Comparison of the influences of transdermal buprenorphine with oral tramadol on the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia with pregabalin in elderly patients

Objective To compare the influences of transdermal buprenorphine with oral tramadol on the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) with pregabalin in elderly patients. Methods One hundred and fifty-four PHN patients selected from January 2016 to January 2017 in Qilu Hospital of Shandong University were randomly divided into buprenorphine+pregabalin group and tramadol+pregabalin group, 77 patients in each group. Pregabalin combined with transdermal buprenorphine or oral tramadol treatment were accepted respectively in each group for 4 weeks. NRS and BPI score were assessed at baseline and 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days follow-up. Adverse reactions such as nausea, vomiting, drowsiness and constipation were also recorded. Results Compared with the baseline, NRS and all components of BPI score were significantly decreased at each time point in the two groups (P 0.05). The rates of nausea and vomiting, constipation in the buprenorphine+pregabalin group were higher than those in the tramadol+pregabalin group respectively (6% vs. 18%, 12% vs. 29%, P<0.05). Conclusion Buprenorphine can efficiently alleviate pain and improve the quality of life as same as tramadol, when combined with pregabalin in the treatment of PHN, but with lower adverse effects. Key words: Neuralgia, postherpetic; Buprenorphine; Tramadol; Pregabalin