Worst Pills, Best Pills

An expert, independent second opinion on more than 1,800 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and supplements

tramadol and acetaminophen (ULTRACET)


DISEASE AND DRUG FAMILY INFORMATION

Search results below include Disease and Drug Family Information where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.

Opioids
Most of the time when someone is able to swallow, they should first try a non-opioid drug such as aspirin taken by mouth. If aspirin alone is not effective, it can be combined with an opioid, such as codeine. These two drugs work in different ways, and when they are used together, they generally relieve pain that would otherwise require a higher dose of an opioid, while causing fewer adverse effects.

DRUG AND DIETARY SUPPLEMENT PROFILES

A comprehensive review of the safety and effectiveness of this drug. If the drug is not a Do Not Use product, information on adverse effects, drug interactions and how to use the medication are included.
Search results below include Drug and Dietary Supplement Profiles where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.

tramadol (CONZIP, QDOLO, ULTRAM); tramadol and acetaminophen (ULTRACET)
  • We list these drugs as Do Not Use drugs because they are no more effective than similar drugs, are addictive and cause seizures.

WORST PILLS, BEST PILLS NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

Search results below include Worst Pills, Best Pills Newsletter Articles where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.

Question & Answer
November 2020
In this month’s Question & Answer feature, we respond to a reader’s question asking about our recommended alternatives to the opioid analgesic tramadol (CONZIP, ULTRACET, ULTRAM), which we have designated as Do Not Use.
Driving Under the Influence Caused by Medications
September 2020
Although impaired driving usu¬ally is caused by alcohol or marijuana, many commonly used prescription and over-the-counter medications also can impair one’s ability to drive safely. Learn about several classes of medications that can cause this serious problem to protect yourself, your passengers and others who share the road with you.
News Brief: Public Citizen Seeks Tighter Restrictions on Opioid Tramadol
February 2020
In this month’s news brief, we discuss Public Citizen’s recent petition to the FDA to move the opioid tramadol to a more restrictive classification of controlled substances because it is overprescribed, often misused, highly addictive and potentially deadly.
Use of Tramadol for Arthritis Linked to Increased Risk of Death
August 2019
The FDA has approved five medications for treatment of cold sores — sometimes referred to as fever blisters, oral herpes or herpes labialis. Find out which of these drugs offer the most benefit.
Potentially Dangerous Lithium Drug Interactions
March 2019
Read about the many prescription medications that can interact in dangerous ways with lithium, the drug of choice for treating bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression.
New Research Shows Drugs Associated with a Risk of Depression Are Widely Used
October 2018
In this article, we summarize the results of a recent research study showing that use of medications that have depression as a potential adverse effect is very common. We also identify some of the many prescription medications that can cause depression symptoms, including suicidal thoughts or behavior.
Painkiller Tramadol Increases Risk of Low Blood Sugar
May 2015
For years, Public Citizen’s Health Research Group has designated tramadol as a Do Not Use drug. We discuss results of a new study providing an additional reason for avoiding tramadol: The drug has been linked to the occurrence of dangerously low blood sugar.
Drug-induced Cognitive Impairment: Part 2: Delirium and Dementia
April 2009
This second article about drug-induced dementia or delirium lists and discusses an additional 79 drugs that can cause these reversible kinds of mental deterioration. The two articles collectively review 136 drugs that can cause these serious side effects, especially in older people.
Do Not Use! The Pain Drug Tramadol (ULTRAM/ULTRACET) and Serotonin Syndrome
March 2002
Australian drug regulatory authorities have received 171 reports of suspected adverse reactions with the pain drugs tramadol (ULTRAM) or tramadol in combination with acetaminophen (ULTRACET) since Ultram began being marketed in Australia in late 1998. In six of these reports, a very serious adverse reaction known as the serotonin syndrome was listed as the adverse reaction.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM PUBLIC CITIZEN

Search results below include Additional Information from Public Citizen where your selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.

Supplement to the Petition to the DEA and FDA to Reschedule the Opioid Tramadol From Schedule IV to Schedule II (HRG Publication #2525)
Public Citizen submitted a supplement to its November 2019 petition to the DEA and FDA to reschedule the opioid tramadol from the weakly controlled schedule IV under the Controlled Substances Act to the more tightly controlled schedule II because it is overprescribed, often misused, highly addictive and potentially deadly. The supplement adds new data from a careful study of the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System which revealed that tramadol use correlates with severe adverse events, including death.