Reported Reactions

Drugs › Opioid agonist

Generic name

Tramadol hcl: adverse event reports filed with FDA

5,799 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Opioid agonist.

5,799
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 258 a year
19
reports, 12 months to June 2026
45 in the 12 months before
88.4%
marked serious by the reporter
91.7% across the class
23.2%
record death among outcomes, as reported
1,344 reports · not verified by FDA

Between January 2004 and May 2026, 5,799 adverse event reports received by FDA list tramadol hcl, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (31,611) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 19 reports listed it, down 58% from 45 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Over its reporting history that is about 258 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 0.6% of the reports for the opioid agonist class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

Reporters most often recorded drug interaction (9.4%), completed suicide (7.9%) and nausea (6.3%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 1,029 different terms appear across these reports. Drug interaction is recorded in 9.4% of these reports, a larger share than in the median opioid agonist drug (1.4%).

88.4% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (91.7% across the class); 23.2% record death among the outcomes and 37.2% record hospitalisation, as reported. 33.4% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 18 to 44 (25.2%). FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event."

Reports by month, five years

0917Jul 2021: 6Aug 2021: 6Sep 2021: 8Oct 2021: 0Nov 2021: 5Dec 2021: 22022Jan 2022: 8Feb 2022: 5Mar 2022: 5Apr 2022: 3May 2022: 5Jun 2022: 3Jul 2022: 4Aug 2022: 4Sep 2022: 2Oct 2022: 3Nov 2022: 1Dec 2022: 52023Jan 2023: 0Feb 2023: 6Mar 2023: 1Apr 2023: 0May 2023: 4Jun 2023: 0Jul 2023: 2Aug 2023: 3Sep 2023: 4Oct 2023: 8Nov 2023: 1Dec 2023: 22024Jan 2024: 2Feb 2024: 2Mar 2024: 3Apr 2024: 3May 2024: 3Jun 2024: 2Jul 2024: 2Aug 2024: 3Sep 2024: 17Oct 2024: 5Nov 2024: 0Dec 2024: 02025Jan 2025: 5Feb 2025: 1Mar 2025: 6Apr 2025: 1May 2025: 3Jun 2025: 2Jul 2025: 4Aug 2025: 2Sep 2025: 6Oct 2025: 0Nov 2025: 0Dec 2025: 02026Jan 2026: 1Feb 2026: 2Mar 2026: 1Apr 2026: 2May 2026: 1Jun 2026: 0

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

By year received

04448882004: 24920042005: 2882006: 3142007: 57420072008: 5442009: 5462010: 57420102011: 8282012: 8882013: 14320132014: 1682015: 792016: 8320162017: 522018: 682019: 7920192020: 1032021: 612022: 4820222023: 312024: 422025: 3020252026: 7

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Tramadol hcl reports recording the termmedian drug in opioid agonist

  1. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines9.4%546
  2. Completed suicidedeath by suicide7.9%458
  3. Nauseafeeling sick6.3%366
  4. Convulsion6.2%358
  5. Confusional stateconfusion5.8%336
  6. Vomitingbeing sick5.3%309
  7. Overdosea dose above the recommended amount4.8%279
  8. Somnolencedrowsiness4.6%268
  9. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected4.5%259
  10. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine4.4%258
  11. Serotonin syndrometoo much serotonin activity, with agitation, fever and tremor4.4%253
  12. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness4.2%246
  13. Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances3.8%219
  14. Headachehead pain3.7%217
  15. Painpain, site not specified3.5%203
  16. Cardio-respiratory arrestthe heart and breathing stopped3.5%202
  17. Falla fall3.3%193
  18. Cardiac arrestthe heart stopped3.3%192
  19. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term3%176
  20. Tremorshaking2.9%171
  21. Drug abusemisuse of a medicine2.9%170
  22. Respiratory arrestbreathing stopped2.9%170
  23. Hyperhidrosisexcessive sweating2.9%167
  24. Dyspnoeashortness of breath2.8%164
  25. Insomniadifficulty sleeping2.6%153
  26. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy2.6%152
  27. Loss of consciousnesspassing out2.6%150
  28. Drug dependencedependence on a medicine2.6%148
  29. Suicide attempta suicide attempt2.4%142

Top 30 of 1,029 MedDRA preferred terms recorded across these reports, with a plain-language gloss where one is available. One report can record several terms. The hollow bar is the median share across the 42 drugs in the opioid agonist class; it describes the reports, not the patients. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Outcomes recorded

Death23.2%1,344
Life-threatening6.9%402
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)37.2%2,157
Disability3.7%215
Congenital anomaly0.4%22
Other serious37.6%2,179
Not serious11.6%670

