Sunday, December 4, 2011

Getting Tramadol cheaper is possible

If you have ever searched for an effective painkiller drug you probably know about Tramadol. This is one of the most commonly prescribed analgesic drugs that doctors choose these days. Tramadol works by altering the functioning of specific receptors in the brain that are responsible for receiving pain nerve signals, and decreasing the intensity of these signals, which makes the brain believe that there's no more pain in the body. It is a very potent painkiller that is used for a wide range of painful conditions. And it should be used with caution as it may lead to side effects if not used correctly. That is why it is only available through a prescription and regarded as a controlled substance in the US.
In contrast to other opioid analgesics Tramadol has certain advantages that explain its popularity among doctors. First of all, it is not addictive and the dependency rate is very low compared to other painkiller drugs. So you can use this drug for a long period of time under your doctor's supervision. Tramadol doesn't affect consciousness and concentration abilities to the extend previous painkiller drugs did. So you can use the drug and freely do your everyday work without being bothered by pain or worrying about drowsiness or lack of concentration.
However, one of the biggest advantages of Tramadol over other painkiller medications is that it is quite a popular drug and you can easily find it both in local pharmacies and online drugstores. And this gives you a lot of options when it comes to saving money on drug purchase. With such availability it is really easy to find a place where you can get Tramadol for a lower price. Of course, the most obvious solution would be getting it from your local pharmacy. But even when shopping around at different pharmacies you will notice that the prices will be different.
Things get even more interesting when you start looking for Tramadol online. In recent years online drugstores have become a very popular source of drugs all over the world. It's much cheaper to store drugs without having a real world store that adds up costs, so online vendors usually offer really low prices as compared to typical brick and mortar pharmacies. And it gets even more interesting as there is a lot of online pharmacies all competing for customers, which forces them to put even lower prices on Tramadol. So if you want your drug really cheap then it's the only way to get it for a fraction of the price you would pay in a typical pharmacy.
The online downside to buying Tramadol online is that you'll have to wait for your delivery rather than use the drug right after the purchase. The time of delivery depends on where you live and method of shipping you've chosen when ordering online. In some places your Tramadol can be delivered overnight while in other situations you'll have to wait for days and even weeks. But for some customers the wait is worth the opportunity for saving money they get when purchasing Tramadol online

Tramadol addiction

The only thing missing from the well-intentioned tramadol piece in JFP (McDiarmid T, Mackler L, Schneider DM, "Clinical inquiries. What is the addiction risk associated with tramadol?" J Fam Pract 2005; 54[1]:72-73) was a little common sense. The low numbers they quoted on tramadol addiction and detoxification seem paltry in comparison with illicit opiates (such as heroin) and diverted opiates (such as OxyContin), but the numbers can be deceptive--reporting agencies rarely know what's going on in the real world. In the treatment arena we see staggering amounts of Ultracet and tramadol addiction, with patients popping up to 30 or 40 pills daily to fill an ever-expanding mureceptor void. Many of these fall into the addiction innocently because, and I quote, "My doctor told me that these were safe!" Far from it. The tramadol mu activity is considerable in the opiate-naive patient, and even more so in the recovering opiate addict. The phenomenon of "reinstatement," where any activity at the receptor level triggers old drug-seeking behavior, is well documented, and should be avoided at all costs, especially given the broad nonopiate choices available to our patients in need, including the highly effective neural modulators (such as Neurontin, Depakote, and Trazodone) and NSAID/ COX-2 families. While any primary doc can step into the waters of addiction medicine, some formal training may help avoid potential disasters.

Ultram Information

Ultram, a synthetic opioid, was approved for the treatment of moderate to moderately severe pain nearly nine years ago. In the first year after approval, the FDA received 83 reports of seizures among people taking this analgesic.
Tramadol HC1 (Ultram), a centrally acting analgesic, is approved for the management of moderate to moderately severe pain. Recommended dose is 50 to 100 mg every 4 to 6 hours as needed for relief of pain, not to exceed 400 mg/d. Dosage should not exceed 300 mg/d in patients over age 75.
In clinical studies, patients with such chronic conditions as low back pain, cancer, neuropathic pain, and orthopedic and joint conditions received an average daily dose of 250 mg of tramadol in divided doses. At this dose, tramadol produced analgesia comparable with five doses of acetaminophen (300 mg) with codeine phosphate (30 mg).
The most common side effects were dizziness/vertigo, nausea, constipation, headache, somnolence, and vomiting. Tramadol may increase the risk of seizures in patients with epilepsy and in those taking MAO inhibitors or neuroleptics.
Tramadol is thought to have two mechanisms of action. First, there are Mu, Kappa, and Delta opioid-receptor effects, with an active metabolite of tramadol having Mu specificity. Decreased serotonin and norepinephrine uptake may also contribute to tramadol's analgesic effect.
Laura H. Kahn, M.D., M.P.H., and colleagues at the Federal agency searched the FDAs database of adverse drug events and found that by July 31, 1996, 124 unduplicated seizure cases occurred within one day following the initial dose of Ultram.
This adverse effect occurred at recommended doses (50 mg to 100 mg every four to six hours, not to exceed 400 mg daily). Most of those affected were healthy and between the ages of 20 and 39 years. Doctors are warned that people taking antidepressants and Ultram were at the highest risk for seizures.

New warnings about Ultram - tramadol

Ortho-McNeil has sent a Dear Doctor letter alerting prescribers to serious adverse effects and abuse potential of the centrally acting analgesic Ultram (generic name: tramadol). Ultram was approved a year ago for treatment of moderate to moderately severe pain (JAMA, 24 April 1996).
Since Ultram's approval in March 1995, the FDA has received reports of 83 adverse events in the U.S. involving seizures or convulsions, some occurring after only one dose of the drug. In most cases there was a predisposing factor of concomitant medication with antidepressants, such as tricyclics (some generic examples are imipramine, amitriptyline) and selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (some brand name examples are Prozac and Zoloft). The updated drug label warns about Ultram's potential for serious drug interaction with all antidepressant medications, antipsychotics and other drugs known to reduce the seizure threshold. The warning section of the drug label has also been modified to include new cautions about possible extreme allergic reactions, especially in persons with known adverse reactions to codeine and other opioids. Eleven such reports were received by the FDA.
In addition there have been 115 reports of adverse events described as drug abuse, dependence, withdrawal or intentional overdose. New drug labeling warns that Ultram, which is not a controlled substance, is not recommended for persons with a history of addiction or opioid dependence. The last new caution added to the label is that the recommended single and daily dosages of Ultram should not be exceeded in attempts to obtain better pain relief.