Tramadol: a valuable treatment for pain in Southeast Asian countries

Prevalence of tramadol misuse: A pilot multicentre cross-sectional survey in Singapore

In Singapore, especially in our healthcare institution, the use of strong opioids for the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain is relatively rare.1 Contrastingly, weak opioids such as tramadol are frequently prescribed for this condition, partly stemming from the widespread belief that tramadol has a better safety profile with a lower addiction risk than strong opioids.2 However, there appears to be a change in this opinion recently.3 In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of tramadol misuse in our healthcare institution, and to identify the associated risk factors.

Perceptions and experiences of laws and regulations governing access to opioids in South, Southeast, East and Central Asia: A systematic review, critical interpretative synthesis and development of a conceptual framework

BACKGROUND

Opioids are essential medicines. Despite international and national laws permitting availability, opioid access remains inadequate, particularly in South, Southeast, East and Central Asia.

AIM

To review evidence of perceptions and experiences of regulatory enablers and barriers to opioid access in South, Southeast, East and Central Asia.

DESIGN

Systematic review of post-2000 research according to PRISMA guidelines. Data were subjected to critical interpretive synthesis. International, national and sub-national barriers were organised developing a conceptual framework of opioid availability.

DATA SOURCES

PsycINFO, Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library. CINAHL, Complete and ASSIA from 2000 until 20th May 2019.

RESULTS

21/14097 studies included: quantitative n = 15, qualitative n = 3 and mixed-methods n = 3. Four barrier/enabler themes were developed: Legal, regulatory, socio-political; lack of laws explicitly enabling opioid access, restrictive international controls and clinician prescribing concerns. Opioid availability; limited availability, poor policymaker and clinician education regarding opioid benefits, poor continuity of supply. Opioid Accessibility; medicine costs, distance to prescribing centres. Prescribing; extensive bureaucratic barriers, lack of human resources for prescribing. We present a novel framework of a self-perpetuating model of inadequate opioid provision. The Single Convention on Narcotics provides the context of restrictive laws and negative attitudes amongst policymakers. A consequent lack of prescribers and clinicians' negative attitudes at sub-national levels, results in inadequate access to and use of opioids. Data of inadequate consumption informs annual requirement estimates used by the International Narcotics Control Board to determine future opioid availability.

CONCLUSIONS

Regulatory and socio-political actions unintentionally limit opioid access. International and national laws explicitly enabling opioid access are required, to assuage concerns, promote training and appropriate prescribing.

The Effect of Perianal Tramadol Infiltration on Postoperative Pain Following Hemorrhoidectomy

INTRODUCTION

The present study was attempted to evaluate the effect of perianal infiltration of tramadol on postoperative pain in patients undergoing hemorrhoidectomy.

METHOD

This double-blind clinical trial study was carried out on 90 patients with grade 3 and 4 hemorrhoids undergoing hemorrhoidectomy. Patients were randomly assigned into 3 groups of control or bupivacaine or tramadol. Before the surgery, perianal infiltration of .25% bupivacaine or tramadol or normal saline was prescribed to each group, respectively. Data on pain severity (based on the visual analog scale (VAS), the duration of surgery, sedation score, pain at the first defecation, first request time for additional analgesia, nausea and vomiting, and analgesic intakes) were evaluated and analyzed.

RESULTS

Duration of surgery was almost similar in all 3 groups (P = .974). The results showed a significant difference in pain score between 3 groups (P ≤.05) at all times after the surgery. In addition, the means of sedation scores (P = .03), pain score at the first defecation (P = .001), the time to first analgesic request (P = .001), and ketorolac administration times (P = .01) were significantly different between 3 groups. Finally, no complication was reported regarding postoperative nausea and vomiting.

CONCLUSION

Given the notable efficacy of tramadol in reducing pain after hemorrhoidectomy and its minor side effects, this medication is suggested as an effective topical anesthetic to decrease pain after hemorrhoidectomy.

