Widely prescribed opioid painkiller tramadol not that effective for easing chronic pain

The strong opioid painkiller, tramadol, is not that effective at easing chronic pain for which it’s widely prescribed, finds a pooled data analysis of the available research, published online in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine.

And it likely increases the risk of serious side effects, including heart disease, the findings indicate, prompting the researchers to conclude that the potential harms of tramadol probably outweigh its benefits, and that its use should be minimised.

Tramadol is a dual action opioid widely prescribed for the treatment of moderate to severe acute and chronic pain. As such, it’s recommended in several medical…