Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pain relief effects of tramadol and acepromazine in cats
By Steagall, Paulo V M et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2008·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Antinociceptive effects of tramadol and acepromazine in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of eight cats was tested to see how well tramadol and acepromazine helped with pain relief. After giving them different doses of tramadol, acepromazine, a combination of both, or a saline solution, researchers measured their responses to pressure and heat over 24 hours. While tramadol alone didn't significantly improve their sensitivity to heat, acepromazine showed some effectiveness in increasing their pressure pain threshold. The combination of both medications also enhanced pain relief. This suggests that acepromazine can help manage pain in cats, especially when used with tramadol.
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Abstract
Effects of tramadol and acepromazine on pressure and thermal thresholds were examined in eight cats. After baseline measurements, subcutaneous (SC) tramadol 1 mg/kg, acepromazine 0.1 mg/kg, tramadol 1 mg/kg with acepromazine 0.1 mg/kg, or saline 0.3 ml were given. Serial measurements were made for 24 h. Mean thermal thresholds did not change significantly [analysis of variance (ANOVA)] from baseline. The maximum thermal threshold increase above baseline was 2.8+/-2.8 degrees C at 6 h (P>0.05) after tramadol; it was above the 95% confidence interval (CI) at 0.75, 3 and 6 h. Pressure thresholds increased above baseline from 0.25 to 2 h after acepromazine (P<0.05) and from 0.5 to 3 h after the combination (P<0.05), with a maximum increase of 132+/-156 mmHg 0.25 h after acepromazine and 197+/-129 mmHg 0.5 h after the combination. Pressure thresholds were above the 95% CI from 0.25 to 2 h after acepromazine and from 0.5 to 3 h after the combination. SC tramadol at 1 mg/kg in cats had limited effect on thermal and pressure nociception, but this was enhanced by acepromazine. Acepromazine alone had pressure antinociceptive effects.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17765590/