Outcome flags as the reporter set them; a report can carry several, and "other serious" is FDA's own category for serious reports outside the named outcomes. Grey bar: all 965,051 reports in the class. FDA has not verified any outcome and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Patients and reporters

Patient age

Under 21%56
2 to 110.5%31
12 to 171.6%93
18 to 4425.2%1,462
45 to 6424.5%1,422
65 to 749.4%543
75 and over11.2%650
Age not given26.6%1,542

Patient sex

Female54.6%3,165
Male38.1%2,211
Not given7.3%423

Who reported

Physician28%1,624
Pharmacist7.9%457
Other health professional33.4%1,937
Lawyer0.7%40
Consumer or non-health professional18.2%1,053
Not given11.9%688

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 48.5% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Pain89315.4%
Back pain3215.5%
Arthralgia1322.3%
Fibromyalgia490.8%
Osteoarthritis390.7%
Headache360.6%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 5,799 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Tramadol hcl reports
Acetaminophen5749.9%
Gabapentin3185.5%
Diazepam2895%
Lyrica2794.8%
Aspirin2414.2%
Omeprazole2354.1%
Ibuprofen2183.8%
Clonazepam1813.1%
Alprazolam1803.1%
Paracetamol1562.7%

Other products listed in reports where Tramadol hcl is a suspect product, whatever their own role. Co-listing means the two were recorded together; it says nothing about either product's part in the event. Only the 2,500 most-reported names are counted here.

In context

MeasureTramadol hclOpioid agonistAll reports
Reports as suspect product5,799965,05120,646,523
Share of that pool—0.6%0%
Reports, latest 12 months19—1,332,454
Marked serious88.4%91.7%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports23235791
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports372126213
Consumer-filed share18.2%32.5%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug interaction 9.4%median 1.4%0.8%

Shares are of reports, not of patients treated. The number of people taking a product is not in the data, so none of these figures is a rate, and differences between columns reflect who takes a product, who reports and how long it has been sold. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Other drugs in the opioid agonist class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
OxyContinbrand146,26358494.6%
Oxycodone hydrochloridegeneric113,2202,59894.7%
Dilaudidbrand64,19117395.7%
Morphine sulfategeneric60,0921,57779.8%
Hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophengeneric59,05217096.2%
Percocetbrand57,79319895.4%
Fentanylgeneric53,6563,29286.2%
MS Continbrand52,1285598.7%
Oxycodonegeneric35,6712,85391.8%
Hysingla ERbrand30,703692.1%
Morphinegeneric28,4211,42190.5%
Nucyntabrand27,57512790.4%
Tramadol hydrochloridegeneric27,4471,95292.4%
Oxycodone and acetaminophengeneric24,91911294%
Norcobrand24,6614293.1%

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic." A brand and its generic are separate rows because reporters name them separately.

Questions about Tramadol hcl reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Tramadol hcl?

5,799 reports list Tramadol hcl as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 19 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 31,611 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Tramadol hcl reports?

drug interaction (9.4%), completed suicide (7.9%), nausea (6.3%), convulsion (6.2%) and confusional state (5.8%). These are MedDRA preferred terms coded from what the reporter described; a report can list several, and a term's presence is not a finding that Tramadol hcl was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

88.4% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 23.2% of reports include death and 37.2% include hospitalisation. FDA has not verified these outcomes and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence" of the events.

Who files these reports?

other health professional (33.4%), physician (28%) and consumer or non-health professional (18.2%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Tramadol hcl rising?

19 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 58% from 45 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Counts also move with how many people take a product, its time on the market and publicity.

Do these reports show that Tramadol hcl was responsible for these reactions?

No. FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event." The reaction may relate to the condition being treated, to other medicines, or to something else.

Is this a list of the side effects of Tramadol hcl?

No. It is a count of what was reported to FDA. The adverse reactions observed in clinical studies are printed on the FDA-approved label, which a pharmacist or clinician can go through with you.

How do I report an adverse event?

Consumers and health professionals can report to FDA through MedWatch (Form FDA 3500 online, or 1-800-FDA-1088), or to the manufacturer, which must pass reports on. See the guide on how to report.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. Drug names are as reported, resolved to the brand or generic name on the FDA label where openFDA's harmonisation matched them; classes are the pharmacologic class (EPC) from the label and the National Drug Code Directory of 17 Sep 2026. A report counts here when it lists Tramadol hcl as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (31,611) are excluded. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.

Drug data (FAERS) through 30 Jun 2026; device data (MAUDE) through 31 Aug 2026. Not medical advice.