The expert: Tramadol and young people, so you can think as a parent

- Young people should not experiment with drugs, but some do it anyway and not infrequently for that very reason.

Then I think that as a parent you should ask yourself how you usually react when your child has a norm-breaking behavior.

Intervene quickly and clearly, but do it in a balanced way, says Petter Karlsson, doctoral student in social work at Lund University.

He also suggests trying to find out a number of things yourself, before possibly contacting the care for help.

For example, examine how long the mill has been going on and, above all, what is behind it.

- You need to understand the problem to be able to work with it and then you need to have a good relationship with your child.

Do not lock your child out.

Young people use the drugs that their friends use, so put yourself in your child's social context.

The double effect of the drug

The drug use in question may be about a willingness to experiment, but there may also be more serious problems behind it.

And here you need to understand the double effect that tramadol has.

Tramadol not only works as a painkiller but also has effects similar to certain antidepressant drugs.

This means that the drug is often used for the purpose of self-medication for mental illness.

- That tramadol has both an invigorating and analgesic effect is of course important.

You may feel less inhibited by the drug, which is an effect that many may appreciate.

When you work in addiction care, you often meet people who have had anxiety all their lives, an anxiety that they realized early on that they could alleviate with the help of alcohol or other drugs, says Petter Karlsson.

Has great dependency potential

Because tramadol is an opioid that is partially similar to morphine and heroin, the drug has great potential for addiction.

But it is not only the development of addiction that makes tramadolan users seek care, but side effects such as epileptic seizures and fainting that come from the drug's dual properties.

- Many people seek care only when the side effects such as fainting and seizures appear, which is common when the user due to the development of tolerance needs to take increasing doses to get the desired effect.

These side effects make tramadol stand out among the other opioid drugs; heroin users, for example, do not experience these side effects.

In combination with alcohol and sedatives, such as benzodiazepines, there is also a risk of fatal overdoses.