A comparative study of the effect of diclofenac ,indomethacin, naproxen, and acetaminophen rectal suppositories on post-cesarean pain

Abstract

Background and Aim: Severe pain following cesarean section is a complex physiologic reaction due to distention of gastrocolic regions, tissue impairment, and uterus contractions. This sort of pain can have unfavorable effects on different body systems. There are different drugs and various techniques to decrease such pain, e.g. ordinary oral and injectable analgesics and rectal suppositories are available. Thepresent study aimed at comparing the effect of diclofenac, indomethacin, naproxen, and acetaminophen rectal suppositories on post-cesarean section pain. Materials and Methods: In this double-blind randomized clinical experimental study undertaken in Kerman Afzalipoor hospital, 125 pregnant women who had undergone cesarean section under general anesthesia, were randomly divided into 4 groups. In the recovery ward, after complaining of pain, the first and the second group members were administered 100mg of rectal diclofenac and indomethacin, respectively. The third and the fourth group members received 325mg and 500mg acetaminophen and naproxen, respectively in the same manner. Then, the vital signs and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of each case were examined and evaluated at the time 0, 15 and 60 minutes after administration. Results: The all cases were not significantly different regarding age, height, and weight. Moreover, the group receiving diclofenac experienced the most pain decrease within an hour based on VAS (P<0.001). However , there was no significant difference among the other groups. Conclusion: Rectal diclofenac suppository significantly decreases pain one hour following cesarean section compared to indomethacin, naproxen, and acetaminophen.

Keywords

• Rectal suppository
• Diclofenac
• Indomethacin
• Naproxen
• Acetaminophen
• Pain following p.c section
• Cesarean
• Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)