Tramadol Addiction: Sign and Symptoms

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Tramadol is an opioid painkiller that doctors prescribe to manage moderate to severe pain. Like other opioid medications, many people abuse tramadol to get high, but this can harm their physical and mental health. It’s important to know the signs of tramadol addiction so that you can get yourself or a loved one the help necessary to recover from tramadol abuse.

What Is a Tramadol Addiction?

Before learning the signs and symptoms of a tramadol addiction, you first need to know how addiction is defined. Addiction is also known as a substance use disorder, which is characterized by a pattern of compulsive drug or alcohol use despite negative consequences. If you are addicted to tramadol, you are likely unable to control your tramadol use.

Signs of Tramadol Abuse and Addiction

There are several signs of tramadol addiction to be aware of—both behavioral and physical. If someone you love is abusing tramadol, you may notice:

Bloodshot eyes
Constricted pupils
Slurred speech
Severe drowsiness
Attention or memory problems
Poor personal hygiene
Mood swings
Changes in appetite resulting in sudden weight loss or gain

You might notice the above signs when someone is high on tramadol. However, even if someone isn’t currently under the influence, there are other behavioral signs of tramadol addiction, such as:

Neglecting previously enjoyed hobbies and social situations to abuse tramadol
Using tramadol regardless of negative consequences at work, home, or school
Mixing tramadol with alcohol or other drugs
Being dishonest or secretive
“Doctor shopping” for new doctors to prescribe tramadol
Using tramadol while driving or operating machinery
Failing to quit using tramadol, despite attempts to do so
Spending a disproportionate amount of time getting and using tramadol, as well as recovering from a tramadol high

If you or someone you know may be struggling with tramadol abuse or any other type of substance abuse, help is available. Call 800-681-1058 (Sponsored) to speak to a treatment support specialist who can discuss tramadol addiction treatment options with you.

Am I Addicted to Tramadol?

Sometimes it may be easier to recognize a tramadol addiction in a loved one, but what about yourself? Here are some signs and symptoms of tramadol addiction to be on the lookout for in yourself:

Tramadol tolerance: Abusing tramadol quickens the rate at which you develop a tolerance to the opioid. This means you need higher doses to feel high. If you notice that you don’t experience the same effects with the same dose, it’s likely that you’ve developed a tolerance. This can be dangerous, as taking higher tramadol doses increases the risk of overdose. While tolerance alone doesn’t mean you have an addiction, it is a risk factor for addiction.
Physical dependence: Tramadol abuse can lead to physical dependence. This means that you’ll experience distressing withdrawal symptoms when you suddenly stop using the medication. Again, dependence isn’t the same as an addiction, but it’s certainly a sign of addiction.
Withdrawal symptoms: If you notice symptoms, such as excessive sweating, pain, nausea, anxiety, tremors, insomnia, and flu-like symptoms, when you abruptly stop using tramadol, then you’re experiencing withdrawal. These withdrawal symptoms are typically so unpleasant that people may seek out more tramadol to alleviate them. This creates an uncontrollable cycle of abuse that can lead to addiction.

Additionally, you may experience negative consequences in many different areas of your life, such as:

Missing work or school
Getting fired from your job
Failing to fulfill parenting or spousal responsibilities
Experiencing financial problems
Going through a divorce or break-up
Losing custody of your children
Getting arrested for unlawful possession of tramadol
Accidentally overdosing on tramadol
Experiencing mental health problems as a result of tramadol use

If you or someone you care about exhibits these signs and symptoms of tramadol addiction, it’s never too late to get help. Call 800-681-1058 (Sponsored) to speak to a recovery specialist about tramadol addiction treatment options.

How Long Can You Take Tramadol?

If you were prescribed tramadol, you should follow your physician’s instructions exactly. Don’t take higher or more frequent doses of tramadol than prescribed, and don’t take it for longer than prescribed. The latter is typically fairly easy to comply with because your doctor will likely not give you any refills without authorization.

In many cases, patients are prescribed tramadol for short-term use after a medical procedure. But occasionally, doctors will prescribe tramadol for the management of chronic pain, such as osteoarthritis, in which patients may take tramadol for a longer period of time.⁵ This increases the risk of developing a tolerance and dependence on tramadol.

It’s important to talk to your doctor if your current tramadol dose is no longer alleviating your pain or if you experience unwanted symptoms when you miss a dose. When it’s time to stop taking tramadol, your doctor will create a tapering schedule in which you slowly wean off the opioid medication so that you don’t experience withdrawal symptoms.

What Are the Side Effects of Tramadol Abuse?

Even when taking tramadol as prescribed, there’s a chance you may still experience side effects. Abusing this medication significantly increases your risk of experiencing adverse effects, such as:

Sleep problems
Excessive sleepiness
Nervousness and anxiety
Uncontrollable shaking
Muscle tightness
Heartburn or indigestion
Dry mouth
Mood disturbances

More serious side effects of tramadol abuse include:

Hives
Seizures
Agitation
Hallucinations
Swelling of the face, tongue, lips, throat, eyes, or hands and feet
Difficulty swallowing or breathing
Blisters or rash
Fever and sweating
Gastrointestinal problems
Rapid heart rate
Confusion
Loss of coordination or consciousness

If you or someone you know is experiencing these serious tramadol side effects, call your doctor immediately and discontinue use. If it seems like an emergency, call 911.

