Podcast 766: Truth about Tramadol

Podcast 766: Truth about Tramadol

Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD

Educational Pearls:

  • Tramadol is often thought of as a mild-opiate to use for analgesia, but it is a more complicated drug
  • Tramadol needs to be metabolized into an effective drug making it not pharmacologically reliable
    • 3-10% of people cannot metabolize tramadol and it does not work
    • Some others over-metabolize tramadol and it causes greater effect
  • Studies have shown it is not any better as a acetaminophen or ibuprofen for analgesia, it can lower a seizure threshold, and it acts to inhibit serotonin reuptake
  • Recent study evaluated all-cause mortality of tramadol compared to codeine and found tramadol had nearly double the all-cause mortality as those prescribed codeine
  • Overall tramadol has many risks and should be critically evaluated before prescribing

References

Dhesi M, Maldonado KA, Maani CV. Tramadol. [Updated 2021 May 25]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537060/

Association of tramadol vs codeine prescription dispensation with mortality and other adverse clinical outcomes Xie J, Strauss VY, Martinez-Laguna D, et al. JAMA. 2021;326(15):1504-1515.

Summarized by John Spartz, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD

The Emergency Medical Minute is excited to announce that we are now offering AMA PRA Category 1 credits™ via online course modules. To access these and for more information, visit our website at https://emergencymedicalminute.org/cme-courses/ and create an account.

Donate to EMM today!



Episoder(1150)

Podcast 999: Right vs Left Internal Jugular Access

Podcast 999: Right vs Left Internal Jugular Access

Contributor: Travis Barlock, MD Educational Pearls: What is an internal jugular catheter (IJ) and when do we use it? IJs are catheters that can be placed in either the left or the right internal jugu...

23 Mar 2min

Podcast 998: Delayed Intubation After an Overdose

Podcast 998: Delayed Intubation After an Overdose

Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: How long do we need to watch patients with a presumed overdose who were treated with naloxone in the field? A 2025 study in the Annals of Emergency M...

16 Mar 3min

Podcast 997: D-Dimer

Podcast 997: D-Dimer

Contributor: Travis Barlock, MD Educational Pearls: D-dimer: fibrin degradation product used to evaluate for clot formation and breakdown Threshold: Elevated D-dimer indicates recent or ongoing int...

9 Mar 2min

Podcast 996: Melatonin

Podcast 996: Melatonin

Contributor: Taylor Lynch MD Educational Pearls: Melatonin is an endogenous hormone released primarily by the pineal gland Also released by extrapineal regions in the retina, the GI tract, and some ...

2 Mar 4min

Episode 995: UTI Diagnosis

Episode 995: UTI Diagnosis

Contributor: Travis Barlock, MD Educational Pearls:  Foul-smelling urine and cloudy urine are commonly misinterpreted as indicators of a UTI. However, these findings alone are not diagnostic. Criteri...

24 Feb 5min

Podcast 994: Biphasic Anaphylaxis

Podcast 994: Biphasic Anaphylaxis

Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD Educational Pearls: What is anaphylaxis and what are its treatments?  Anaphylaxis is a broad term for potentially life threatening allergic reactions that can progress t...

16 Feb 3min

Podcast 993: Personalized Gene Editing Therapy

Podcast 993: Personalized Gene Editing Therapy

Contributor: Alec Coston, MD Educational Pearls: Disclaimer: this has nothing to do with the ER but is too cool to not talk about. Condition: Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 (CPS1) deficiency Ra...

9 Feb 6min

Tox Talks 2025 Recap 2, Methemoglobinemia and Errors

Tox Talks 2025 Recap 2, Methemoglobinemia and Errors

Contributors: Travis Barlock MD, Ian Gillman PA, Jacob Altholz MD, Jeffrey Olson MS4 In this episode, EM attending Travis Barlock and medical student Jeffrey Olson listen in to the two remaining cases...

4 Feb 41min

Populært innen Vitenskap

fastlegen
tingenes-tilstand
rekommandert
liberal-halvtime
forskningno
sinnsyn
jss
rss-rekommandert
rss-nysgjerrige-norge
fjellsportpodden
vett-og-vitenskap-med-gaute-einevoll
villmarksliv
smart-forklart
kvinnehelsepodden
nordnorsk-historie
hva-er-greia-med
tidlose-historier
rss-inn-til-kjernen-med-sunniva-rose
nevropodden
aldring-og-helse-podden