Doctors prescribe tramadol to treat moderate to severe pain in adults.
Tramadol comes as a tablet, and as an extended-release tablet or capsule to treat around-the-clock pain.
It's in a class of pain drugs called opiate narcotic analgesics, which work by changing the way your brain responds to pain. It may increase levels of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and serotonin.
Ultracet is a combination drug, made from tramadol and acetaminophen.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved tramadol in 1995 for the drug company Janssen Pharmaceuticals under the brand name Ultram.
In 2002, the FDA approved a generic version of tramadol, which many companies now manufacture.
A 2014 study suggested that giving tramadol to people before surgery may help ease post-anesthesia shivering - a common complication that develops in people recovering from general anesthesia.