Physicians in Myanmar Provide Palliative Care Despite Limited Training and Low Confidence in Their Abilities

Background: Patients in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) have limited access to palliative care providers. In Myanmar, little is known about physician knowledge of or perceptions about palliative care. An assessment of physician practice and capacity to provide palliative care is needed.

Objective: Our objective was to identify physician practice patterns, knowledge gaps, and confidence in providing palliative and end-of-life care in Myanmar.

Design: This was a cross-sectional survey study.

Setting/Subjects: Participants were physicians practicing in Myanmar who attended the Myanmar Emergency Medicine Updates Symposium on November 10 to 11, 2018 in Yangon, Myanmar (n = 89).

Measurements: The survey used modified Likert scales to explore four aspects of palliative care practice and training: frequency of patient encounters, confidence in skills, previous training, and perceived importance of formal training.

Results: Study participants were young (median age 27 years old); 89% cared for terminally ill patients monthly, yet 94% reported less than two weeks of training in common palliative care domains. Lack of training significantly correlated with lack of confidence in providing care. Priorities for improving palliative care services in Myanmar include better provider training and medication access.

Conclusions: Despite limited training and low confidence in providing palliative care, physicians in Myanmar are treating patients with palliative needs on a monthly basis. Future palliative care education and advocacy in Myanmar and other LMICs could focus on physician training to improve end-of-life care, increase physician confidence, and reduce barriers to medication access.

Tramadol use and public health consequences in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Misuse of tramadol, an opioid prescription analgesic, is known as a public health challenge globally. We aimed to systematically review studies on the prevalence of non-prescribed use, regular tramadol use and dependence, tramadol-induced poisoning and mortality in Iran.

METHODS

Consistent with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, international (Medline, Scopus, Web of Science) and Persian (SID) databases were systematically searched up to June 2019. Other relevant data were collected through personal contacts and review of reference lists. Pooled estimates of prevalence of tramadol use in subgroups of males and females, percentage of tramadol poisoning among admitted poisoning cases, tramadol-associated seizures and mortality among tramadol poisonings and percentage of tramadol as a cause of death among fatal drug-poisoning records were estimated through a random-effects model.

RESULTS

A total of 84 records were included. Pooled estimates of last 12-month use of tramadol in the Iranian general population were 4.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.1-5.9] and 0.8% (95% CI = 0.2-1.8) among males and females, respectively. The estimates for last 12-month use among Iranian male and female university students were 4.8% (95% CI = 1.9-8.9) and 0.7% (95% CI = 0.3-1.1), respectively. Six heterogeneous reports indicated the existence of regular use of tramadol and dependence in Iran. Sixty-two studies provided data on tramadol-induced poisoning, seizures and mortality. The pooled estimate of the percentage of tramadol poisoning among all drug-poisoning patients was 13.1% (95% CI = 5.7-22.9). The overall estimates of seizures and mortality among tramadol-poisoning patients were 34.6% (95% CI = 29.6-39.8) and 0.7% (95% CI = 0.0-1.9), respectively. The pooled percentage of tramadol-related fatalities among drug-poisoned cases was 5.7% (95% CI = 0.5-15.4).

CONCLUSION

Despite control policies, tramadol use is as prevalent as the use of illicit opioids in Iran. Numerous cases of tramadol abuse, dependence, poisonings, seizures and hundreds of tramadol-related deaths have been reported in recent years.

Chronic Opioid Use and Risk of Cancer in Patients with Chronic Noncancer Pain: A Nationwide Historical Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

To investigate whether chronic opioid therapy is associated with a higher risk of cancer among noncancer patients with chronic pain.

METHODS

A population-based historical cohort study of the South Korean adult population was conducted using data from the National Health Insurance Service. We included patients registered with a diagnostic code of M00-M99 (musculoskeletal system and connective tissue diseases) according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, in 2010. Patients prescribed a continuous supply of any opioid drug for ≥90 days were defined as chronic opioid users.

