Tramadol brings on hallucinations
Q: I was recently prescribed tramadol for pain from a bad hip. I ended up with hallucinations. Ghostlike people were floating along next to my shoulder. I thought I was going crazy, and I think my doctor agreed. He said tramadol is a very safe pain medication. Have you heard of anyone else experiencing hallucinations on this drug?
A: Hallucinations are not mentioned in official prescribing information for tramadol, though they have been reported when people stop taking it suddenly.
We also are concerned about a rare but serious side effect of tramadol. A review of medical records in the U.K. revealed that people taking it were almost three times as likely as others to end up in the hospital with dangerously low blood sugar (JAMA Internal Medicine online, Dec. 8, 2014). The risk is low, but it is one doctors and patients should be aware of. Symptoms may include confusion, dizziness, headache, sweating, weakness and poor coordination.
Drug causing hair loss?
Q: I am a 47-year-old female who once had very thick, red wavy hair. In the past several months, however, I have been losing so much hair that I am really worried. I have been trying to figure out what is different in my diet or lifestyle, and the only thing that comes to mind is the propranolol I’ve been taking for almost a year to lower my blood pressure. Could that be the culprit?
A: Propranolol and other beta blockers (atenolol, metoprolol, etc.) used for heart disease or hypertension may lead to hair loss.
You may want to request a different medicine. Beta blockers like propranolol are no longer considered first-line treatments for hypertension. Such drugs should never be stopped abruptly, however.
Wash your hands
Q: I am outraged when people refuse to take reasonable precautions like washing their hands after using the restroom. I was hospitalized with norovirus, and I can tell you that the diarrhea was dreadful.
It makes me angry when a barista mashes down a coffee-cup lid with the same hand he uses to take money. Germs do make us sick!
A: This is a surprisingly contentious issue. Many visitors to our website disagree with you. For example, Cindy says: “All my life I’ve done nothing to avoid germs. I’m the type who’d take a paper coffee cup out of a public trash bin. I never get sick.”
Despite this cavalier attitude, we agree with you. Colds, flu and norovirus can be spread from hand to mouth or nose. Money and coffee-cup lids should not be touched by the same hands.
Reach Joe and Terry Graedon at PeoplesPharmacy.com.
This story was originally published December 22, 2014 at 1:10 PM with the headline " Tramadol brings on hallucinations."