Tramadol is a popular American prescription opioid administered for moderate and moderate-severe pain. Tramadol comes in a tablet, liquid solution, and capsule. There were around 1.8 million people in the United States in 2017 who abused tramadol. Snorting tramadol is also one common form of abusing the drug. Tramadol is generally less addictive and dangerous than other opioids, but not following its prescription can pose several health risks. Please note abusing alcohol while using tramadol can cause fatal consequences. Therefore, learn what happens if you or your loved ones snort tramadol and what you can do about it.
Do you need help with opioid withdrawal? We’re here to make the opioid detox comfortable for you. Reach out to ChoicePoint today to have a safe tramadol detox at the New Jersey Rehab Center.
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Dangers of Snorting Tramadol
Tramadol (brand name: Ultram) is formulated for oral ingestion. When swallowed, ultram enters your digestive system and is released into the bloodstream slowly. However, when you snort tramadol, it directly enters the bloodstream, causing complications and adverse health risks. From leading to a chance of overdose to affecting the nasal passages, the side effects of snorting tramadol are numerous. The common dangers of tramadol snort are discussed below:
a. Tramadol Overdose: How Much Tramadol Is Too Much?
It’s interesting to understand what happens if you snort tramadol. Insnuffling (snoring) tramadol rapidly absorbs the drug in your bloodstream. It increases the concentration of tramadol in the blood, leading to tramadol overdose. If not managed on time, tramadol overdose can cause:
- Seizures
- Dizziness
- Small Pupil
- Slowed Breathing
- Muscle Weakness
- Slow heart rate
- Unconsciousness
- Comma
The risk of tramadol overdose doubles when you mix it with other central nervous system depressants, like alcohol. In extreme cases, drug overdose can cause death.
b. Nasal Damage
Tramadol insufflation damages your nasal passage even with a single use. It irritates the nostrils and congests them, resulting in septal perforation. Septal perforation is the hole in the septum – the cartilage that creates communication between the two nasal cavities. Tramadol snort allows bacteria to enter your nasal cavities and damage the mucous membrane, leading to nasal infections and breathing difficulties.
c. Increased Drug Tolerance and Dependence
Tolerance and dependence are the two common after-effects of smoking, snorting, and injecting drugs for a long time. Neither of them is desirable as they can seriously impact your health. Since snorting tramadol increases the concentration of Ultram in your blood, it also leads to tolerance, increasing the dose at which Ultram can cause its effects.
Likewise, tramadol also creates drug dependence. As a result, it becomes hard for your body to perform a proper function in its absence, resulting in drug cravings and addiction.
d. Risk of Acquiring Transmitted Diseases
Tramadol is snorted through a syringe, straw, or rolled-up paper. As peer pressure is a high-risk factor for drug addiction, it is not rare to snort with your friends and use shared contaminated tools. However, insufflating tramadol using contaminated tools increases your chance of acquiring bacterial, viral, and fungi infections.
e. Serotonin Syndrome
Do you know what happens if you snort tramadol in terms of your brain activity? Ultram affects the level of serotonin – the ‘feel good’ chemical in your brain. Serotonin regulates mood and helps you stay calm. Tramadol insufflation increases serotonin to a level where it disrupts brain communication, resulting in serotonin syndrome. As a result, you would experience the following symptoms:
- Sweating
- Rapid heartbeat
- Confusion
- Headache
- Diarrhea
- Muscle pain
- Muscle spasms
- High blood pressure
- High body temperature
- Agitation
- Tremors and shaking
While the milder serotonin syndrome may go away in two to three days after you stop tramadol snort, severe cases can lead to death. So, it’s important to seek immediate help for opioid addiction and quit tramadol abuse before it’s too late.
Did you know? Going cold turkey for tramadol results in alarming withdrawal symptoms and, in severe cases, can lead to seizures.
Did you know? Going cold turkey for tramadol results in alarming withdrawal symptoms and, in severe cases, can lead to seizures.
Why Do People Snort Tramadol?
Tramadol is used for the treatment of pain after surgeries or chronic diseases when milder painkillers do not provide relief. After swallowing, snorting is the most common route of taking tramadol among people. The side effects of Ultram can occur when you insufflate it without understanding what happens if you snort tramadol. People snort tramadol:
- To make it more potent for quick pain relief
- To intensify drug euphoria and have instant tramadol high
- Under peer pressure from friends, family, and colleagues
- For convenience, as it’s hard for them to experience an instant high from swallowing it
- They hit tolerance from long-term oral ingestion
However, there is minimal evidence supporting that snorting increases tramadol’s effectiveness. The only thing snorting does is that it produces instant effects as the drug is quickly absorbed into the blood and brain through nasal mucous. Even if you snort for convenience, you should know that it’s unsafe and illegal.
