Two Comparisons of the Analgesic Activity of Orally Administered Pentazocine, Dihydrocodeine and Placebo

Abstract

Two double-blind between-patient comparisons of the analgesic activity of orally administered pentazocine 50 mg, dihydrocodeine 60 mg and placebo are described, which involved 99 patients in "severe" or "moderate" pain, mainly of skeletal origin, and 103 patients in "severe" or "moderate" pain predominantly of postoperative origin. In both studies pain was assessed by a single observer prior to and 1 hour after the administration of a single dose of one of the test preparations. Both active drugs were significantly superior to placebo, and in both studies a firm trend showed pentazocine to be more effective than dihydrocodeine which was in turn more effective than placebo. Drowsiness more commonly followed pentazocine administration, but nausea and vomiting more commonly followed dihydrocodeine.

A Study of Strong Oral Analgesics: The Relief of Postoperative Pain Using Dextromoramide, Pentazocine and Bezitramide

“…A placebo was not included in either study because it was felt undesirable to use this for patients who were in moderate or severe pain. In addition, two of the earlier studies by Davie and Masson (1970) and Daniel, Wilkins and Nicholson (1971) had already demonstrated the efficacy of pentazocine as compared with a placebo. The nurse assessors had been trained in the use of the method in a previous study when pethidine was compared with a placebo to demonstrate the sensitivity of the technique of assessment.…”

“…Pentazocine (Fortral) is being increasingly used as a potent analgesic and there have been a number of recent studies in which pentazocine 50 mg and 70 mg given by mouth has been shown to be superior to a placebo (Davie and Masson, 1970) and equivalent to pethidine 100 mg by mouth (John, 1970). Daniel, Wilkins and Nicholson (1971) found a trend in which oral pentazocine 50 mg was superior to oral dihydrocodeine 60 mg and both active drugs were superior to placebo, while Economou, Monson and Ward-McQuaid (1971) found that patients in moderate pain experienced better relief with pentazocine 75 mg than with the other benzomorphan derivative, phenazocine 5 mg.…”

Dihydrocodeine as an Opioid Analgesic for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Chronic Pain

“…Daniel et al performed two comparative, single doses, doubleblind studies in which analgesia and adverse effects of pentazocine 50 mg, DHC 60 mg and placebo administered orally were compared [43]. In the first trial 99 patients were recruited with moderate to severe pain, mainly from skeletal origin followed orthopedic surgery.…”

Pentazocine

“…Although pentazocine 75 mg was stated to be statistically significantly better than phenazocine, as evidenced by the percentage of patients with moderate pain who experienced complete relief after administration, there were too few patients with mild or severe initial pain to enable valid comparisons. A firm trend for oral pentazocine 50 mg to be more effective than oral dihydrocodeine 60 mg in patients with moderate to severe pain of skeletal origin or resulting from a variety of surgical procedures was reported by Daniel et al (1971). Both drugs were more effective than a placebo.…”