Tramadol is a pain reliever and comes in two forms...slow release and regular. Tramadol is a narcotic-like pain reliever, a synthetic opioid. You can read more about it here:

http://www.drugs.com/tramadol.html

I take Tramadol. It's about the only thing that relieves the burning and other types of pain I experience from PN. The risk of addiction with Tramadol is very low, especially for what I take it for. It can be used long term. There are people here that have used it for years.

My doc wouldn't put me on Lyrica (for the RLS - Restless Leg Syndrome) because it's related to Neurontin which made me suicidal. I took Neurontin for PN. It did work for a bit. But soon I had increased pain and my dose was doubled. That's when I became suicidal.

I currently take Mirapex for the RLS and it seems to help the PN symptoms somewhat. The burning I still experience but it's not as bad as it was. Thanks to the vitamins I take. Check out the stickies at the top of the forum. There's a lot of really good info there.