Warning over common painkiller as study shows it's not fit for purpose

Millions of people turn to prescription medication to help them manage their pain. But now a new study has cast doubt on the efficiency of one popular drug.

Tramadol is typically prescribed to help people cope with moderate to severe pain, usually after an operation or a serious injury. However, it is now being suggested that the medication's potential risks outweigh its "limited" benefits for chronic pain - and that the use of it should be minimised.

The study, which has been published in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, found that tramadol may have a "slight effect" on reducing chronic pain, but that there appears to be little evidence.

"The findings indicate that the benefits of tramadol are questionable or, at the very least, uncertain. Furthermore, evidence suggests the presence of potentially harmful effects," Dr. Janus Jakobsen, lead author of the study and a clinical professor at the University of Southern Denmark in Copenhagen, said in an email.

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Tramadol is an opiate and can lead to patients becoming addicted, so it is closely controlled by doctors. In the US, more than 16 million prescriptions were written for tramadol in 2023 alone.

The study team assessed 19 published clinical trials involving over 6,500 people with chronic pain. They examined the impact of the drug on neuropathic pain, osteoarthritis, chronic low back pain, and fibromyalgia. Participants had an average age of 58, with tablets being the main form of medication. The pooled data analysis found that while it eased some pain, Tramadol's effect was below the threshold of what would be considered clinically effective.

Tramadol can have serious side effects, including cardiac events such as chest pain, heart disease or congestive heart failure, according to the study.

"In 2019, drug use was responsible for approximately 600,000 deaths, with nearly 80 percent of these fatalities associated with opioids and approximately 25 percent resulting from opioid overdose," it concluded.

"Given these trends and the present findings, the use of tramadol and other opioids should be minimised to the greatest extent possible."

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"Therefore, alternative treatment options should be considered before prescribing tramadol," Jakobsen added. "Patients are advised to consult their physicians to determine the most appropriate treatment for their condition. Such treatments should likely be individualised according to the type of chronic pain experienced."

It comes after a mum spoke out to warn others about the dangers of experimental drug-taking after the sudden death of her teenage son as a result of Tramadol. Kim Webster's 17-year-old son, Will Horley, died in 2018 after he suffered a fatal reaction to the drug on a night out.

"He was not a 'druggie', but one night he went out with a friend and after a few drinks they were offered Tramadol as a recreational high," Kim shared.

"His friend survived but tragically Will had a reaction and died. It goes to show that drug experimentation can be literally like the flip of a coin; heads you're OK, tails you're not. Will had a bright future in front of him in the Army but it was gone in an instant."