Tramadol For Premature Ejaculation – My Experience

photo of tramadol capsules on a table

The search for the Holy Grail of a medical treatment for premature ejaculation sometimes leads to unexpected places.

So it’s no surprise that another drug, Tramadol, has been popping up in medical journals in recent years as a potential solution.

A bit like Dapoxetine, Tramadol wasn’t designed for this purpose though; it’s actually a synthetic opioid analgesic used for moderate to severe pain relief.

But individual guys and researchers have discovered that it can also help improve premature ejaculation. I’ll discuss and reference some of these research studies a bit later.

But first I’ll talk about my experience of Tramadol, as I’ve seen first hand both the good and bad side of it.

The pain, pleasure and dependency

A few years ago I had major surgery and was given a large supply of Tramadol to take home from the hospital to manage the pain.

What they didn’t realize, and I’d forgotten, was that I’d also been given a large amount by my own doctor. I ended up with more than 200 x 50 mg pills.

Around a month after the surgery, I was able to have sex again. One day I felt some pain returning, so decided to take a 50 mg Tramadol pill (I’d been off them for about a week).

I then discovered to my delight that I lasted roughly 3 or 4 times longer than I used to.

So I decided to test if it was the Tramadol by using them once or twice more, and then also without. It turns out it was definitely the Tramadol helping.

Sounds great so far, right?

The problem was though that I twice experienced an issue with dependency on the Tramadol developing. First, I was craving a top up every 6 hours for pain relief when taking them after surgery. It took a conscious effort to cut down and stop.

Second, I was loving the fact that my sex life was much better with my accidental discovery later on. I remember thinking to myself that this was great, and I should get some more so I could take them every time I had sex.

Not so great after all then!

Luckily for me, I was strong-minded enough to cut down after the surgery. And I also knew that taking them long-term for sex wasn’t yet proved to be safe.

I was also getting some side effects like dizziness and just feeling weird (for want of a better description) when taking them.

Of course, this was just my experience Nonetheless it does seem to highlight three key points that researchers make:

  • That Tramadol can help with premature ejaculation.
  • That it can cause side effects.
  • That it can lead to problems with dependency.

What researchers have found

In 2012, British researchers published a review of 5 studies that had looked at Tramadol to treat premature ejaculation. Interestingly, they also attempted to explain how it actually works.

They say that although it’s still not totally clear, there are two possible actions that occur. They explain that it works as a weak μ-opioid receptor agonist. But then go on to say that the more likely explanation is that it inhibits neuronal reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine.

Effects of Tramadol on lasting time

In their review of the 5 studies published between 2006 and 2012, this is a brief summary of what they found:

Study 1

After 8 weeks of 50 mg Tramadol, the average lasting time of guys went from just 19 seconds to 243. That’s 13 times longer.

Study 2

After 8 weeks on 25 mg Tramadol, the average time increased from 70.2 to 442.2 seconds. So this was 6.3 times longer.

Study 3

This study actually compared Tramadol with paroxetine. They found that the paroxetine group were lasting longer, and that the Tramadol group had less rigid erections.

Study 4

They tested out both a dose of 62 mg and 89 mg, finding a respective increase of 2.4 and 2.5 times.

Study 5

They found that with a dose of 25 mg, there was an increase in lasting time from 38.83 to 154.67 – 4 times longer.

The other findings of note are that in all the studies guys reported a significant increase in their sexual satisfaction. And also their partners said they were more satisfied.

You would imagine as such, but that does show that guys were happy with that kind of increase in time.

Side effects

Across those 5 studies they say that the Tramadol was well tolerated, and that the side effects experienced were only mild.

Although in my view when one study says that 28.1% reported nausea, I wonder what the meaning of ‘well tolerated’ actually is!

These are the main side effects that guys reported:

  • nausea
  • somnolence
  • erectile dysfunction
  • vertigo
  • dyspepsia
  • headache
  • vomiting
  • dizziness

Potential problems with using Tramadol

It’s a standard thing in research journals to find at the end a kind of disclaimer where they have to talk about all the things that were potentially wrong with their own study.

So even though they conclude that Tramadol appears to be an effective treatment, they also describe these potential problems:

  • The long-term effectiveness and safety of using Tramadol is still not known.
  • They don’t really know how well it compares to other drugs, like SSRI anti-depressants. Except for the paroxetine study which suggests paroxetine did better.
  • That there are serious concerns about the potential for Tramadol abuse and dependence.

Tramadol dependency

So now we know that Tramadol can help many guys with premature ejaculation. The major concern though doesn’t seem to be side effects, but becoming dependent.

This study isn’t the only one to mention it – this article for example also suggests that it’s a concern.

So just how bad is the risk of guys abusing or becoming addicted to Tramadol? Well, it’s not as bad as you might think, according to a 2012 research study in Egypt.

They quote another piece of research from 1999 as saying that in the United States the rate of addiction is 1 in 100,000. Something the review article also mentions, though they also say that’s a significant number.

It appears from looking at other sources also, the risk is mainly with people who have a history of drug abuse.

Maybe that explains why although I personally found a craving for the Tramadol developing, I was able to stop taking it without too much trouble once I decided to.

Conclusion

It appears then that Tramadol could be an efficient way of helping guys deal with premature ejaculation. But as with all other medical treatments, it’s only a temporary solution and can cause other problems.

You do run the risk of having side effects – it’s an opioid after all, and so a strong drug. And there’s still much research needed into the long-term effectiveness and whether it’s better than other treatments.

There’s also the risk of addiction, dependency, abuse or whatever you want to call it. And although researchers say the risk is minimal, it could still happen to you.

And if you have a history of drug use or addiction – I would try something else instead.

Your views

Have you tried Tramadol to help you last longer? Did it work, and did you have any side effects? Let me know in the comments below.

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