The auditory system has an extensive efferent innervation, which contributes to processes of control and regulation of the afferent input. The expression of receptors to various neurotransmitters and neuropeptides in the inner ear has been described, among which endogenous opioid receptors are found. The role of opioid receptors in the cochlea is not yet fully defined, it has been reported that opioid agonists and antagonists modulate the response to auditory stimuli and in clinical practice, multiple cases have been reported in which the consumption of opioid derivatives induce sensorineural hearing loss. In this work, we evaluated the effects of acute treatment with morphine, fentanyl, tramadol, and naloxone, in the auditory brain stem potentials (ABR), the compound action potential (CAP), and distortion products otacoustic emissions (DPOAE), across a wide range of stimulus frequencies and amplitudes. Adult Long-Evans rats of the strain CII/ZV weighing 180-220 g were used. For the ABR recording drugs were administered intraperitoneally or intravenously. For the CAP and DPOAE drugs were applied by direct perfusion in the middle ear. The opioid agonists produced a consistent increase in the amplitude of the PI component of the ABR and of the N1-P1 amplitude of the CAP. Naloxone produced no significant changes in the ABR and a reduction of the CAP N1-P1 amplitude. Also, opioid agonists induced a decrease in the amplitude of the DPOAE. These results show that the opioid receptor activation modulates both the afferent response at both the afferent response to acoustic stimuli, and also at the cochlear mechanics as revealed by DPOAE changes. These results present a significant step in understanding how opioid modulation of auditory responses may contribute to the auditory processing and to sensorineural hearing loss produced by opioids.
The subcutaneous route is used in emergency services because of its easy preparation and administration, especially because difficult vascular access may delay patient care.[19,20] A single 50 mg-SC dose of tramadol is a useful alternative in patients presenting to the ED for mild to moderate musculoskeletal trauma, with a significant reduction in pain on the verbal scale, with a success rate of 50% at 20 minutes and 75% at 60 minutes and a low incidence of adverse events or complications. Other studies[21] investigated subcutaneous tramadol for acute pain in the ED because of a broader range of causes. We focused on musculoskeletal causes since they are very common in our ED.
There are several treatment options available for PME such as topical agents, creams, sprays, and systemic therapies. On-demand tramadol hydrochloride (HCl) has shown promise in the treatment of PME.[7] One small placebo-controlled study reported that tramadol HCl significantly increased IELT compared with placebo.[8] Tramadol HCl was initially developed in the 1970s and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as an analgesic and has an excellent safety record established over >30 year of human use.[9]
Patients who did not abide to strict stopwatch use during coitus, who changed their sexual partner or whose partner did not agree to participate in the study and patients who did not tolerate the side-effects of tramadol were excluded from the study. All patients signed letters of informed consent.
A total of 60 patients were randomly distributed into two groups (30 each). Group A patients were given 100 mg daily of tramadol for 4 weeks and then on request every 2 or 8 h before sexual contact for next 4 weeks. Group B patients were given a placebo tablet for 4 weeks then a placebo on request 2 or 8 h prior to sexual contact for next 4 weeks.
The frequency of sexual intercourse and the characteristics of PE are shown in Table 1. The majority of the subjects (68.3% (41 of 60)) had life-long PE. 71.6% of the men reported ejaculation time as shortly after penetration, 18.3% men had ejaculation time at penetration, 3.3% men had ejaculation time with a very little stimulation, and 6.6% men had ejaculation time before penetration. 55% (33 of 60) men had sex frequency of 2-3 times/week (60% in tramadol group and 50% in placebo group).
The frequency of sexual intercourse and the characteristics of IELT after treatment are shown in Table 2. The mean IELT has increased to 202.5 s with the daily treatment and 238.2 s with sporadic treatment with tramadol (P < 0.001). Coital frequency has also increased from 2.44/week to 4.32/week and 4.86/week with daily and sporadic treatment, respectively. In the placebo group, mean IELT has increased 58.7 s to 94.8 s and 96.6 s with daily and sporadic treatment, respectively. Coital frequency has increased from 2.13/week to 2.88/week and 3.23/week with daily and sporadic treatment, respectively. It has been seen that sporadic treatment has produced slightly higher effects, although, it was not statistically significant in compare to daily treatment.
