Doctors say Tramadol is an opioid used for pain management, with a huge potential for misuse. This misuse, according to doctors, is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and is more rampant among young adults in low-income settings. In Nigeria today, the abuse of Tramadol has become a crippling affliction, virtually synonymous with every home. Nearly every family is affected by individuals—both young and old—who are directly or indirectly dependent on one suppressant or another. Tramadol is widely, and often wrongly, advertised as a drug that suppresses or reduces the intensity of stress. Given that virtually everyone in Nigeria is either stressed or on the brink of being stressed, the consumption rate of the drug has become alarmingly high. According to some statistics, cough syrups with high codeine content rank next to Tramadol in terms of household consumption in Nigeria.
By Bala Ibrahim
People consume these drugs because they temporarily relieve situational stress, numbing the pain of the moment but potentially creating more problems in the future. As advanced by Karl Marx, the German revolutionary and critic of political economy, who described religion as the “opium of the masses,” Tramadol is similarly viewed by some as a form of opium because it distorts reality and temporarily numbs the pain of depression. However, when abused, Tramadol can distort reality and cause health effects that may lead to a sharp rise in criminal activities.
While Karl Marx highlighted how the efficacy of religion is reaffirmed by the promise of eternal life for those who adhere to its beliefs, Tramadol and other suppressants succeed only in creating an illusion for the user, who enters a brief period of hallucination. Everything seen or thought about after consuming the drug is largely false.
Public concern in Nigeria over the misuse of Tramadol and other opioids, especially regarding the associated health and social harms, is alarmingly high. Doctors insist that pharmacies should stick to prescriptions as a way to control the misuse of the drug, and law enforcement agencies encourage police and NDLEA raids on stores. However, those involved in the illicit trade often circumvent these measures. In fact, rather than constraining the supply of illicit drugs, these measures sometimes create obstacles to the supply of essential medicines for pain management, encourage illegal markets, and fuel law enforcement corruption through police complicity in the illegal Tramadol trade in Nigeria. Death, injury, and addiction are now trends increasingly linked to Tramadol use in Nigeria. Additionally, the rise in Tramadol-induced health effects has coincided with a sharp increase in criminal activities involving individuals addicted to the unlicensed use of Tramadol. This situation is deeply troubling for a nation already battling multifaceted challenges.
What is particularly concerning about Tramadol abuse, according to doctors, is the fact that fatal health risks, such as extreme sleepiness, slowed or stopped breathing, coma, and death, can occur when the drug is consumed improperly. Just last week, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced the confiscation of no fewer than 2.49 million tablets and capsules of Tramadol from a truck on the Gombe-Bauchi Expressway. The agency estimated the drugs to be worth over ₦2 billion. Presenting the seized drugs as evidence, the Gombe State Commander of the NDLEA, Okechukwu Nkere, said the truck was intercepted on September 13 at about 8:30 p.m., along with the driver and a passenger. Following credible intelligence, the drugs were found concealed in a truck loaded with bags of salt as a decoy.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Nigerians living with drug use disorders far outnumber those living with HIV and AIDS in the country. The consequences of drug use, especially drug dependence, are well-known in any society and include both health-related and social effects. Drug addiction impacts nutrition, sleep, and susceptibility to communicable diseases. People are also more prone to injury due to drug abuse. Additionally, pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers who abuse drugs may experience health impacts that affect both them and their children. Babies born to drug-abusing mothers may experience withdrawal symptoms after birth, a condition known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Drug abuse also increases the risk of premature birth or low birth weight.
Experts on human behaviour point out that the social implications of drug abuse include family conflicts, unemployment, and legal issues arising from criminal activity or arrests related to drug use. Moreover, drug abuse has well-documented links to terrorist activities, as it fuels violent behaviour and the drug trade. Addressing the drug abuse problem—particularly the surge in Tramadol use—would thus have benefits that transcend public health and wellbeing.
May we all be guided and protected. Ameen.
