Tramadol oral disintegrating tablet

What is this medicine?

TRAMADOL (TRA ma dole) is a pain reliever. It is used to treat moderate to severe pain in adults.

How should I use this medicine?

Place this medicine on the tongue. The tablet will melt in your mouth. Swallow like normal. You can take this medicine with or without water. Do not cut, crush, or chew this medicine. Follow the directions on the prescription label. You can take this medicine with or without food. If it upsets your stomach, take it with food or milk. Do not take more medicine than directed.

Talk to your pediatrician regarding the use of this medicine in children. Special care may be needed. This medicine is not for use in children less than 12 years of age. Do not give this medicine to a child younger than 18 years of age after surgery to remove the tonsils and/or adenoids.

What side effects may I notice from receiving this medicine?

Side effects that you should report to your doctor or health care professional as soon as possible:

• allergic reactions like skin rash, itching or hives, swelling of the face, lips, or tongue

• breathing difficulties, wheezing

• confusion

• itching

• light headedness or fainting spells

• redness, blistering, peeling or loosening of the skin, including inside the mouth

• seizures

Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report to your doctor or health care professional if they continue or are bothersome):

• constipation

• dizziness

• drowsiness

• headache

• nausea, vomiting

What may interact with this medicine?

Do not take this medicine with any of the following medications:

• MAOIs like Carbex, Eldepryl, Marplan, Nardil, and Parnate

This medicine may also interact with the following medications:

• alcohol or medicines that contain alcohol

• antihistamines

• benzodiazepines

• bupropion

• carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine

• clozapine

• cyclobenzaprine

• digoxin

• furazolidone

• linezolid

• medicines for depression, anxiety, or psychotic disturbances

• medicines for migraine headache like almotriptan, eletriptan, frovatriptan, naratriptan, rizatriptan, sumatriptan, zolmitriptan

• medicines for pain like pentazocine, buprenorphine, butorphanol, meperidine, nalbuphine, and propoxyphene

• medicines for sleep

• muscle relaxants

• naltrexone

• phenobarbital

• phenothiazines like perphenazine, thioridazine, chlorpromazine, mesoridazine, fluphenazine, prochlorperazine, promazine, and trifluoperazine

• procarbazine

• warfarin

What if I miss a dose?

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you can. If it is almost time for your next dose, take only that dose. Do not take double or extra doses.

Where should I keep my medicine?

Keep out of the reach of children.

This medicine may cause accidental overdose and death if it taken by other adults, children, or pets. Mix any unused medicine with a substance like cat litter or coffee grounds. Then throw the medicine away in a sealed container like a sealed bag or a coffee can with a lid. Do not use the medicine after the expiration date.

Store at room temperature between 15 and 30 degrees C (59 and 86 degrees F).

What should I tell my health care provider before I take this medicine?

They need to know if you have any of these conditions:

• brain tumor

• drink more than 3 alcohol-containing drinks per day

• drug abuse or addiction

• head injury

• kidney disease or problems going to the bathroom

• liver disease

• lung disease, asthma, or breathing problems

• phenylketonuria

• seizures or epilepsy

• an unusual or allergic reaction to tramadol, codeine, other medicines, foods, dyes, or preservatives

• pregnant or trying to get pregnant

• breast-feeding

What should I watch for while using this medicine?

Tell your doctor or health care provider if your pain does not go away, if it gets worse, or if you have new or a different type of pain. You may develop tolerance to the medicine. Tolerance means that you will need a higher dose of the medicine for pain relief. Tolerance is normal and is expected if you take this medicine for a long time.

This medicine may cause serious skin reactions. They can happen weeks to months after starting the medicine. Contact your health care provider right away if you notice fevers or flu-like symptoms with a rash. The rash may be red or purple and then turn into blisters or peeling of the skin. Or, you might notice a red rash with swelling of the face, lips or lymph nodes in your neck or under your arms.

Do not suddenly stop taking your medicine because you may develop a severe reaction. Your body becomes used to the medicine. This does NOT mean you are addicted. Addiction is a behavior related to getting and using a drug for a non-medical reason. If you have pain, you have a medical reason to take pain medicine. Your doctor will tell you how much medicine to take. If your doctor wants you to stop the medicine, the dose will be slowly lowered over time to avoid any side effects.

You may get drowsy or dizzy. Do not drive, use machinery, or do anything that needs mental alertness until you know how this medicine affects you. Do not stand or sit up quickly, especially if you are an older patient. This reduces the risk of dizzy or fainting spells. Alcohol can increase or decrease the effects of this medicine. Avoid alcoholic drinks.

You may have constipation. Try to have a bowel movement at least every 2 to 3 days. If you do not have a bowel movement for 3 days, call your doctor or health care provider.

Your mouth may get dry. Chewing sugarless gum or sucking hard candy, and drinking plenty of water may help. Contact your doctor if the problem does not go away or is severe.