Acetaminophen and tramadol hydrochloride combination tablets (Tramcet
®) are indicated for the symptomatic treatment of moderate to severe pain. However, it is not clear whether Tramcet
®has clinical usefulness for temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Thus, the present study reports the efficacy of Tramcet
® in patients with persistent TMD, retrospectively. Seven TMD patients who had resistance to self-care and any other standard pharmacotherapy were enrolled. Patients took a half tablet of Tramcet
® at bedtime for the first two days and a whole tablet at bedtime for the next three days. If the patient could not get enough analgesic effect at that point, one tablet was taken after breakfast and one after the evening meal for the next four days. Ten days after the first administration, patients who still had pain were allowed to take one tablet three or four times a day. The main assessment included the improvement rate of pain and side effects. Improvement rate was calculated by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) which was recorded before and after the pharmacotherapy with Tramcet
®. Two patients showed an improvement of over 80%on the VAS score. Although three patients had an improvement of 41-79%, the other two patients had an improvement of less than 40%. Only two of them felt stomach discomfort as a side effect in the early days. Although Tramcet
® might have good clinical usefulness for persistent masticatory myofascial pain, further studies are necessary to establish its efficacy in TMD patients.
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