Negative myoclonus associated with tramadol use

• Published in: Journal of yeungnam medical science Vol. 37; no. 4; pp. 329 - 331
• Main Authors: Bae, Seong Yoon, Lee, Se-Jin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Yeungnam University College of Medicine 01.10.2020; 영남대학교 의과대학
• Subjects: Case Report; myoclonus; negative myoclonus; seizure; tramadol; 의학일반; Seizure; Negative myoclonus; Myoclonus; Tramadol
• ISSN: 2384-0293; 1225-7737; 2384-0293; 2799-8010
• DOI: 10.12701/yujm.2020.00108

Negative myoclonus (NM) is a shock-like jerky involuntary movement caused by a sudden, brief interruption of tonic muscle contraction. NM is observed in patients diagnosed with epilepsy, metabolic encephalopathy, and drug toxicity and in patients with brain lesions. A 55-year-old man presented with NM in both his arms and neck. He has taken medications containing tramadol at a dose of 80-140 mg/day for 5 days due to common cold. He had no history of seizures. Acute lesions were not observed during magnetic resonance imaging, and abnormal findings in his laboratory tests were not noted. His NM resolved completely after the discontinuation of tramadol and the oral administration of clonazepam. Our case report suggests that tramadol can cause NM in patients without seizure history or metabolic disorders, even within its therapeutic dose.