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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Does Taking Paxil And Tramadol Together Cause Seizures?

Hello, I take Paxil 30mg 1xday (at night) recently had a back injury and my doctor gave me a prescription for tramadol 50mg tablets I have not taken any because my sister told me if I take them together I will have seizures. . .is this true and if so why would my doctor have prescribed them ?
posted on Wed, 7 Feb 2018
Twitter Sat, 10 Feb 2018 Answered on
Twitter Sat, 10 Feb 2018 Last reviewed on
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hi & Welcome.

Yes, it may cause seizures.

Tramadol is an opioid drug used to treat moderate to severe pain whereas Paxil is an antidepressant drug.

When taken together these medications can increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the "Serotonin syndrome", which may cause confusion, hallucination, seizures, increased blood pressure and heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, blurred vision, and muscle stiffness.
Severe cases may result in coma and even death.

Using Tramadol with Paxil may also increase the risk of seizures not related to the serotonin syndrome. The interaction may be more likely if you are elderly, undergoing alcohol or drug withdrawal, have a history of seizures, or have a condition affecting the central nervous system such as a brain tumor or head injury.

You should contact your doctor immediately if you experience these symptoms while taking the medications.

Kindly consult your doctor to consider an alternate effective pain killer other than Tramadol.

Hope this will help.
Best regards.
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Does Taking Paxil And Tramadol Together Cause Seizures?

Hi & Welcome. Yes, it may cause seizures. Tramadol is an opioid drug used to treat moderate to severe pain whereas Paxil is an antidepressant drug. When taken together these medications can increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the Serotonin syndrome , which may cause confusion, hallucination, seizures, increased blood pressure and heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, blurred vision, and muscle stiffness. Severe cases may result in coma and even death. Using Tramadol with Paxil may also increase the risk of seizures not related to the serotonin syndrome. The interaction may be more likely if you are elderly, undergoing alcohol or drug withdrawal, have a history of seizures, or have a condition affecting the central nervous system such as a brain tumor or head injury. You should contact your doctor immediately if you experience these symptoms while taking the medications. Kindly consult your doctor to consider an alternate effective pain killer other than Tramadol. Hope this will help. Best regards.