Tramadol now labeled a schedule IV drug
Massachusetts pharmacists were informed last week that the US. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has published a final ruling placing Tramadol into schedule 4 of the Controlled Substances Act.
The change took effect Monday, according to a memo from Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy David Sencabaugh.
Tramadol goes by the trade names Ultram and Ultracet.
According to the DEA, it was approved for marketing in the U.S. in 1995 and soon after its approval there were reports of diversion and abuse, which led to revisions on product labeling and the addition of warnings.
An opioid analgesic, it is approved to treat moderate to moderately severe pain in adults and it is most commonly abused by narcotic addicts, chronic pain patients and health professionals, according to the DEA.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 3.2 million people in the U.S. aged 12 or older have used Tramadol for non-medical purposes in their lifetime.
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