A Double‐Blind Parallel Comparison of Ketoprofen, Codeine, and Placebo in Patients with Moderate to Severe Postpartum Pain

Abstract

A total of 152 patients were treated at a single center in a single-dose, double-blind parallel study designed to compare the safety and efficacy of 25, 50, and 100 mg ketoprofen to 90 mg codeine and placebo in patients with moderate to severe postpartum pain (i.e., postepisiotomy, uterine cramping, or cesarean section pain). The analgesic responses to all three doses of ketoprofen and 90 mg codeine were superior to placebo and were not significantly different from each other. No dose-related response was observed with ketoprofen. The number of side effects was significantly greater (P = 0.001) among patients receiving codeine (six patients) than among those receiving ketoprofen (three patients).

Oral naproxen versus oral tramadol for analgesia after cesarean delivery

“…The results of the present study corroborate a previous study that did not find any significant difference in analgesic efficacy between an opiate (codeine) and an NSAID (ketoprofen) [18]. Similar to the present findings, those authors reported significantly more adverse effects among patients treated with codeine.…”

Pharmacokinetics of ketoprofen enantiomers after different doses of the racemate.

“…The lack of a ketoprofen dose response in the dose range below 50 mg [2][3][4] cannot be explained by stereochemical and/or pharmacokinetic aspects.…”

“…Furthermore no data on the dose-AUC relationship at doses below 50 mg are available although there are clinical studies showing analgesic activity below 50 mg of the racemate [2][3][4]. However, in this dose range there was no evidence of a ketoprofen dose response [2][3][4]. In the present study we have determined the absolute bioavailability of KT and its enantiomers from an oral formulation of racemic KT (50 mg) as well as pharmacokinetic parameters following oral administration of 12.5, 25 and 50 mg racemic KT to show whether or not stereochemical pharmacokinetic aspects have to be considered for the explanation of the lack of dose response.…”

Effects of a mu‐opioid receptor agonist (codeine phosphate) on visuo‐ motor coordination and dynamic visual acuity in man.

“…This latter effect of codeine would appear to be dose related and linear, and the time course, like its analgesic activity (Kantor et al, 1966(Kantor et al, , 1984, follows closely its known plasma concentrations (Waife et al, 1975). The minimal effects of codeine in the present study are consistent with previous observations (Redpath & Pleuvry, 1982;Liljequist, 1981).…”