Doctors will mainly prescribe Ultram (tramadol) for Fibromyalgia patients. Ultram has never been strong enough for me but it works for some. For those who have more severe pain, doctors will prescribe stronger pain medications, which can also be addictive. Some of these are Vicodin, Percodan, Percocet, OxyContin, and methadone.
Doctors say that about 70% of patients who take Ultram notice about 50% relief in their pain levels and 15% show side effects to Ultram. Some patients on Ultram can develop headaches but the most common side effects noted are nausea, drowsiness, an itchy rash, and constipation.
Ultram is considered a “weak opioid itself and it breaks down into a metabolite that has stronger opioid action. However, the analgesic properties do not rest entirely on its activity as an opioid. It also inhibits the re-uptake of serotonin and norepinephrine in the central nervous system (increasing their concentrations). These transmitters help filter out some of the pain signals coming down from the brain that would otherwise generate the sensation of pain in the tissues. So Ultram has the dual action of both an opioid and an antidepressant such as Elavil”, says Chairman of the Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases Division at Oregon Health Sciences University. Dr. Robert Bennett.
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