer type level. VERY DISAPPOINTED with this thread I expect much higher standards here. Even my paragraph here is one of my worst. I have been brought down.
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Tramadol - present and future
Abstract
The atypical opioid, tramadol, has recently been introduced into Australia and New Zealand. Tramadol’s efficacy in a wide range of acute and chronic pain states, its multi-formulation availability, and its low serious side-effect potential at high doses and in prolonged therapy, combine to bestow on it a user-friendly profile, for short- and long-term use in hospitals and communities. This paper reviews the following: its formulation and routes of administration; its unique enantiomeric biochemistry and metabolism; its triple mechanisms of action; its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; its analgesic efficacy compared with other opioids; the indications for its clinical use in a variety of acute and chronic (including cancer) painful states; its specific use in the elderly, in paediatric and in obstetric patients; its adverse event (including drug interaction) and safety profile; its advantages in terms of its relative lack of respiratory depression, major organ toxicity and histamine release, and dependence and abuse potential. The review looks at new uses for this drug and what can be expected in this area in the future.
