Abstract:Objective To investigate the efficacy of pregabalin combined with tramadol in the treatment of bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathic pain.Methods The study included 96 patients with multiple myeloma who received bortezomib-based therapy at Xinyi People's Hospital between February 2023 and August 2024. All patients experienced bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathic pain. The first week of treatment involved tramadol sustained-release tablets. After one week, patients were grouped based on Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain score: Group A (VAS < 4, n = 30) continued tramadol for 2 weeks; Group B1 (VAS ≥ 4, n = 34) continued tramadol for 2 weeks; Group B2 (VAS ≥ 4, n = 32) received pregabalin added to tramadol for 2 weeks. After 3 weeks of treatment, clinical efficacy, sleep quality, negative emotions, and quality of life were compared, and adverse drug reactions were recorded.Results The comparison of total effective rates among the three groups showed statistically significant differences by χ2 test (P < 0.05), with both Group A and Group B2 demonstrating higher total effective rates than Group B1 (P < 0.0125), while no significant difference was observed between Group A and Group B2 (P > 0.0125). Significant differences were found in the score changes (pre- vs post-treatment) among the three groups for sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep frequency, sleep disturbance, use of hypnotic medications, daytime function, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), and physical, psychological, social relationships, and environment domains (by ANOVA, all P < 0.05). Both Group A and Group B2 showed greater improvements than Group B1 in all these score changes (all P < 0.05), with no significant differences between Group A and Group B2 (all P > 0.05). The comparison of adverse reaction rates among the three groups showed no statistically significant difference by χ2 test (P > 0.05).Conclusion Pregabalin combined with tramadol is more effective than tramadol alone in treating bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathic pain, significantly improving patients' quality of life without increasing the risk of adverse reactions.