Opiate withdrawal. would tapering be a better solution to quitting the tramadol abrubtly?

Tapering is best: Tramadol is a synthetic opiate with weak Mu opiate agonist activity and some re-uptake inhibition of norepinephrine and serotonin. In translation: it acts like a weak narcotic AND antidepressant at the same time. It has a long half life: 7 hours. So it takes a while (4-5 half lives) to build up and to come out of the body. Taper over 2 weeks reducing the dose 10% per day to avoid withdrawal.