Background: addiction is still an increasingly social and health issue worldwide, despite all attempts to overcome it. Analgesics are of the most prevalent substances that are abused. In Egypt and the Middle East, tramadol abuse is highly increasing. This can be correlated to its inexpensive cost, large availability, accessibility and illegal trafficking. Tramadol is a centrally-acting synthetic opioid analgesic that is commonly used to treat different intensities of pain varying from mild to extreme pain conditions. Prolonged administration of tramadol can result in abnormalities of the hypothalamic-pituitary function and decrease in testosterone production. Many experimental studies were done and showed that tramadol affects the level of luteinizing hormone, follicular stimulating hormone, testosterone, estradiol, and prolactin. It also affects sperm quality and motility. We aimed in this review: is to delineate these issues.
Conclusion: There is a significant correlation between tramadol abuse and impaired gonadal and male sex hormone and sperm quality parameters.