Final answer:
Tramadol can be administered via oral, intravenous, intramuscular, and subcutaneous routes. Oral administration is preferred for home treatment, while parenteral routes are chosen when oral intake is not suitable due to absorption issues or patient condition.
Step-by-step explanation:
The available routes of administration for tramadol, an analgesic medication, are diverse and serve different clinical needs. It can be administered orally which is generally preferred for convenience, allowing patients to take the medication at home. For situations where oral administration is not appropriate, such as when a drug is not easily absorbed in the GI tract, parenteral routes, including intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), and subcutaneous (SC) injections, are utilized, typically within healthcare facilities. While transdermal administration is not a common method for tramadol, recent advancements for other drugs suggest this might be a future consideration for delivering medications like peptides. Therefore, tramadol can be administered orally, intravenously, intramuscularly, and subcutaneously, with transdermal systems potentially being developed.