Tramadol is now ‘killing more people than heroin’, pathologist says

Tramadol is now ‘killing more people than heroin’, pathologist says

Tramadol, a powerful synthetic painkiller commonly bought from the internet is now killing more people in northern Ireland than heroin, a pathologist has said.

Coroner Paddy McGurgan spoke at the inquest into Londonderry man Stephen Booth, saying the synthetic opiate was a ‘scourge on society’.



Mr Booth had taken tramadol, alprazolam and diazepam before he fell into a coma and stopped breathing, the court heard.



State pathologist Professor Jack Crane said that Tramadol has caused so many deaths that he had raised the issue with the Chief Medical Officer, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
He said that there were now ‘more deaths in Northern Ireland from Tramadol than any other drug such as heroin or morphine.’



Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2017/01/11/tramadol-is-now-killing-more-people-than-heroin-pathologist-says-6374088/#ixzz4dyigk92a

That's quite a cocktail of drugs, so it's not surprising really.

I do know a few people who take tramadol, but they say they need it for pain management.

Raggamuffin wrote:That's quite a cocktail of drugs, so it's not surprising really.

I do know a few people who take tramadol, but they say they need it for pain management.

The problem is, they give you drugs like Tramadol, then have to give you different drugs to counter the side effects, which in turn cause you have yet more drugs to counter those side effects.

HoratioTarr wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:That's quite a cocktail of drugs, so it's not surprising really.

I do know a few people who take tramadol, but they say they need it for pain management.

 The problem is, they give you drugs like Tramadol, then have to give you different drugs to counter the side effects, which in turn cause you have yet more drugs to counter those side effects.  

Isn't the Coroner saying it is killing more people that heroin because of the abuse of prescription meds?

I know this has become a growing problem down here and has been a problem in the USA for a while.