Tramadol and heart problems

Posted , 8 users are following.

I have been taking tramadol and Tradol retard for about 17 years, and until recently regarded it as a very safe medication. Two weeks ago I sufferred a heart attack, with an underlying problem of a blocked artery. I assumed it had nothing to do with the medicine until I began investigating, and found that many people had actually died because it increased the chances of an attack. Has anybody got more information about this, or heard of similar cases? Many thanks. Michael E.

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • Posted

    I've heard about this, I think it's a two pronged thing, firstly Tramadol masks Angina (Heart pain) and secondly it's antidepressant SSRI like action could cause rare abnormal changes in Heart electrical activity similar to those reported from Citalopram,, but to be honest this is just my speculation. By far the largest cause for Coronary Heart Disease is Hypercholestrolaemia (high cholesterol) and it's associated Atherosclerosis (Atheroma (plaques) of cholesterol, triglyceride and white blood cells), thus your clogged artery...

    If you can't feel the sometimes subtle Heart pain then you aren't going to know you've got a problem until, sadly, it's too late neutral

    Hopefully you'll have had Angioplasty and Stenting by now,, take care smile

  • Posted

    I had the treatment straight away, as I was fairly bad, the reason I was asking was as you pointed out the signs can be masked,I actually had pains the two days before, but put them down to heartburn. My cholestrol has been good, as I have regular checks because of related conditions. Thanks for your time and answer.
  • Posted

    Yes this (dry, rippling?) heartburn like thing is exactly what I was talking about, sneaky eh neutral

    People (not necessarily you) need to be educated, especially if they're at risk, follow the advice on the box, only take stronger painkillers as required, not as a routine thing. Think of it as a ladder, if today you are feeling good knock the painkillers on the head; or if today you're in minimal pain take some Paracetamol; or if your pain is a bit worse take some (if it's safe for you) Ibuprofen with the Paracetamol (or over the counter Co-codamol) etc etc. The minimum required to provide relief...

    If you can't do without strong pain relief then just remember, other problems whether Heart, Lung or Foot mightn't feel like as you are classically lead to believe and if something is making you think something strange is going on then see your GP as soon as you can...

    Heart attacks hurt a lot don't they (although again not necessarily) cheesygrin I hope you are well on the mend wink

  • Posted

    hi i dont know if this helps but im recovering from a heart bypass 6months now, but tramadol was the drug given to me to take home after the operation.

    what im asking is, if there was any truth that this drug could cause the very same problems you believe they do, that i had my operation to prevent the same problems happening to me then why would the hospital be giving me this drug?

    just a thought.

  • Posted

    I didn’t know what had caused the problem I have, but neither did any of the doctors. I don't have high cholesterol and my weight is ideal for my height etc, they cannot understand why I had such a massive heart attack, and how I survived. The reason I mentioned tradol is I found a story of a woman who took one tablet more than normal, and had an attack and died. Since then however I have also found that another medicine I take can cause the problem I have. By the way, I have taken tradol for seventeen years without a problem, but I don't take the amount I see others have taken. I have read of people who take well over 1000 grams a day, while my doctor told me 550 is the maximum. After finding out about the other medicine, I consider tradol not to be the problem, as the other has direct relations with heart problems.
    • Posted

      I came across your post and wonder if your heart attack might have been a Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD). I had that type of heart attack in January 2017 and needed emergency angioplasty and stent. A lateral artery apparently tore, causing a blood clot to block a descending artery. I had no plaque or usual risk factors. There's a Facebook group of over 2,000 SCAD survivors worldwide. The Mayo Clinic is researching SCAD but it's not certain what causes it. Genetics and hormones may play a role in women and there are more women diagnosed than men.

      As for pain medications, I've read in the past that taking anti-inflammatories and certain pain meds daily can disrupt an inflammatory action necessary in blood vessels to the heart and has been linked to attacks. But there's no certainty this is a cause in SCAD patients.

      Your comments about having clean arteries just makes me wonder if you are one of our somewhat rare group.

    • Posted

      Now that I have read your post I'm wondering if that's what happend to me I had a heart attack in Feb 2017 they put a stent in thru my groin and when it was all said and done my doc said it was a fluke that I had it one to begin with at the age of 39 and every part of my heart and bp and everything else was perfect

    • Posted

      Hi Amanda:

      You should check out Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) information. There are survivor groups on Facebook. I'm a member of two groups. My Facebook name is Deana Stokes Sullivan if you'd like to connect with me.

  • Posted

    I have taken tramadol for the past 25 years for a bad back. In June I had my second heart attack while holidaying in Malta. Within 1 hour I was in a hospital bed and by the end of 5 days they had fitted a stent because of a blocked artery. When I got back to the UK saw my new doctor who is now slowly taking me of tramadol and putting me onto a safer painkiller. I had been taking up to 500mg per day plus codeineand had always said I wonder what it was doing to my body now I know.
  • Posted

    On Tramadol for pain while awaiting knee replacement.  Recently had a nuclear stress test for my heart and discovered lack of oxygen to lower part of my heart.  Looked up Tramadol side effects and found it to be related to hypoxia.  I stopped the drug immediately.
  • Posted

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