You may be more likely to have a seizure (convulsions) if you take tramadol while you are using certain other medicines. Do not take tramadol without telling your doctor if you also use any of the following medications:
- an MAO inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), tranylcypromine (Parnate), phenelzine (Nardil), or selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam); or
- an antidepressant such as amitriptyline (Elavil), citalopram (Celexa), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor); paroxetine (Paxil), or sertraline (Zoloft).
Your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with them first.
This drug should not be used with the following medications because very serious (possibly fatal) interactions may occur: MAO inhibitors (e.g., furazolidone, isocarboxazid, linezolid, moclobemide, phenelzine, procarbazine, rasagiline, selegiline, tranylcypromine).
Avoid taking MAO inhibitors within 2 weeks before, during, and after treatment with tramadol.
If you are currently using any of these medications listed above, tell your doctor or pharmacist before starting tramadol.
Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all prescription and nonprescription/herbal products you may use, especially of: other narcotic medications.
Before using tramadol, report the use of other drugs that increase serotonin, such as dextromethorphan, lithium, St. John’s wort, sibutramine, street drugs such as MDMA/”ecstasy”, tryptophan, certain antidepressants including SSRIs (such as citalopram, paroxetine) and SNRIs (such as duloxetine, venlafaxine), “triptans” used to treat migraine headaches (such as eletriptan, sumatriptan), among others. The risk of serotonin syndrome may be more likely when you start or increase the dose of these medications.
Also report the use of drugs that might increase seizure risk when combined with tramadol such as isoniazid (INH), phenothiazines (e.g., thioridazine, chlorpromazine, promethazine), theophylline, or tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline), among others. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for details.
Other medications can affect the removal of tramadol from your body, which may affect how tramadol works or increase the risk of side effects. These drugs include quinidine, azole antifungals (such as ketoconazole), macrolide antibiotics (such as erythromycin), rifamycins (such as rifabutin), drugs used to treat seizures (such as carbamazepine, phenytoin), and St. John’s wort. This is not a complete list.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you also take drugs that cause drowsiness such as certain antihistamines (e.g., diphenhydramine), anti-anxiety drugs (e.g., diazepam), anti-seizure drugs (e.g., phenytoin), medicine for sleep (e.g., zolpidem), muscle relaxants (e.g., cyclobenzaprine).
Check the labels on all your medicines (e.g., cough-and-cold products) because they may contain ingredients that cause drowsiness. Ask your pharmacist about using those products safely.
This document does not contain all possible interactions. Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all the products you use. Keep a list of all your medications with you, and share the list with your doctor and pharmacist.
Before taking tramadol, tell your doctor if you also use:
- carbamazepine (Tegretol);
- warfarin (Coumadin);
- digoxin (Lanoxin, Lanoxicaps);
- ketoconazole (Nizoral);
- erythromycin (E-Mycin, E.E.S., Ery-Tab);
- rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane, Rifater);
- St. John’s wort;
- quinidine (Quinaglute, Quinadex, Cardioquin, Quinora); or
- drugs that make you sleepy (such as cold medicine, other pain medications, muscle relaxants, and medicine for seizures, depression or anxiety).
This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with tramadol. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.
