Does anyone know that Ultram aka Tramadol is not considered a narcotic, but mimics it or worse?

I am educated enough to be afraid of my own medication but realize I do need it for chronic pain. I did detox off of it for 3 months last year only to realize how bad RSD is after 11yrs and only went back on it due to the fact that I lost any ability to function even after detox was over. I was no longer able to drive my car, do minimal chores, or have any quality of life to do anything.
It started in my right foot, spread up my right leg into my right hip/back area. I also have it slightly in my left foot and lower left leg. I feel blessed it was caught early enough so that I'm not in full body RSD.
I hope nobody else has to suffer the way I have with this disease but I already have met too many people that have it worse than I do.
I hope you can live without the pain meds as it is better in the long run for your health but if you do need pain meds, it is a responsibility to maintain your quality of life without taking too many or too much.
Best Wishes

The physical withdrawal symptoms from long term use of Tramadol is absolute torture. I had to find this out the hard way with no warning what so ever from my Doctor. Your whole body is in agony, muscle pains all over, you cannot find comfort in any position, you find yourself drenched in sweat but you feel absolutely freezing, the only comfort you will find is if, and when you can sleep, and even when you do manage to sleep, you still feel the presence of severe fatigue. I have to say, I have been through some rough experiences in my life, but when the withdrawal symptoms from Tramadol were at its peek all I could think about was ending it all. Although this may be off topic, I just want to put it out there to all you recreationalist's out there thinking of trying street drugs opiate or non opiate based such as Heroin (diacetylmorphine) or Crystal Meth (Methamphetamine), there are safer and more natural ways to gain that high you are looking for, just remember the euphoria may be heavenly for a short time but the life long battle of kicking a drug once you're hooked is hell. Although the question is old, I hope the information and experience I've contributed still remains beneficial to others.

I know my experience is "minor" (as far as length of time having used this drug) compared to other posters experiences but I'm outraged that I was given this medicine being told it wasn't a narcotic; I was neither warned by the doctor nor the pharmacist & as I look at the bottle, no label, warning of the long term affects of this drug.