I recently cut down my daily dose of tramadol medicine by 33%, all at once. then, i started getting abdominalpain. are the two events possibly related?

Possibly: Although tramadol brand name Ultram is a non narcotic pain med and has much lower addiction potential it needs to be slowly tapered (reduced) especially when take for more than a few weeks. Reduce by very slowly and you will avoid withdrawal symptoms which can include abdominal pain, headache, and fatigue. If your symptoms persist seek medical care.

It is possible.: Everyone reacts differently to medications and it is possible that it is related. You should let the provider who prescribed the tramadol know as soon as possible to receive a thorough evaluation of your complaints.

Withdrawal: That fast a drowsy have caused some withdrawal symptoms.

It is 100% related: Abdominal cramping is a well described side effect of opioid withdrawal and tramadol is absolutely an opioid even if it is not controlled. Bently or Levsin (hyoscyamine) is my first choice for treatment. Ondansetron may help nausea.