INTRAMUSCULAR PICENADOL IN PATIENTS WITH POSTOPERATIVE PAIN

1 The analgesic efficacy and safety of a single 50 mg intramuscular do se of rac-picenadol, a centrally acting agonist-antagonist opioid anal gesic, were compared with pethidine (meperidine) 100 mg and placebo in 60 patients with moderate to severe Post-operative pain using hourly pain intensity and relief measurements for up to 6 h following injecti on of the study medications. 2 Both picenadol and pethidine were stati stically significantly (P < 0.05) more effective than placebo in reduc ing pain intensity and in increasing total relief. Patients receiving picenadol and pethidine had higher frequency of somnolence than patien ts receiving placebo. In addition, patients receiving picenadol 50 mg experienced a higher incidence of confusion (30% ), speech disorders ( 30% ), and tremors (25%) than the patients receiving either pethidine or placebo. 3 These results were compared with those of a similar stud y which investigated the effects of a 25 mg intramuscular dose of pice nadol vs pethidine and placebo. This comparison suggests that 25 mg of picenadol is a more acceptable dosage since both 25 and 50 mg were ef fective dosages.