The benefits of taking tramadol for depression have not been fully researched, but the initial findings suggest that it could be very effective for the treatment of refractory major depression and severe depression, even in people who were not improving on traditional antidepressant medicine. Some people also use tramadol to treat depressed dogs, with seemingly positive effects. However, tramadol can have several side effects, some of them severe.
Tramadol was traditionally used as a pain reliever, and is similar in many ways to narcotic pain relievers such as codeine. It is a synthetic version of opiate pain relievers and works in roughly the same way, by decreasing the body’s perception of pain. Unfortunately, also like opiates, tramadol can become habit-forming, and presents several withdrawal symptoms that may occur when a user tries to stop taking the drug.
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The use of tramadol for depression has not been fully investigated, but the initial findings are very positive. While extensive formal research has yet to be conducted, depression sufferers and users of the drug have commented that the only thing that takes their depression away is tramadol. Some users are even trying to raise support for reclassification of the drug.
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Although using tramadol for treating depression seems to have a lot of positive effects, there are also negative effects from taking the drug. The potential side effects of tramadol include dizziness, drowsiness, vomiting, headache and shaking hands. These are relatively minor side effects, and patients should only contact their doctor if the negative effects are particularly severe or persistent. There is also the possibility of more serious side effects when taking tramadol, such as difficulty breathing, hallucinations and seizures. If a patient experiences any of these more serious symptoms, he or she should contact a doctor immediately.
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While there seems to be many benefits to taking tramadol for depression, patients should only take tramadol when prescribed to do so by their doctor. Further studies regarding the effects of tramadol for depression may lead to the drug being re-classified as an anti-depressant, but as of March 2011 it has yet to reach that point.