Tramadol Hydrochloride in postoperative analgesia: Clinical comparison with Diclofenac sodium

Objective: To compare the effectiveness, duration and side effects of Tramadol Hydrocloride with Diclofenac sodium in the first postoperative twenty-four hours.Setting: District Headquarter Teaching Hospital, D.I. Khan. Method: A prospective study of 100 patients with moderate to severe postoperative pain, were randomly divided into two equal groups. The post operative pain in group A was controlled with single intramuscular dose of 100 mg Tramadol HCL, while in group B it was controlled with 75 mg of Diclofenac sodium given IM. Results: Tramadol Hydrochloride when compared with Diclofenac sodium was found to be more effective analgesic (65% compared to 55%). Analgesia in the 4th postoperative hour was significantly higher with Tramadol HCL compared with Diclofenac sodium. There were no significant changes in cardio-respiratory parameters in all patients in our study. Sedation associated with dizziness and muscle relaxation was observed with Tramadol HCL in our study. While in case of Diclofenac sodium GI symptoms like epigastric pain and nausea were recorded. The analgesic effect of 100 mg Tramadol HCL lasted up to 24 hours while that of Diclofenac sodium lasted 6-8 hours, so repeated injections were required to control the pain. Conclusion: The study shows that Tramadol HCL is a suitable and safe analgesic for the relief of postoperative pain and is more effective than Diclofenac sodium with prolonged analgesia and minimal side effects.