Where Does Tramadol Stand?

Many people have trouble determining whether Tramadol is an opiate or a narcotic. Before we answer this questions we first need to know a couple of important things, such as the differences between opiates and narcotics, how drugs are categorized, and the importance of knowing what category a drug belongs to.

Opiates vs. Narcotics

Narcotics

The term narcotics refer to a group of drugs that have psychoactive properties and sleep inducing properties. The, term however, has been more commonly used in the streets as a description for illegal and dangerous drugs. However, the medical community maintained the generic definition of the term without the negative connotations. Two of the most common drugs under narcotics are morphine and heroin. (1)

Opiates

Narcotics is the main branch of several other types of drugs. One of its sub categories is known as opiates. Opiates are naturally occurring alkaloid substances that are harvested from the opium poppy plant Papaver somniferum. These substances work by binding their molecules to our brain’s opioid receptors. (2)

People often use opiates for recreation due to its ability to block pain stimuli from entering our brains. This gives the user a sense of high and euphoria. It has become one of the most popular kinds of illegal drugs due to its availability. (3)

Opioids were originally described as the synthetic version of opiates. However, as time went by, the term opioid was adopted to refer to both synthetic and natural opiates. Hence, opiates are now considered as a subcategory of the term opioids.

How Drugs Are Categorized

There are hundreds of psychoactive drugs available in the market. The most famous of which are morphine, heroin, opiates, caffeine and more. Drugs are often categorized based on the manner in which they affect the brain of the user

The four most common classifications of controlled drugs are: (4)

Narcotics- psychoactive drugs with sleep inducing properties which are used as pain reliever





Depressants- suppresses the brain’s activity resulting to a calming or sedating effect





Stimulants- accelerates the brain’s activity to induce alertness or focus





Hallucinogens- alters the user’s perception of reality, time and space.

Importance of Drug Categorization

It is important to know which category a certain drug belongs to because each category describes how a drug can affect a person. It can determine whether it would be safe to prescribe it and the amount at which it should be prescribed to each type of person.

For example, depressants cannot be prescribed to people with depression, while narcotics cannot be consumed by a person whose job description requires them to stay awake (i.e. operators of public transports, or heavy machinery).

Conclusion

Tramadol works by affecting the brain’s molecules to reduce the pain felt by a person, thus it can be categorized as a narcotic. However, Tramadol can further be categorized under opioid because of its pain relieving properties. Note that not all opioid are opiates since opiates require that a drug came from natural sources to be categorized as such. Being a synthetic drug, Tramadol is not an opiate.

“Opiate – Definitions from Dictionary.com”. dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2017-07-25.

Julien, Robert M. A Primer of Drug Action. 11th edition. Claire D. Advokat, Joseph E. Comaty, eds. New York: Worth Publishers: 2008. page 537.

NIDA. (2016, August 1). Misuse of Prescription Drugs. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/misuse-prescription-drugs on 2017, July 25

Balhara, Y. P. (n.d.). Drug Classifications. Retrieved July 25, 2017, from Rehabs: http://luxury.rehabs.com/drug-abuse/classifications/