“Is tramadol a narcotic pain medicine?”

Tramadol is a controlled substance that acts at the same receptors in your body that other narcotic pain medications use, such as morphine, oxycodone, hydromorphone. However, tramadol also blocks the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine. By doing this, it blocks the pain signal going to the brain.

Tramadol is an opioid (narcotic) analgesics and is used to treat moderate to moderately severe pain. Tramadol may be habit forming, especially with prolonged use. So it should be taken exactly as directed. Do not take more of it, take it more often, or take it in a different way than directed by your doctor.

Tramadol is, in fact, an opioid. "Narcotic" is more of a legal term rather than a medical term. An opioid is a synthetic (man-made) substance. An opiate is a derivative of the poppy and is a natural derivative (e.g., Morphine).

Tramadol is not technically a narcotic. It has no opioid in it at all. It works on the same receptors and can have just as good of a pain relieving effect without having to take an opioid. Back when it was introduced it was not a controlled substance, but they found that there were still issues with abuse and addiction, so in 2014 the FDA classified it as a controlled substance. Even though some doctors call it an opiate, it doesn't contain opiate like you would find in morphine or oxycodone. It is a much safe option, although there can still be some issues with it.