[4-20-2017] The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is restricting the use of codeine and tramadol medicines in children. Codeine is approved to treat pain and cough, and tramadol is approved to treat pain. These medicines carry serious risks, including slowed or difficult breathing and death, which appear to be a greater risk in children younger than 12 years, and should not be used in these children. These medicines should also be limited in some older children. Single-ingredient codeine and all tramadol-containing products are FDA-approved only for use in adults. We are also recommending against the use of codeine and tramadol medicines in breastfeeding mothers due to possible harm to their infants.
Health care professionals should be aware that tramadol and single-ingredient codeine medicines are FDA-approved only for use in adults. Consider recommending over-the-counter (OTC) or other FDA-approved prescription medicines for cough and pain management in children younger than 12 years and in adolescents younger than 18 years, especially those with certain genetic factors, obesity, or obstructive sleep apnea and other breathing problems. Cough is often secondary to infection, not serious, and usually will get better on its own so treatment may not be necessary.
Codeine and tramadol are a type of narcotic medicine called an opioid. Codeine is used to treat mild to moderate pain and also to reduce coughing. It is usually combined with other medicines, such as acetaminophen, in prescription pain medicines. It is frequently combined with other drugs in prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines. Tramadol is a prescription medicine approved only for use in adults to treat moderate to moderately severe pain. However, data show it is being used in children and adolescents despite the fact that it is not approved for use in these patients.
In early 2013, FDA added a Boxed Warning to the codeine drug label cautioning against prescribing codeine to children of any age to treat pain after surgery to remove tonsils or adenoids. We also issued Drug Safety Communications in July 2015 and September 2015 warning about the risk of serious breathing problems in some children who metabolized codeine and tramadol much faster to their active form than usual (called ultra-rapid metabolism), causing potentially dangerously high levels in their bodies too quickly. At that time, we said we would continue to evaluate this safety issue. As part of that safety review, the codeine-related safety issues were discussed at an FDA Advisory Committee meeting in December 2015.
Our review of several decades of adverse event reports submitted to FDA* from January 1969 to May 2015 identified 64 cases of serious breathing problems, including 24 deaths, with codeine-containing medicines in children younger than 18 years. This includes only reports submitted to FDA, so there may be additional cases about which we are unaware. We also identified nine cases of serious breathing problems, including three deaths, with the use of tramadol in children younger than 18 years from January 1969 to March 2016 (see Data Summary). The majority of serious side effects with both codeine and tramadol occurred in children younger than 12 years, and some cases occurred after a single dose of the medicine.
In our review of the medical literature1-19 for data regarding codeine use during breastfeeding, we found numerous cases of excess sleepiness and serious breathing problems in breastfed infants, including one death. A review of the available medical literature4,5,23,24 for data regarding tramadol use during breastfeeding did not reveal any cases of adverse events. However, tramadol and its active form are also present in breast milk, and tramadol has the same risks associated with ultra-rapid metabolism as codeine.
Tramadol
A search of the FAERS database from January 1969 to March 2016 identified nine cases worldwide of respiratory depression in children younger than 18 years of age, including three deaths. With the exception of a 15-year-old treated for multiple days with tramadol, respiratory depression occurred within the first 24 hours of drug administration.
The three fatalities occurred outside the U.S. in children younger than 6 years. Elevated serum tramadol concentrations were noted in all three. The reasons for tramadol treatment in these children were to treat pain after tonsillectomy, pain after clubfoot surgery, and to manage fever. All three cases involved tramadol oral drops, a formulation not available in the U.S.
The one case in which CYP2D6 ultra-rapid metabolizer status was reported occurred in a 5-year-old child from France who was prescribed a single tramadol dose in the evening post-adenotonsillectomy and returned to the healthcare facility the next morning with opioid intoxication; he was resuscitated.22 A urine sample showed increased metabolite concentrations. Genotyping of CYP2D6 was conducted, and three functional alleles were found that were consistent with ultra-rapid metabolism.
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