Re:Meghan/ ultram and other drugs

[Guest guest]

actually, ultram is not a narcotic, its in a weird class with just one other

med that i know of ( which i can't think of right now). they don't know

why it works exactly, and the most hospice organizations don't advocate its

use because it interferes with narcotics -- that is, as i remember it, it

blocks the receptor for the opioid so that you don't receive the pain relief

from

the opiod medication. actually, there are other meds that do that as well,

such as valium and ativan (not sure about klonopin) -- so if you are taking

both medications the ultram, ativan, and valium make your opioid less

effective (sometimes MUCH less effective).

i take ultram from time to time, but i'm not on opiods at present, and i

take it as one of my " last resort " meds. but i agree that it is in a class by

itself, and isn't an NSAID or an opioid medication. there has been talk over

the years about trying to get it off the market, but so have they discussed

Darvon/Darvocet and Demerol as they are not good for long-term use as they

leave behind metabolites that can cause central nervous system irritability

(such as irritability, seizures, etc), especially in people over 60, because it

builds up in their systems over time.

love, me