Originally they sold tramadol as “not an opioid” (and not addictive) but then they backtracked on that, so yeah, it is. But most people mentally classify it differently.

Every time I’ve had other opioids, they literally have no effect on me, including not reducing my pain. My lay understanding is that tramadol gets metabolized into a different kind of opioid while in your body, and I suspect something about that process allows it to work for me while others don’t.

And in general I seem to have a lot of abnormal responses to medications, including some paradoxical effects (like Ambien keeps me awake, or Claritin-D—the non-drowsy one—puts me to sleep).