What Are the Health Risks of Abusing Tramadol?

Long-term tramadol abuse can have detrimental effects on your health, with the most dangerous risks being overdose and death. Some common signs of tramadol overdose include:

Pinpoint pupils
Slow, shallow breathing
Limp body
Pale or blue face
Cold, clammy skin
Muscle weakness
Unresponsiveness
Choking or gurgling sounds

If you suspect someone has overdosed on an opioid like tramadol, call 911 and try to keep them awake and breathing. If you have naloxone, an opioid overdose medication, administer it. Roll the person onto their side in order to prevent choking, and make sure you monitor them until medical personnel arrive.

Some potential long-term effects of chronic opioid use include:

Severe constipation
Increased risk of fractures
Sleep-disordered breathing (such as sleep apnea and low levels of oxygen)
Increased risk of heart failure and heart attack
Sexual dysfunction
Infertility
Decreased levels of testosterone in men and estrogen in women

Abusing tramadol or any other opioids while pregnant is especially dangerous and can lead to:

Low birth weight
Neonatal abstinence syndrome (withdrawal symptoms in the baby)
Miscarriage

Another major risk of abusing tramadol involves switching to heroin use. In many places, heroin is cheaper and easier to obtain than prescription painkillers like tramadol, so users may switch to using heroin instead. Transitioning to abusing heroin can come with its own concerns, as heroin is an unregulated street drug that may be cut with other harmful substances.

Other health risks associated with using tramadol or other opioids depend upon the method of administration. People who inject tramadol are at risk for the following health problems:

Track marks and lines
Collapsed veins
Infections
HIV
Hepatitis

If you crush and snort tramadol, you may experience:

Perforated nasal septum
Nose bleeds
Loss of smell

What Are the Tramadol Addiction Treatment Options?

The two main types of tramadol addiction treatment programs include inpatient treatment and outpatient treatment. At both types of programs, a doctor or mental health professional may prescribe you an opioid addiction treatment medication, which will help you avoid relapse while receiving therapy and counseling.

Inpatient Tramadol Abuse Treatment

Inpatient treatment for tramadol addiction involves living at the facility for an extended period of time. Most inpatient rehab programs last for 30, 60, or 90 days, although you may stay longer if necessary. Every inpatient treatment facility has different offerings and different rules. Some require that you share a room, while others are more upscale and include extra features, such as spa treatments and massages. Likewise, every inpatient program has a different treatment philosophy.

You can find inpatient programs that include 12-step meetings in their treatment plans and others that incorporate SMART Recovery meetings (an alternative support group) or mindfulness practices.

Regardless of treatment philosophy, you’ll likely receive the following interventions during inpatient treatment:

Individual therapy
Group counseling
Family therapy
Medication

Outpatient Recovery

If you don’t want to reside at a treatment facility during rehab, you could opt for an outpatient program in which you are still able to work and live at home. Much like inpatient treatment, outpatient programs vary considerably, especially in intensity and frequency of meetings.

Below are the different types of outpatient programs:

Partial hospitalization programs (PHP): Also known as “day treatment,” this is the most intensive option—you’ll attend a PHP program between 4 and 6 hours per day for 5 days a week.
Intensive inpatient treatment (IOT): In an IOP, you attend a treatment clinic for at least nine hours per week, spread out over three to five days, but it could be as much as 30 hours.
Standard outpatient: You’ll attend therapy one or two times per week, for one to two hours at a time.

Outpatient treatment programs are not generally recommended for individuals with:

A severe tramadol addiction
An addiction to more than one substance
A co-occurring mental health disorder, such as major depressive disorder or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Several drug-using triggers at home, including people currently abusing tramadol or other drugs

Many times before beginning an inpatient or outpatient tramadol treatment, people will enter a short-term detox program to help alleviate tramadol withdrawal symptoms while the substance is getting out of their system. These programs may provide you with medical monitoring, in which a team of nurses or a doctor provide you with supportive treatment while you detox, while others may provide medication-assisted detox using opioid detox medications.

Once you have safely detoxed, you’re ready to transition into a recovery program where you can learn to rectify maladaptive drug-using patterns and live a clean and sober life.

Opioid Treatment Medications

While recovering from a tramadol addiction, you may be prescribed an opioid addiction treatment medication that can help prevent tramadol cravings and relapse. These medications include:

Methadone: A long-acting opioid medication that alleviates cravings and doesn’t cause a tramadol high.
Buprenorphine: A partial opioid medication that prevents tramadol cravings and doesn’t cause euphoric or pleasurable effects.
Naltrexone: Naltrexone blocks opioid receptors in the brain so that an individual won’t feel the rewarding effects of tramadol if they wind up using it. This can reduce motivation to seek out and use tramadol or any other opioids.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a tramadol addiction, help is available. Reach out to us to learn more, or browse our online directory to find a rehab center near you.