Several years ago...my [then] doctor told me I could take Tramadol; that it is NOT an opioid, but was created to be used in PLACE of opioids. A few years later they made it a controlled substance, and called it an opioid.

Fast forward a few years...pain doctor prescribed it 3x a day. It does nothing to help real pain, but I discovered that it does help the Fibromyalgia aches, so I continue to take it for that.

* IF it was really an opioid, I doubt they would prescribe it several times a day, for years. And that's my 2 cents worth.