Sexual Dysfunction and Psychopathological Variables Among Tramadol Abusers: An Egyptian Perspective

Objectives: The relationshipbetween tramadol and sexual function seems to be controversial, men with premature ejaculation may benefit from taking tramadol off-label. Yet, these patients are rather sensitive to develop other sexual dysfunctions. To date, rather a limited number of studies investigated this issue. In addition, psychological concerns related to sexual functions in these patients had not enough attention. In this paper we present a new approach which will investigate these concerns Materials and Methods: Sixty subjects (30 tramadol-dependent men and 30 matched controls). Patients were assessed by theMini International Neuropsychiatry Interview (MINI) is to assesses the presence of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, 4th edition disorders, the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), and the Sexuality Scale. Results: Tramadol patients were found to have significantly decreased different sexual functions in comparison with controls. Sexual depression scores were significantly higher in tramadol patients compared with controls (P=0.020); while sexual-esteem and sexual preoccupation scores were significantly lower in tramadol patients compared with matched controls (P=0.000 and 0.046). In the patient group, the dose of tramadol used per day showed significant negative correlationwith erectile function (P=0.04), orgasmic function (P=0.03), and sexual esteem (P=0.04); while the duration of tramadol dependence showed significant negative correlation with erectile function (P=0.04), intercourse satisfaction (P=0.01), overall satisfaction (P=0.00), and significant positive correlation with sexual preoccupation. Conclusions: Tramadol patients indeed suffer from different sexual, emotional, occupational dysfunctions, and sexually related psychopathological aspects.