SHEET /vs/codeine-vs-tramadol · COMPARISON
Codeine vs Tramadol: what is the difference?
How they differ
Both are weak opioids that owe much of their effect to being converted by the liver into something stronger, which is the most interesting thing they share. Codeine is a natural poppy alkaloid, morphine with a methyl group on one oxygen, and the enzyme CYP2D6 strips that group to make morphine. Tramadol is fully synthetic and unrelated in shape, and the same enzyme turns it into a metabolite with far more opioid activity than the parent. In both cases a person's version of that enzyme decides how much drug they are actually getting, which is a real source of variation between people. Tramadol adds serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake blocking that codeine does not have, so the two are not simply different strengths of the same idea.
Side by side
| Codeine | Tramadol | |
|---|---|---|
| Formula | C18H21NO3 | C16H25NO2 |
| Molecular weight | 299.4 g/mol | 263.37 g/mol |
| Family | Opioids, Non-opioid painkillers | Opioids |
| Everyday group | Prescription medicine | Prescription medicine |
| Functional groups | Alcohols, Aromatics, Ethers | Alcohols, Aromatics, Ethers |
| GHS signal wordThe supplier-filed hazard label, not a statement about ordinary use. | Danger | Danger |
| Oral LD50A single acute animal measure. It ranks nothing about human safety. | 427 mg/kg (oral, rat) | 228 mg/kg (oral, rat) |
| CAS number | 76-57-3 | 27203-92-5 |
| PubChem CID | 5284371 | 33741 |
Common questions
- What is the difference between Codeine and Tramadol?
- Both are weak opioids that owe much of their effect to being converted by the liver into something stronger, which is the most interesting thing they share. Codeine is a natural poppy alkaloid, morphine with a methyl group on one oxygen, and the enzyme CYP2D6 strips that group to make morphine. Tramadol is fully synthetic and unrelated in shape, and the same enzyme turns it into a metabolite with far more opioid activity than the parent.
- Is Codeine bigger than Tramadol?
- Codeine is the heavier molecule, 299.4 g/mol against 263.37 g/mol for Tramadol. Codeine is C18H21NO3 and Tramadol is C16H25NO2.
- Which has the lower reported LD50, Codeine or Tramadol?
- Tramadol, at 228 mg/kg (oral, rat), against 427 mg/kg (oral, rat) for Codeine. An LD50 is one acute animal measurement, and the two here were not necessarily measured in the same species, so it is a data point rather than a ranking of how dangerous either is to a person.