What are the tramadol side effects in elderly? Is this the question that you are searching for? If yes, then you have come to the right place.
Considering the fact that the science of medicine is getting better day by day, there are a number of drugs that are being created and prescribed every day. However, there are many of them that can make you dependent on them. One of these is Tramadol.
There are a number of side effects of Tramadol that many people might experience. So keep reading this article till the end to learn about the tramadol side effects in the elderly…
Tramadol: What Is It And Why Is It Used?
Before talking about Tramadol side effects in the elderly, it is important to give a little heads up about what Tramadol is. So what is it, and why is it used?
Tramadol is one of the most used prescription opioids that is used to treat moderate to severe pain. This drug is generally sold under the brand names like Ultram, ConZip, and Ultracet. They are prescribed in order to treat patients who are suffering from severe pain, especially after surgeries or when they are undergoing chemotherapy for treating cancer.
The Tramadol drug works very similarly to morphine. The medicine binds itself to the opioid receptors of the brain and blocks the pain signals. This medicine is classified under the category called the opioid analgesics, and they help to deal with the pain by controlling the pain receptors present in the Central Nervous System.
A lot of people who take this medicine on a regular basis always ask the question, “how long does Tramadol last in the body?” Well, the half-life of the drug is 8 hours which means that the body is able to get rid of half of the percentage of the drug in eight hours. So it can take up to two days or 48 hours to get rid of the medicine completely.
Sides Effects Of Tramadol
In general, irrespective of your age, there are certain side effects of Tramadol that you may experience.
Here is a list of some common side effects of Tramadol that you might experience if you have been using this medicine for a long time:
- Dizziness
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Drowsiness
- Anxiety
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Itching
- Nervousness
However, these are not the only side effects of the medicines that you can experience. There are some severe side effects of Tramadol that you can also experience, even if these are very rare in people. Here are some of them:
- Impairment
- Dependence
- Death if taken in a high dose
- Life threatening for the fetus
Now that you know what are the common tramadol side effects, it is important to move on to what you came to look for— what are the tramadol side effects in elderly?
Answering The Question, “What Are The Tramadol Side Effects In Elderly?”
If you are someone who knows an older adult taking this medicine, there is usually one concern that you might have. And that is about the tramadol side effects in elderly. So if that is what you were searching for, then you have come to the right place.
There are a number of ways in which elderly people can be affected by the dose of Tramadol. Most elderly adults experience these common Tramadol side effects:
- Drowsiness
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Dry mouth
- Hallucination
- Seizures
- Blood pressure
- Tremors
- Respiratory problems
- Rigors
- Insomnia
When it comes to adults and that to the elderly people, there can be some adverse effects of taking this medicine. Some of them are:
- Sedation
- Serotonin syndrome
- Hyponatremia
- Hypoglycemia
- Seizures
- Decreased renal function.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Now that you have almost come to the end of this article, I hope that most of your queries have been answered already. However, here are some of the questions that readers ask frequently related to tramadol side effects in elderly. You might want to go through them to get a better understanding of the topic.
➥ The half life of Tramadol is eight hours. This means that it takes the body almost eight hours to get rid of half of the percentage of Tramadol.
➥ When it comes to the elderly, there are a number of studies that have shown that over time, the use of Tramadol can cause confusion and fluctuating state of mind as well as certain cognitive deficits in the elderly.
➥ Tramadol is one of the most prescribed drugs that is used to treat pain. However, there are a number of reasons why people have started to take active steps to ensure that the use of this opioid is limited. One of the major reasons for this to happen is that you can become dependent on this medicine.
Wrapping It Up!
Tramadol is one of the most used drugs in the medical industry that is used to treat pain. In other words, this is a prescribed opioid that is used to treat moderate to extreme pain in the body that might be the result of anything.
There are a number of side effects that you can experience with the use of Tramadol. The elderly people can experience a number of side effects. Some of the tramadol side effects in elderly include seizures, dementia, falls, and a lot of other things.
In case you want to know the answer to what are the tramadol side effects in elderly, I hope that this article or blog has been of great help to you. Also, if there are any other queries related to the same, feel free to scroll down and write them in the comment box below.
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