What Happens When You Mix Gabapentin and Tramadol?
Gabapentin and tramadol are both central nervous system (CNS) depressants. When taken together, these two substances can cause you to experience dangerous, life-threatening side effects, such as extreme drowsiness, slowed or shallow breathing, or dizziness. Mixing gabapentin and tramadol will also increase your risk of seizure, drug overdose, and addiction. That’s why the combination should be taken only under strict medical supervision.
Table of contents
» Why Do Some People Take Gabapentin and Tramadol Together?
» Why Does Combining Gabapentin and Tramadol Increase Sedation?
» Does Combining Gabapentin and Tramadol Increase Dependence Risk?
» Where Can You Get Help If You’re Misusing Prescription Medications?
» Key Takeaways on Gabapentin and Tramadol
» Resources
Why Do Some People Take Gabapentin and Tramadol Together?
Pain is the most common reason you may take gabapentin and tramadol together. Individuals who have been prescribed both medications together do so at the discretion of a qualified physician. Without proper medical supervision, gabapentin and tramadol may do more harm than good. Other reasons you may take gabapentin and tramadol together include:
- Short-term pain: Short-term pain, or acute pain, is pain with a clear cause, such as surgery, illness, or injury. Typically, this pain has a sudden onset and will only last days, weeks, or months. Gabapentin and tramadol are very rarely concurrently prescribed to address this type of pain.
- Chronic pain: Pain that lacks a foreseeable end is best defined as chronic. While there are many treatment options for chronic pain, ingesting both gabapentin and tramadol together is a combination your physician may consider for your care. The decision will depend on your success with other medications and your risk of seizure or respiratory issues.
- Neuropathic pain: Burning, shooting, or tingling pain is often categorized as neuropathic pain. This type of pain is caused by nerve damage and can result from diabetes, shingles, injury, or CNS issues. Taking these substances for neuropathic pain is symptom management. If your doctor decides this is the right combination for you, you will need long-term monitoring of your chronic condition.
Why Does Combining Gabapentin and Tramadol Increase Sedation?
Your risk of sedation is increased when you combine tramadol and gabapentin because both drugs chemically depress your CNS. However, each substance affects your neural pathways in unique ways. Gabapentin can block your calcium channels and reduce your nerve excitability, while tramadol inhibits neurotransmitter reuptake. When you take these two drugs together, you may experience a lethal level of sedation.
Increased sedation may look like slurred speech, drowsiness, or poor coordination. If you seek medical care for concerns over sedation, your response team will look for a slowed heart rate, slowed breathing, and low blood pressure. Sedation is a dangerous side effect of combining tramadol and gabapentin and should be taken seriously. Without emergency medical attention, you may not fully recover from this synergism.
Does Combining Gabapentin and Tramadol Increase Dependence Risk?
Yes, combining gabapentin and tramadol increases your risk of dependence. This is due to several factors in both the individual drug effects and their combined biological response. If a licensed physician has prescribed both medications, then this risk will have been considered and continually monitored. However, these substances can be taken together recreationally and have no guardrails in place when it comes to dependence risk.
Increased risk for dependence is often caused by:
- Euphoria: Some people choose to take both gabapentin and tramadol together to heighten the pleasurable effects of the medications. This action is called “stacking” and can create a much higher potential for addiction in the most addictive prescription drugs. If you are seeking an experience and are not managing a condition under your doctor’s care, dependence is likely.
- CNS depression: Taking these two drugs together can cause slowed brain activity and inhibit your decision-making abilities. CNS depression should be taken seriously. If you are seeking amplified sedative effects, this combination is dangerous.
- Tolerance: When tramadol and gabapentin are taken together, most people experience a rapidly increased tolerance. If you react to this increased tolerance with a higher dosage, then you will rapidly increase your dependence on both substances.
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Where Can You Get Help If You’re Misusing Prescription Medications?
If you determine you are misusing prescription medication, know that there are varying levels of help available to you. Firstly, you can reach out to your loved ones to express your desire to recover from drug misuse and ask for their help. Your prescribing physician will also be available to hear your story and offer advice on how to move forward. Having a strong support system behind you is a powerful tool in a rehabilitation journey.
Additionally, there are many professional resources you can pursue if you’re misusing prescription medication. Therapy, or mental health counselling, can be helpful when unraveling the decision to misuse drugs and your desire to change your behavior. If you need more structured assistance, withdrawals from gabapentin or tramadol can be managed by qualified medical professionals. Detox centers, in particular, can offer you proven methods of addiction treatment, including medications and other services designed to improve your quality of life.
Key Takeaways on Gabapentin and Tramadol
- Dangerous side effects: Taking this drug combination and depressing your CNS can cause life-threatening symptoms, including confusion, drowsiness, slowed breathing, low blood pressure, and seizures. Gabapentin and tramadol should only be taken together under the supervision of a licensed professional.
- Pain management: Chronic pain, acute pain, and neuropathic pain are typically addressed with a combination of pain medications and alternative therapies. Depending on what type of pain you are experiencing, you may be a candidate for both prescriptions. How long and how often you use these medications will be at your physician’s discretion.
- Sedation risk: Because both of these substances work to suppress the typical actions of your CNS, the risk for sedation is high. The effects of these two drugs are best monitored by your doctor, and should not be used in a recreational setting for this reason.
- Dependence potential: Depressing your CNS can be a sought-after experience for recreational drug users. However, mixing gabapentin and tramadol increases your potential for dependence on CNS depressants by providing a deeply effective sedated feeling.
- Misuse support: When you misuse drugs, it may take some time to acknowledge your actions and decide you want to take steps to make a change. If you are misusing these substances together, your doctor or a certified detox center can help you identify the support and resources you need to recover.
Whether recreationally or under the supervision of your doctor, the combination of gabapentin and tramadol can potentially cause life-threatening effects. If you are concerned about your use of or your ability to stop taking these medications, medical professionals trained in recovery support can offer you personalized rehabilitation resources.
At WhiteSands Treatment Center, we pride ourselves on providing compassionate care for every person who seeks out our recovery services. Our dedicated team members are available to answer your questions regarding drug combinations, as well as treatment for addiction. Give us a call at 877-855-3470 to learn more.
Resources
- Drugs.com – Drug Interactions between celecoxib / tramadol and gabapentin
- National Library of Medicine – Gabapentin, opioids, and the risk of opioid-related death: A population-based nested case–control study
- Mayo Clinic – Prescription drug abuse
If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.
About the Author
Jackie has been involved in the substance abuse and addiction treatment sector for over five years and this is something that she is truly eager about. She has a passion for writing and continuously works to create informative pieces that not only educate and inform the public about the disease of addiction but also provide solutions for those who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse.
