Tramadol Facilitates My Bouts Of Sex, Makes Me High – Old Fadama Boys Share Their Experiences

Tramadol best known as ‘Tramol’ has become a household name among most Ghanaian youths due to its incessant abuse.

As its abusers will say, it gets them into another realm when they take it. Not even knowledge about the effects of the drug is not enough to deter them completely from taking it.

Ace broadcaster, Nana Aba Anamoah has been talking to some youths at Old Fadama, a suburb in Accra about the drug.

Most of these youth confirmed being addicted to Tramol, they also shared their struggles in overcoming this addiction.

This drug has kept the FDA and health experts on their toes for over a period now. This is due to the  devastating effects it is having on Ghanaians.

These guys also shared their stories on what the drug does for them despite knowing its numerous side effects. One of the guys, even after seeing a number of his friends die from seizures and the likes after taking as many as four sachets of the drug still takes it for pleasure.

That guy goes by the name, Kojo S.K, one of the ‘boys-boys’ who resides at Old Fadama. For him, he takes the Tramadol on a day he has a ‘match’ with his girlfriend and occasionally when he has some cash to spare and wants to hang out with friends.

According to Kojo S.K he can last as long as ” 3 to four hours non-stop” in his sexual bout with his girlfriend and he explained and it’s all ‘thanks’ to the energy Tramadol provides.

“I don’t just take the drug, I take it to boost my sexual escapades, I’m able to go three to four hours non-stop when I take the drug, it gives me energy. I’m 25 years old, I take it occasionally when I’m going to meet my girlfriend and or hang out with friends for fun…….I’ve seen a lot of my friends die as a result of this drug, some take as many as four sachets. Many of them have seizures and fall into the Korle Lagoon.”

“I don’t often take tramadol, but when I do I feel good and I sleep very well after my rounds” he noted.

That’s just one story, from the ‘hood boys’ in the area. ‘Horror’ as he identifies himself, on his part takes tramadol as a hustler to work through the day without feeling tired.

“I feel the drug Tramol, it gives me energy and without it, I’m unable to fight back when I’m bullied in the course of my job”, the 23-year-old hustler told GH One’s Nana Aba Anamoah on ‘State of Affairs’.

“2 doses of the 250mg tabs will get me through a day, carting goods for people. I feel down when I don’t take it but I’m re-energised when I take it. I ended up on the floor one time after taking it. I’ve read about it and I know I have to stop taking it but when I stop for about 5 days, I feel sick and cold, I only become all sorts of happy again after I take it”, he continued.

The source of my drugs he said, are “drug stores and the Abochi guys who sell….the pharmacists will sell for you just like they will sell paracetamol to you”, he narrated.

DJ Bro Joe is able to walk around 2 days without blinking an eye after taking the drug for his job (Disk Jockyeing).

“I was a shy person and I needed to take the drugs for boldness and energy to move the crowd, a friend introduced me to it but I realized that after taking the drug in the evening, I’m unable to sleep, sometimes for two whole days and it wasn’t helping me so I stopped”.

These guys, despite the so called ‘good works’ the drug does for them, expressed their fears for its side effects.

They called on government to take stringent measures to stop the import of the drug into the country and ban the sale of it on the market. The unavailability of the drug to purchase they believe will dissuade them and help them get over their dependence on it.

“Those bringing in the drugs, why are they not being prevented? And why is it accessible just anybody? Because it is being allowed, some people think it is normal to take just because you won’t see the immediate effect of the drug”, S.K. quizzed.

“I would wish that the sale of the drug is banned on the market so we don’t get access then only can we learn to control ourselves and stop taking it altogether. Once it’s available, its really hard to stop taking”, Horror stated.

What is Tramadol?

Tramadol is the generic name for a prescription pain reliever sold under the brand names Ultram, Conzip, Rybix ODT, and Ultram ER.

Doctors prescribe tramadol to treat moderate to severe pain in adults.

Tramadol comes as a tablet, and as an extended-release tablet or capsule to treat around-the-clock pain.

It’s in a class of pain drugs called opiate narcotic analgestics, which work by changing the way your brain responds to pain. It may increase levels of the neurotransmitters norepinepherine and serotonin.

The introduction of Tramadol, according to medical experts, functions like heroin. It can therefore cause psychotic problems as well as damage vital organs in the human body if abused.

Its use has raised much concerns as alarming figures of abuse and loss of lives have been recorded as a result of the drug.

Recent surveys have shown that the drug is being abused by some youth, as well as some market women, drivers and in some cases students.

Findings have shown that Tramadol abuse has killed more people than heroin and cocaine.

The Food and Drugs Authority and the health Ministry are making efforts to deal with the situation. Joint efforts with security agencies are also being made to arrest and bring to book persons dealing in the sale of Tramadol in various parts of the country.

The volume approved by the FDA to be sold is 50mg and 100mg. However, much as 250mg is being sold on the markets.