Dexamethasone effect on postoperative pain and tramadol requirement after thyroidectomy.

Tramadol is a central-acting analgesic associated with nausea and vomiting. Clinical studies have demonstrated that glucocorticoids have analgesic and antiemetic effects when administered perioperatively. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that coadministration of tramadol and dexamethasone decreases both postoperative pain and tramadol requirement by patient-controlled analgesia (PCA).