Naproxen, Paracetamol and Pamabrom Versus Paracetamol, Pyrilamine and Pamabrom in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial
Naproxen, Paracetamol and Pamabrom Versus Paracetamol, Pyrilamine and Pamabrom in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial
Naproxen, Paracetamol and Pamabrom Versus Paracetamol, Pyrilamine and Pamabrom in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial
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Affiliation:
[1] Área Académica de Medicina del Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud de la Universidad Autónoma del
Estado de Hidalgo, Pachuca, Hidalgo, México
[2] Universidad del Futbol y Ciencias del Deporte, San Agustín Tlaxiaca, Hidalgo, México
[3] Laboratorios Liomont S.A. de C.V. Ciudad de México, México
[4] Biokinetics, S.A. de C.V., Ciudad de México, México
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Dysmenorrhea is caused by the discharge of prostaglandins into the uterine tissue; therefore, non-
steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the established initial therapy for dysmenorrhea.
Dysmenorrhea therapy may include the administration of drug monotherapy or combination therapy.
However, clinical scientific evidence on the efficacy of medications with two or three drugs combined is
scarce or nonexistent.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of two oral fixed-dose combinations for the relief of
the symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea among Mexican women. One of the combinations is widely used
in Mexico (paracetamol, pyrilamine and pamabrom) and the selected comparison was a medication with
naproxen sodium, paracetamol and pamabrom based on the pathophysiology of primary dysmenorrhea.
METHODS
This was a single-centre, double blind, experimental, parallel group, randomized trial. Female patients
with primary dysmenorrhea, older than 17 years and with pain intensity greater than 45 mm on a visual
analogue scale, were included. The patients were then randomized to receive tablets with naproxen
sodium, paracetamol and pamabrom or tablets with paracetamol, pyrilamine and pamabrom for one
menstrual cycle. Patient evaluations of symptomatology and pain intensity were recorded throughout
one menstrual period. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were utilized.
CONCLUSIONS
The results showed that both drug combinations were not different in reducing dysmenorrheic pain.
Likewise, both treatments were well tolerated. Therefore, both treatments may be used for the
treatment of primary dysmenorrhea.
Introduction
Dysmenorrhea is a chronic, cyclic pelvic pain associated medication containing two or three different drugs, which
with menstruation and may be associated with nausea, have different, but complementary action
vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fatigue, back pain, and mechanisms [9],[10]. What is expected of such
dizziness. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea ranges from combinations is causing better pain relief at lower doses
20% to 90% [1],[2],[3]. Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is (synergism) and fewer adverse reactions. For example, our
suggested to be caused by the release of prostaglandins group demonstrated that the most common medications
into the uterine tissue [3],[4],[5]. Prostaglandins are prescribed by physicians and used in self-medication to
derivatives of arachidonic acid metabolism by the enzyme treat dysmenorrheic pain in Mexican students were the
cyclooxygenase (COX). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications Syncol® (a combination of paracetamol
drugs (NSAIDs) are a group of chemically different drugs, [analgesic], pamabrom [diuretic] and pyrilamine
which inhibit cyclooxygenase enzyme causing a decrease in [antihistamine H1]) and Buscapina Compositum® (a
prostaglandin synthesis [5]. Nonsteroidal anti- combination of metamizole [NSAID] plus butylhyoscine
inflammatory drugs have anti-inflammatory, analgesic and [antimuscarinic]) [1],[2].
antipyretic effects. A very recent meta-analysis showed
that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are more It is important to note that clinical scientific evidence on the
effective than placebo in reducing pain in women with efficacy of medications with two or three drugs combined
primary dysmenorrhea [5]. Therefore, nonsteroidal anti- (for example, paracetamol with naproxen sodium) is scarce
inflammatory drugs such as naproxen, diclofenac, or missing [1],[2],[6]. Therefore, well designed studies are
ibuprofen among others, are the initial established therapy mandatory to assess the effectiveness of medications that
for primary dysmenorrhea [1],[2],[3],[4],[5]. contain a combination of several drugs and are commonly
used in the management of primary dysmenorrhea in some
Oral contraceptives, analgesic-antipyretic such as countries.
