Antidote of tramadol

Question: What is antidote of tramadol and how much dose used in children and adults?

Answer: Tramadol is a type of opioids used to relieve pain. The drug is used as an antidote of opioids is opioid antagonists.

However, tramadol overdose should be treated symptomatically. Such as: Treatment for the respiratory (resuscitation) and circulatory systems and prevention for seizures.

Opioid antagonist is used as an antidote is naloxone. However, the drug does not treat all the symptoms and the drug can cause seizures. The seizures can be controlled by diazepam.

.   Dosage of naloxone in children

Initial dose is 0.01 mg / kg by intravenous (IV bolus) then increase to 0.1 mg / kg, repeated every 2-3 minutes. Maximum dose is 2 Mg.

.   Dosage of naloxone in adults

IV bolus 0.4 to 2 mg, repeated every 2-3 minutes. Maximum dose is 10 mg.

If the patient could not be administered intravenously, can be considered for subcutaneous injection or intramuscular injection instead, and using the same dosage.

And if the patient has been administered to 10 mg of naloxone, but the symptoms did not improve. It may be needed to determine the cause of the symptoms once again that caused by overdose of tramadol or not.

Reference:

1. Wermeling DP. Review of naloxone safety for opioid overdose: practical considerations for new technology and expanded public access. Ther Adv Drug Saf 2015; 6 (1): 20-31.

2. Kastrup EK, Johnson PB, Meives CA, Willians AL, Moore LL, Bush AJ, et al. Drug Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis: Wolters Kluwer Health, 2012.

3. American Pharmacists Association. Drug Information Handbook with International Trade Names Index. 22th ed. Ohio: Lexi-Comp Inc, 2013.