Zahid Ahmad Hashmi, Ghazala Bashir, Shakeel Ahmad Shah.
Tramadol hydrochloride versus diclofenac sodium for early post-operative pain control.
J Rawal Med Coll Jan ;10(2):90-3.

Background: To study the effectiveness of Tramadol hydrochloride in post-operative pain control and to compare its duration and side effects with non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug Diclofenac sodium. Method: District Headquarters Teaching Hospital, D I Khan was the setting for this prospective study of 200 patients with moderate to severe post operative pain. Patients were randomly divided into two equal groups. The post operative pain in Group I was controlled with a single intramuscular injection of 100mg Tramadol hydrochloride, while in Group II it was controlled with 75 mg of Diclofenac sodium given intramuscularly. Results: Tramadol hydrochloride when compared with Diclofenac sodium was found to be a more effective analgesic (65% compared to 55%). Analgesia in the 4th post operative hour was significantly higher with Tramadol HCI compared with Diclofenac sodium. There was no significant change in cardio-respiratory parameters in all patients in the study. Over-sedation associated with dizziness and muscle relaxation was observed with Tramadol HCl. In case of Diclofenac sodium GIT symptoms like epigastric pain and nausea were recorded. The analgesic effect of 100 mg Tramadol HCI lasted up to 24 hours while that of Diclofenac sodium lasted 6-8 hours, So multiple injections were required to relieve pain. Conclusion: Tramadol HCI is a suitable and safe analgesic for the relief of post operative pain and is more effective than Diclofenac sodium with prolonged analgesia and minimal side effects.

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