paracetamol, among other drugs are other pharmacological
therapeutic options for the treatment of pain in women with Therefore, the objective of the present study was to
primary dysmenorrhea [1],[2],[3],[4]. However, its evaluate the efficacy and safety of two medications with
effectiveness in relieving pain in patients with primary different drug combinations: a) naproxen sodium +
dysmenorrhea is controversial [3],[6],[7],[8]. Some paracetamol + pamabrom (NPP; tested medication), and b)
studies demonstrated the ability of paracetamol to paracetamol + pyrilamine + pamabrom (PPP; medication
decrease the production of F2αprostaglandin in menstrual of reference) on primary dysmenorrhea in Mexican women;
fluid and symptoms in women with primary dysmenorrhea and in particular demonstrate non-inferiority of the tested
[7],[8]. However, meta-analysis studies showed that medication compared to the reference one.
paracetamol was less effective than nonsteroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs and as effective as placebo in relieving Methods
pain in patients with this condition [3],[5].
Participants
Although nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the best According to the health legislation of Mexico, first of all, the
choice for pain relief in patients with primary study protocol was reviewed and approved by a local Ethics
dysmenorrhea; there is evidence showing that these drugs Committee (Universidad del Fútbol y Ciencias del Deporte,
administered alone may lead to therapeutic failure or to a Hidalgo, Mexico). After that, the same study protocol was
weak analgesic effect [1],[2],[3],[5]. Furthermore, clinical submitted for review and approval by independent Ethics
studies of patients with primary dysmenorrhea found that and Research Committees pertaining to the Federal
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have more Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk
gastrointestinal and neurological adverse reactions than (COFEPRIS, Mexico). The study was conducted in
placebo [3],[5]. Therefore, another treatment option for accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
primary dysmenorrhea is the administration of a
Study design A) The proportion of the patients who at the end of the
This was a single-centre, double blind, prospective, treatment period reported a reduction of their baseline pain
experimental, parallel group, randomized study. by at least 50%.
B) Symptoms of dysmenorrhea were evaluated and
Randomization and blinding reported in the patient’s case reports prior to taking the
A database with the names of the participants in first dose of study medication and at the end of the study
spreadsheets Microsoft Excel 2010 was completed. (72 hours).
Participants were numbered from 1 to 200. According to the C) The patient’s global evaluation of the study medication
experimental design, two groups of participants (group "A" was performed at the end of the study. Patients assessed
for naproxen sodium, paracetamol and pamabrom of 100 the response to their study medication as: satisfactory
participants and another group "B" for paracetamol, response, moderate response, poor response and no
pyrilamine and pamabrom of 100 participants) were response to treatment.
established. A random numbers scheme was performed
with Microsoft Excel 2010. Each participant was randomly Treatment safety
assigned to receive its respective treatment to either "A" or Participants were informed to call or go to the principal
"B". Randomization and allocation was concealed to investigator in the presence of any suspected adverse event
statistical and clinical evaluators. The two medications produced by the medications throughout the study period.
(naproxen, paracetamol and pamabrom or paracetamol, No adverse event report was received before the final study
pyrilamine and pamabrom) were packed in bottles and visit. A clinical interrogatory and complete physical
labeled "A" (100 bottles) or "B" (100 bottles). Identification examination at the final evaluation were performed.
codes of the medications were also hidden to statistical and Adverse events were reported by the patients and were
clinical evaluators. The opening of the identification codes recorded in case report forms by the researchers. Adverse
was performed when the capture and verification of all data events were registered, evaluated and classified according
from the case report forms and diaries of patients was to the event start date, severity, relationship to study
completed. medication, action and treatment, outcome and end date of
the event.
Pharmacological intervention phase
Once the participants were included, a checklist was used Statistical analysis
to collect the demographic data, menstrual history, and Assuming a hypothesis of non-inferiority, the sample size
past medical and reproductive histories. Participants were was determined using a computerized software package
randomly divided into two groups: a group that received nQuery Advisor®, version 7.0. A sample size of 174
tablets orally with a combination of naproxen sodium (220 participants was estimated to provide 80% power, with a
mg), paracetamol (300 mg), and pamabrom (25 mg) margin of non-inferiority of 10 mm [11] between two
(naproxen, paracetamol and pamabrom group, Analgen groups in the evaluation of pain relief, using a visual
FEM®, Laboratorios Liomont, S.A. de C.V, Distrito Federal, analogue scale of 100 mm and assuming a significance level
Mexico) three times a day for one menstrual cycle and of 0.025 and a standard deviation of 23.4 mm. With a
another group that received tablets orally with a projected dropout rate of 10%, a minimum of 200
combination of paracetamol (500 mg), pamabrom (25 mg) participants (100 per each treatment) were estimated to be
and pyrilamine (15 mg) (paracetamol, pamabrom and required.