RESULTS

A total of 351,701 patients were analyzed. Among them, 25,153 (7.2%) were chronic opioid users. Using a multivariate time-dependent Cox regression model, the risk of cancer in chronic opioid users was 1.20-fold higher than that in controls [HR, 1.20; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.15-1.25; P < 0.001]. On subgroup analysis according to opioid potency, the cancer risk in chronic weak and strong opioid users was 1.18-fold (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.13-1.23; P < 0.001) and 1.32-fold (HR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.10-1.59; P = 0.003) higher than that in controls, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Chronic opioid therapy was associated with an increased risk of cancer among noncancer patients with chronic pain. This association was more evident in chronic strong opioid users. However, as unmeasured and potential confounders may have affected the results, the relationship between chronic opioid use and cancer risk should be evaluated with caution.

IMPACT

Chronic opioid therapy was associated with an increased risk of cancer among noncancer patients.

Tramadol: a valuable treatment for pain in Ghana and Nigeria

OBJECTIVE

Pain management is unsatisfactory worldwide, particularly in developing countries where access to opioids is restricted and cost is an issue. It is a major concern in West Africa and we therefore undertook a survey of pain experts to obtain a better understanding of the problems in the region.

METHODS

Medical practitioners involved in pain management, identified via professional networks, were interviewed to share their experience in treating moderate-to-severe pain in West Africa. The questionnaire was based on an existing version modified to meet African conditions. Additionally, informal focus group meetings with palliative care physicians and pharmacists were conducted.

RESULTS

A total of 11 questionnaires were returned. All respondents were physicians who reported availability of opioids in their clinics, but access to morphine was challenging and not possible in some rural settings. Obligatory maintenance of detailed records was considered a burden. The main concern raised was the risk of misuse/addiction. Seven of 11 respondents reported that they would use tramadol as an alternative to strong opioids if required and, interestingly, 9 of 11 considered it to be an essential medicine. Based on personal experience, the respondents noted that some properties of tramadol make it a key pain treatment option in West Africa (strong/fast-acting, better tolerated than NSAIDs, less addictive than other opioids and relatively inexpensive).

CONCLUSIONS

Most stakeholders who completed the survey indicated that tramadol was essential to provide optimal pain management in the absence of access to strong opioids.

A Systematic Review of Laboratory Evidence for the Abuse Potential of Tramadol in Humans

Background: Tramadol is an opioid-analgesic that has shown epidemiological evidence of abuse. This review evaluates the evidence for tramadol abuse potential in humans. Methods: A systematic literature search for human abuse liability examinations of tramadol was conducted in September 2018 and yielded 13 total studies. Studies were all within-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled human laboratory comparisons of tramadol to opioid comparators. Results are organized based upon the route of tramadol administration (oral, parenteral) and the participant population (persons with and without current opioid physical dependence). Outcomes were categorized into self-report ratings of positive and negative effects, observer-ratings of effects, time course of effects, likelihood tramadol was identified as an opioid, and tramadol self-administration. Results: Results indicated the relative abuse potential of tramadol was lower than the opioids to which it was compared. Tramadol produced highest positive effect ratings when administered orally to persons with no opioid physical dependence. Relative to other opioids, it produced substantial negative ratings, generally demonstrated a slower onset of effects, and was less likely to be identified by participants as an opioid, though it did produce a higher rate of self-administration relative to other opioids in the one study reporting that outcome. Results suggest that the abuse potential of tramadol is highest when it is administered orally to non-dependent individuals, and that it likely decreases as the dose increased and when it was administered parentally or to persons with opioid physical dependence. Conclusion: Taken together, individuals may be less likely than with other opioids to escalate tramadol doses, transition from oral to parenteral routes of administration, or continue using tramadol once opioid physical dependence develops. In that way, the human abuse potential of tramadol appears to be different from and lower than other opioid analgesic medications.