If you or someone you love is snorting tramadol, now is the time to seek treatment. ChoicePoint Health in Fair Law, New Jersey, is always open to helping our clients with addiction. You can call us anytime at 844.445.2565.
Risks of Not Following Tramadol Prescription
It’s important to follow your prescription for Ultram or other medications. For instance, tramadol insufflation increases the rewarding sensations in the brain. This leads to an increased euphoria that can eventually cause tramadol addiction. Besides this, sniffing tramadol worsens the side effects of oral tramadol, contributing to:
- Feelings of anxiety, sadness, depression
- Pain in joints and muscle
- Stomachaches coupled with nausea and vomiting
- Rapid loss of weight
- Coughs and other respiratory issues
- Imbalance coordination leads to headaches and falls
- Skin problems such as itching, rashes, and unusual sweating
Although Ultram is often marketed as safe, facts reporting overdose deaths due to tramadol (Ultram) abuse are increasing. One reason for this increase is snorting tramadol instead of following the prescription. If you have been involved in this practice, please don’t hesitate to reach out to an opioid rehab near you.
Managing Tramadol Addiction In Fair Lawn, New Jersey, with ChoicePoint Health
Even if you’ve developed tolerance to tramadol, rehab can help you detox tramadol under medical supervision. At ChoicePoint Health, we have DEA-certified doctors to help you overcome drug tolerance and have safe withdrawal.
Our rehab admission process is simple. You can expect to receive a brief evaluation before connecting to an addiction professional. Depending on your lifestyle, your addiction professional will suggest you either:
- An inpatient treatment program that provides you with around-the-clock supervision of doctors and medical counselors while you reside in our facility.
- Or an outpatient treatment program in case you have work and life commitments that don’t allow you to stay in the rehab all day.
While managing the withdrawal symptoms is important, it is equally essential to address the underlying cause of tramadol abuse, misuse, and addiction. We offer therapies to understand addiction holistically and provide a solution that can help clients cope with every aspect of drug abuse. You can read about our therapies here:
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Program
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program
- Group Therapy
- Family Therapy Program
- Individual Therapy Program
- Dual Diagnosis
We understand that addiction is an illness and need the same compassion for its treatment as any other disease. That’s why we offer holistic treatment facility to make the recovery possible for our clients. Feel free to visit us in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, to meet our dedicated addiction treatment team.
Did you know? Tramadol potency varies from continent to continent. For instance, North Africans can break down tramadol into a more potent form than Americans.
Did you know? Tramadol potency varies from continent to continent. For instance, North Africans can break down tramadol into a more potent form than Americans.
Some Common Questions About Snorting Tramadol
Here are a few questions about tramadol insufflation that people want to have answers to:
What Are The Worst Side Effects Of Tramadol?
Tramadol, when not followed through prescription, can lead to adverse side effects. While some of them, like headache and nausea, are manageable, certain side effects due to snorting tramadol cannot be managed without professional help. These include:
- Serotonin syndrome
- Increased tolerance and drug dependency
- Rapid tramadol overdose
- Respiratory issues and nasal damage
- Extreme tiredness and muscle weakness
If these symptoms are not treated on time, then an overdose can lead to seizures and death.
Can Tramadol Affect The Brain?
Yes, tramadol does affect the brain. Long-term use of tramadol can affect brain functioning, causing seizures, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s. Tramadol also affects the serotonin levels of your brain. Tramadol snort increases serotonin levels, causing serotonin syndrome. Some of the symptoms of serotonin syndrome are:
- Diarrhea and nausea
- Muscle pain
- Muscle spasms
- High blood pressure
- High body temperature
What Is The Price of Tramadol?
The tramadol price depends on your location and the place from which you buy tramadol. ChoicePoint Health accepts numerous private and government insurance. You can verify your insurance online.
Call ChoicePoint to know how much tramadol can cost you, with or without insurance. 844.445.2565
Can You Snort Tramadol?
It is not recommended to snort tramadol. Snorting tramadol is illegal and unsafe.
Is Tramadol 50 mg A Strong Painkiller?
50 mg is the lower dosage of tramadol. Maximum tramadol dosage is 400 mg and shall only be administered under medical supervision.
Medical Disclaimer:
ChoicePoint aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use disorder and mental health issues. Our team of licensed medical professionals research, edit and review the content before publishing. However, this information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For medical advice please consult your physicians or ChoicePoint's qualified staff.