pyrilamine group, Syncol®, Laboratorios Sanfer, S. A. de An analysis of the efficacy data was accomplished on the
C.V., Estado de Mexico, Mexico) three times a day for one intention-to-treat population, which is defined as all of the
menstrual cycle. Study medications were properly randomized patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria, had
The pain intensity scores were analyzed using a repeated- Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of both
measures ANOVA with the treatment group as a between- groups
subject factor, time as a within-subject factor and the Two hundred patients were included in the study, and the
interaction between the treatment group and time. patients were randomly assigned to the naproxen,
paracetamol and pamabrom group (100 patients) or the
The degrees of freedom of the F statistical associated with paracetamol, pamabrom and pyrilamine group (100
the effects of the treatment group and the interaction were patients). Nonetheless, 11 randomized participants who
corrected (statistical test more conservative) using the met the inclusion criteria and received their bottle of
epsilon estimated (sphericity) of Greenhouse-Geisser, medicine could not be incorporated into the analysis of the
because this is a relatively small sample size and for intention-to-treat population; 10 were removed (without
deviations to the sphericity assumption applicable to data from an evaluable complete cycle, because the
repeated measures ANOVA [16]. patients did not return, nor could be reached, personally or
by telephone) and one due to protocol deviation (not
The primary comparison to assess efficacy was pain meeting a level of initial pain greater than 45 mm) (Figure
intensity mean difference between the global (72-hour 1). Consequently, there were 189 participants (naproxen,
period) means of the treatment groups. The efficacy paracetamol and pamabrom group: n = 98 and
measures recorded in categorical scale (symptoms of paracetamol, pamabrom and pyrilamine group: n = 91)
dysmenorrhea and patient’s global evaluation of the study included in the intent-to-treat population. The baseline
medication) were analyzed using the Fisher’s exact test. demographic, clinical data and dysmenorrheic symptoms of
Sociodemographic continuous variables were analyzed both groups are shown in Tables 1 and 2.
using the t-test and the categorical variables were analyzed
Table 2. Baseline characteristics of symptomatology in dysmenorrheic young women, who reported the
presence of symptoms: NPP (98 patients) and PPP (91 patients)
Primary efficacy
Pain intensity
reduced the pain intensity over time (P<0.001). A
Figure 2 shows the pain intensity vs. time profiles for both
statistically significant reduction of pain intensity in both
treatment groups. The results of the repeated-measures
groups was observed after the first eight hours of treatment
ANOVA indicated that both treatment groups significantly
(P<0.01) (Figure 2).
The estimated mean difference between the group global Secondary efficacy endpoints
means (NPP-PPP) was 3.25 mm, 95% CI (-1.49 mm, 7.99
mm, and p = 0.1779), and the global means (95% CI) for The proportion of patients who reported a pain
each treatment group were 37.87 mm(34.58 and 41.15) reduction by at least 50%
and 34.62 mm (31.20 and 38.03), respectively. Thus, This proportion of patients was 80.6% (79/98) in the
there was not a significant difference between the naproxen, paracetamol and pamabrom group and 87.9%
treatment groups. This result allows us to conclude that the (80/91) in the paracetamol, pamabrom and pyrilamine
tested medication (NPP) is not inferior to the medication of group. There was not a significant association between the
reference (PPP) because the upper value of 95% CI of the treatment groups, regardless of whether the patients
difference means (7.99 mm) was below the non-inferiority achieved a pain reduction of at least 50%, with respect to
margin of 10 mm used for determining the sample size for the baseline conditions (p = 0.2318).
this study.
Post-treatment symptoms of dysmenorrhea
Table 3 shows the post-treatment symptoms of
dysmenorrhea by the treatment group. There was no
significant association between the treatment group and
the post-treatment symptoms of dysmenorrhea.
Patient’s global evaluation of the treatment naproxen, paracetamol and pamabrom and paracetamol,
effectiveness pamabrom and pyrilamine groups (Table 4). Nevertheless,
Most women rated the effectiveness of their treatment as a there was no significant association (p = 0.7096) between
“moderate response” and “satisfactory response” in both the patient’s global evaluation and the treatment groups.
Author address:
[1] Área Académica de Medicina del Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud
Universidad Autónoma Del Estado de Hidalgo
Eliseo Ramírez Ulloa 400
Colonia Doctores
Pachuca
Hidalgo
México
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