Tramadol

[lulusmom]

A lot of you are familiar with Tramadol and a lot of you will probably become familiar with Tramadol at some point in your dog's life. This is a good read that will provide you with some good information on the drug and it's definitely worth saving for future reference.

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[Squirt's Mom]

I can't take the human version of Tramadol, Ultram. It makes me violently ill. I have always watched my babies carefully in case they have the same reaction but they never have. In reading the article it may be due to the way this breaks down in human VS canine bodies.

[Bo's Mom]

So this may be a dumb question but Latte (non-cush) takes Tramadol as needed for back issues. My husband also takes it and has a prescription for the same medication/strength. However, is there a dog/cat version of Tramadol and a human version of Tramadol?

[Squirt's Mom]

When it has been prescribed to me it is Ultram and when prescribed for my dogs it's Tramadol. The brand name is Ultram and the generic is Tramadol - as far as I know they are the same drug. What has never made sense until reading the article is that my 150lb+ body and Squirt's 15lb body were prescribed the exact same dose. But human and canine bodies don't break this drug down the same apparently.

[Renee]

Very interesting. Tramadol has become a controlled drug in Alaska now, as of earlier this year. I like having it on hand though, and fortunately my vet is fairly flexible on prescribing it. I usually get it at Walgreens with a script from the vet. I've never taken it though.

[judymaggie]

Leslie -- I had the exact same experience as you when my vet prescribed tramadol for Abbie a couple of years back. I take 50 mg. for fibromyalgia pain and that was the exact same dose for Abbie. At least I didn't have to get a different prescription for her! It is now a controlled drug in all the states now. Dogs definitely process drugs differently -- Abbie gets 10 mg. of benedryl twice a day (and up to three times a day during really bad allergy season). I would be zonked all the time if I took that much!