Opioid painkilling meds or analgesics are administered for treating chronic as well as acute forms of pains. As these drugs can be habit forming, you are advised to exert high level of caution while using them. The active ingredients get bound to receptors and modify pain signals as well as responses to stress. These drugs may also alter your moods and metabolic rate. Tramadol is a commonly administered opioid analgesic. How long does this painkiller stay in your system? It is a wise thing to know more on this.
Opioid painkillers are administered for treating episodes of acute pain. As some meds of this genre may control production of gastric acids, they are used for controlling spells of diarrhea.
What is Tramadol?
This is an opioid-based painkilling med. It is prescribed for managing and treating severe levels of pain. Therapeutic effects are known to start within 60 minutes from the time of a dose. However, it may need some 3 hours’ time for the dose to act in full. In case of treating very severe spells of pain, this drug is not effective episodes of pain. As an extended use, Tramadol is also administered for treating refractory-restless-legs disorder/syndrome. This is an urge to keep moving one’s legs, and in a few cases your hands may also witness restlessness.
How long does Tramadol stay in your system?
This drug is known for its painkilling capabilities. It is essentially s synthetic-form of an opioid. It can reduce your bodily pains by altering the brain signals. Tramadol is also made in an extended release form. This version provides relief from pains all through the day.
The key ingredients of Tramadol remain in your system for upto 48 hours. Half-life period the key chemicals of Tramadol is about 7 – 9 hours. It is time it takes to halve its concentration in the bloodstream. Many drugs of this genre may require upto five half-cycle periods to get completely discharged off your system. In case of Tramadol, you may need to allow for more cycles and hence the residue of this med may remain for 48 hours. After the lapse of 48 hours, you may rarely witness any effects of the drug on your body.
Traces of Tramadol cannot be detected in saliva or blood after 2 days’ time. However, active ingredients may remain in urine for upto 96 hours / 4 days’ time. Moreover, traces of it can remain in your hair (on head) can be detected for upto 90 days from the time of last dose.
Factors which influence the discharge of Tramadol from your body are: dosage strength (the higher its strength, the longer it takes to eliminate traces), length or frequency of usage (frequently taken dosages may need a longer time to get eliminated) as well as route of intake (the tablet-form takes longer than the injectable version). Apart from these, your rate of metabolism, pre-existing liver disorders or kidney problems may slow down the elimination process. Last but not least, traces of Tramadol may remain for long among the elderly and aged patients; this is due to an overall slowdown of their digestive system.
You need to know that this drug is known to trigger a few side effects; most common among such effects are difficulties to pass stools, dizziness due to vertigo, migraine, dyspepsia, pain in lower abdomen etc. A long-term administration of Tramadol can cause dependencies. You may witness weird thoughts, being confused and spells of panic, anxieties for upto 18 hours from your last dose. Your caregiver may taper the last few doses of Tramadol to minimise the severity of such signs.
Upon sensing any of these signs of Tramadol-dependencies, you are advised to seek clinical care and attention from your treating physician. If the signs are turning more acute, people living in US may reach out to 911 and those in Canada can call Health Canada for medical assistance on an emergency mode. In general, it is safe to consult with the poison control unit operating closer to where you reside.
Disclaimer
Information provided here are only of supplementary nature. Information shared here does not substitute a qualified doctor’s advice. This website is not suggesting intake of this drug as safe or appropriate. Hence it is advised to talk to your doctor before consuming this med or any other drug.
Education: Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Florida. Experience: 5 years as a pharmacist and medical writer, creating content on medication management and pharmaceutical news for healthcare blogs and patient education sites.
