Oral paracetamol vs diclofenac for the management of post-operative pain: Clinical study across the range of surgeries

Abstract

Background: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) help relieve the discomfort of fever and reduce inflammation and associated pain. Post-surgery pain is most of the time unavoidable and NSAIDs are best strategies to combat the same as compared to opioids. Objective: In the present study we aimed to assess the analgesic efficacy and safety of paracetamol in comparison with diclofenac for postoperative pain relief when administered orally. Methods: Randomly selected 90 patients who underwent different surgery under general anesthesia. Patients were divided into three groups to receive paracetamol (500 mg/kg), diclofenac (100 mg/kg) and placebo. Participants were assessed for the level of pain prior to treatment and upto 8 hrs post-treatment using visual analogue scale to score from 0-5. Statistical analysis of continuous data was done by unpaired t‑test and one-way ANOVA. Results: Both paracetamol and diclofenac were effective for postoperative pain relief. We did not notice significant differences between paracetamol and diclofenac group at any time points, however, both treatments were effective in reducing pain score significantly from 1 hr to 6 hrs post treatment.