Use during pregnancy and lactation

Tramadol (Tramundin®) is not absolutely prohibited during pregnancy and lactation: according to many literature references, individual doses in case of urgent need do not have any harmful effect on the unborn child. Only the permanent intake should be avoided urgently and ibuprofen and paracetamol should be avoided until the 30th week of pregnancy. The reason for this is the tramadol effect, which is also transmitted to the child via the placenta.

Permanent tramadol intake can thus lead to a sudden withdrawal with all the effects of opiate withdrawal for the child after birth, and the opiates can cause respiratory arrest in the same way as in adults in the case of an overdose. The following also applies during the breastfeeding period: Experience shows that isolated doses do not pose a problem. Permanent intake should be avoided, even if only small amounts of tramadol pass into breast milk.

When should I not take Tramadol?

As with all other drugs, tramadol should not be used in cases of known hypersensitivity to tramadol or any of the other ingredients. Care should be taken with tramadol if the active ingredient cannot act properly in the body or is insufficiently broken down. For example, in order to ensure that tramadol is broken down in the liver and excreted via the kidneys, tramadol should only be used if the kidneys and liver are functioning properly or the dose should be adjusted according to organ function.

Alternatively, the period between two doses of tramadol can be adjusted accordingly. If these organs are not functioning properly, a large amount of tramadol will otherwise accumulate quickly in the body and an overdose with all its side effects such as respiratory arrest may occur. Tramadol plays an important role in many types of pain.

The only type of pain that must not be treated with tramadol is colic pain and abdominal pain originating in the intestines, because the cramping of the intestinal muscles caused by tramadol cannot make these pains disappear and in the case of colic the course would even be made worse. If one of these drugs is taken for a mental illness, all opiates such as tramadol, morphine, pethidine, fentanyl or oxycodone should be avoided and painkillers from other groups such as metamizole (Novalgin®) or naproxen should be used. The same also applies to other drugs that affect our brain, including sleeping pills and, above all, alcohol.

These drugs can lead to a mutual intensification of their effects with sometimes life-threatening side effects or even promote the development of seizures in the course of an epileptic seizure. In this case, it is important to pay particular attention to this in epileptics and, if possible, to take another painkiller from the group of non-opiates, such as Metamizol (Novalgin®). Caution should also be exercised when using blood thinners such as the widely used phenprocoumon (Marcumar®), as tramadol also affects blood clotting and thus greatly increases the risk of bleeding when taken at the same time.