Tramadol is a pain medication used to relieve moderate to severe pain. It is a narcotic analgesic that works by acting on the brain to change the way your body senses pain and responds to it.
 

Tramadol is a better-suited option to address chronic or neuropathic pain. Tramadol is prescribed as pain medication for nervous and neural disorders, when over-the-counter pain medication is not as successful in alleviating the pain. It is taken as an oral pain medication ideally suited for muscle stiffness and tenderness; neuropathic pain; pain in the joints, such as arthritis; and continuing chronic pain.

A study published in Cochrane database states that tramadol has significant effect on paresthesia, allodynia, and touch-evoked pain and is hence an effective pain medication to lessen neuropathic pain. Another study published in the "Journal of Psychopharmacology" suggests that tramadol can be effective for treating symptoms of depression and anxiety as in the case of phobias.

Tramadol is available in the following trade names: Ryzolt, Tramal, and Ultram.

The highest recommended dosage of tramadol is 400 milligrams per day. Taken once in three to four hours a day based on the level of pain and its suppression, tramadol works best when taken shortly after the incidence of pain. You must take your physician’s advice before taking this pain medication.

Side effects of tramadol administration include: dizziness and nausea, constipation, vertigo, headache, vomiting, hallucinations, difficulty in breathing, sores, and swelling of the throat and difficulty in swallowing.
 

In some cases, you may sense some addiction to tramadol with prolonged use at higher dosage levels. This is aggravated if tramadol is taken along with continued alcohol and drug consumption. Some of the withdrawal symptoms you may sense while reducing tramadol administration include: muscle aches, increased sweating, nausea, restlessness, and watering eyes and running nose. To prevent such withdrawal symptoms, it is best to reduce tramadol dosage gradually and not stop abruptly.