Widely prescribed for chronic pain, tramadol has long been considered safer than other opioids on the market.
The researchers expressed grave concern about opioid addiction, saying that nearly 80 percent of 600,000 deaths from drug use, as of 2019, involved opioids.
"The use of tramadol and other opioids should be minimized to the greatest extent possible," the researchers wrote in the October issue of BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.
The Danish scientists reported data that included non-serious and serious adverse medical events. Among them were constipation, cardiac issues, dizziness, nausea, drowsiness, and the abnormal or excessive growth of cells and tissue that can form either benign or cancerous tumors.
The researchers concluded that tramadol may have a slight effect on reducing chronic pain while likely increasing the risk of both serious and non-serious adverse events.
They added that the potential harms associated with tramadol use for pain management likely outweigh its limited benefits, with the researchers saying that with 60 million people worldwide experiencing the addictive effects of opioids—and tramadol being one of the safer opioids—alternative treatment options should be considered before prescribing tramadol.
NTD reached out to one of the eight researchers for the study, Jehad Ahmad Barakji, with the Centre for Clinical Intervention Research in Copenhagen, seeking further comment about the study, but did not hear back as of press time.
According to the World Health Organization, tramadol is included in a cluster of opioids including codeine, fentanyl, heroin, methadone, and other similar substances. Overdosing on opioids is very common, with breathing difficulties and other symptoms that can lead to death if taken.
“To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review related to the usage of tramadol for any type of chronic pain with a thorough investigation of adverse events,” the researchers wrote in the study.