"i am a runner and had strained my back during training.  i was taking 4 advils at a time for weeks and even though i was popping them like m&amp;m&#039;s, o as still suffering.  my doctor prescribed tramadol 50mg 1-2 pills every 6 hours and took the pain away immediately!!! the side effect i had were slight headache and it made me little loopy but it outweighed the back pain i was experiencing so i was happy with it.  don&#039;t plan on taking this long term but it was the only thing that worked for me."