Ultram is the trade name for Tramadol which is an atypical opioid. It is a synthetic agent, as a 4-phenyl-piperidine analogue of codeine, and appears to have actions on the GABAergic, noradrenergic and serotonergic systems & is thus used as a centrally acting analgesic for treating moderate to severe pain.
Tramadol is usually marketed as the hydrochloride salt (tramadol hydrochloride) and is available in both injectable (intravenous and/or intramuscular) and oral preparations. It is also available in conjunction with paracetamol.
Ultram Prescription:
Ultram is used to relieve moderate to moderately severe pain. Ultram extended-release tablets are only used by people who are expected to need medication to relieve pain around-the-clock for a long time. Ultram belongs to the class of drugs called opiate agonists. It works by changing the way the body senses pain.
Tramadol comes as a tablet and an extended-release (long-acting) tablet to take by mouth. The regular tablet is usually taken with or without food every 4-6 hours as needed. The extended-release tablet should be taken once a day. Oral doses range from 50?400 mg daily, with up to 600 mg daily when given IV/IM. The formulation containing APAP contains 37.5 mg of Tramadol and 325 mg of paracetamol, intended for oral administration with a common dosing recommendation of one or two tabs every four to six hours although final dosage is decided by physician and is highly case specific.
Ultram Abuse:
MedWatch is a FDA database of adverse events of case reports voluntarily submitted to the FDA. From 1999 through September 2004, the FDA received 766 case reports of Tramadol abuse. It is most commonly abused by narcotic addicts, chronic pain patients, and health professionals.
Tramadol is approximately 10% as potent as morphine, when given by the IV/IM route. It is a potent habit-forming substance. Tramadol is not currently scheduled by the U.S. DEA, unlike other opioid analgesics. Nevertheless, the prescribing information for Ultram warns that Tramadol may induce psychological and physical dependence of the morphine-type. In addition, there are widespread reports by consumers of extremely difficult withdrawal experiences. A controlled study that compared different medications found that the percent of subjects who scored positive for abuse at least once during the 12-month follow-up were 2.5% for NSAIDs, 2.7% for Tramadol, and 4.9% for hydrocodone. Taking more Tramadol / Ultram than what is prescribed by your doctor may cause serious side effects or death.
Effects of Ultram Abuse:
The most commonly reported adverse drug reactions are nausea, vomiting and sweating. Drowsiness is reported, although it is less of an issue than with other opioids. Respiratory depression, a common side effect of opioids, is not clinically significant in normal doses. Serious potential consequences of over dosage are respiratory depression, lethargy, coma, seizure, cardiac arrest and death. Fatalities have been reported in post marketing in association with both intentional and unintentional overdose with Ultram.
Ultram may induce psychic and physical dependence of the morphine-type opioids. Dependence and abuse, including drug-seeking behavior and taking illicit actions to obtain the drug are not limited to those patients with prior history of opioid dependence. The risk in patients with substance abuse has been observed to be higher. Ultram is associated with craving and tolerance development. Withdrawal symptoms may occur if Ultram is discontinued abruptly. These symptoms may be relieved by reinstitution of opioid therapy followed by a gradual, tapered dose reduction of the medication combined with symptomatic support.
Vicodin Prescription:
Vicodin is one of the most widely prescribed opiate medications for treatment of moderate to severe pain in injury, illness, surgery or a chronic condition across the globe. Overall, it has been reported as an effective, well tolerated opioid for analgesic purposes. It is quite inexpensive, with a mild side effects profile. It is one of the most favored prescribed pain relievers as allergic reactions are highly unlikely with Vicodin.
Vicodin Abuse:
It is estimated that in 1999, 4 million people were using prescription drugs non-medically and out of these 4 million, 2.6 million misused pain relievers the most common of which is Vicodin. In 2000, the National Institute on Drug Abuse listed Vicodin as an emerging recreational drug. Its use has risen steadily each year, and has now achieved the status of no longer being emerging. Vicodin has become one of the most commonly abused prescription medications. In 2006, USA Today reported that more emergency room visits are made by Vicodin and other prescription drugs abusers than by all other illicit drug abusers combined.
Effects of Vicodin Abuse:
Some of the common side effects of Vicodin abuse include confusion, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, dizziness, drowsiness, redness of the face, and temporary changes in vision or mood, along with infrequent constipation. These effects can be subdued by drinking a lot of water and consuming fiber rich foods on daily basis.
Over a period of time, effects of Vicodin abuse become more serious and more damaging. There may be cardiac arrhythmia leading to speeding up or slowing down of the heart rate. As Vicodin use grows, its effects can be characterized by blurred vision, hallucinations, and severe confusion.
Vicodin may interact with many other drugs if taken in conjunction, like, various sedatives, tranquilizers, antidepressants, other analgesics, antihistamines, anti-anxiety & anti-spasmodic drugs to name a few. Because of this high potential for drug interactions, it is highly recommended to avoid alcohol, which can increase drowsiness and dizziness, and may cause damage to the liver, and other medications containing acetaminophen.
As with other Opiate drugs, Vicodin withdrawal symptoms include restlessness, muscle pain, bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes, goose bumps, involuntary leg movements, watery eyes, runny nose, loss of appetite, irritability, panic, nausea, chills & sweating to name a few.
Vicodin Testing:
When consumed, some amount of Vicodin remains unchanged in the body while rest of it is metabolized to different secondary products called metabolites. A diverse array of techniques is available nowadays to detect these unchanged Vicodin or Vicodin metabolites, such as:
?Blood sampling for Vicodin/metabolite testing ?Urine based Vicodin/metabolite testing ?Hair follicle based Vicodin/metabolite detection ?GC/MS based Vicodin/metabolite detection ?Vicodin/metabolite-specific antibody based diagnostic kits
GC/MS or Antibody based screening can be done on any of the blood, urine or hair follicle samples. Some companies have also come out with rapid screening kits for home use which can be used without any previous expertise.
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