Ultram
® (
tramadol hydrochloride) is a prescription medication approved to treat moderate to moderately severe pain in adults. Currently, this medication is not considered a
controlled substance or a narcotic by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). However, Ultram has significant potential for abuse and is classified as a controlled substance in certain states.
Brand-name Ultram is made by Janssen Ortho, LLC, and is marketed by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc. Generic versions are made by various manufacturers.
Ultram is classified as a "centrally acting opioid analgesic." This means that it works in the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), acts much like
morphine in the body, and relieves pain. Much like morphine, Ultram binds to certain opioid receptors in the body known as μ ("mu") receptors.
Ultram also works in a similar manner as some
antidepressant medications, by inhibiting the reuptake of certain brain chemicals (serotonin and norepinephrine). Serotonin and norepinephrine are two of several chemicals used to send messages from one nerve cell to another. As a message travels down a nerve, it causes the end of the cell to release serotonin or norepinephrine. The serotonin or norepinephrine enters the gap between the first nerve cell and the one next to it. When enough reaches the second nerve cell, it activates receptors on the cell and the message continues on its way. The first cell then quickly absorbs any serotonin or norepinephrine that remains in the gap between cells. This is called "reuptake."
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