As the opioid addiction issue becomes more prominent, it appears that medical professionals are changing their opinions on how addictive certain painkillers might be.
One of those painkillers under scrutiny is Tramadol, which is currently classified as a Schedule IV narcotic by the Drug Enforcement Administration in the United States. In many countries, including Cameroon and Ireland, the drug has become the top addiction issue.
Until now, Tramadol hasn't been regulated everywhere partly because of long-held (and now changing) beliefs that the drug is not an addictive substance. In the US, the drug is prescribed in 50 mg doses, but in areas where it is abused, users take hundreds of milligrams per day.
As reported in the Wall Street Journal, Tramadol is the only opioid readily available in many developing nations, and the World Health Organization has left the drug as an "unscheduled" substance, because they are concerned about keeping it out of the hands of individuals who need it. Current problems with Tramadol aren't just that it's addictive, but also that its production and export are unlimited.
In Ireland, ITV reports that in 2015, Tramadol was linked to 33 deaths. In Ireland and other countries, people can get this painkiller without a prescription. In other areas, people are turning to the black market to obtain the drug.
Farmers in Cameroon are said to give the drug to their animals in order to make them work harder and not be affected by the hot weather as they work.
The drug is so dramatically abused in Africa that researchers have found traces of the chemical in vegetation.
093.txt
