Nefopam Hydrochloride*: New Analgesic Agent
Two dose-levels of nefopam hydrochloride ( i.e. 30 mg and 60 mg) were compared with two dose-levels of aspirin ( i.e. 300 mg and 600 mg) and placebo in 125 male patients having pain associated with muscle disorders. Drugs were given as a single dose and pain intensity and side-effects monitored at thirty minutes and then hourly for four hours. Time-course action of the drugs revealed that aspirin 300 mg failed to achieve statistically significant analgesia at any post-treatment observation, whereas nefopam 60 mg was significantly better than placebo ( p < 0·05) at one and three hours in terms of pain intensity and at one hour in terms of pain intensity difference scores. Aspirin 600 mg was significantly different from placebo ( p < 0·05) at all hourly observations for both efficacy parameters, as was nefopam 30 mg ( p < 0·01). Summation of pain intensity difference scores showed aspirin 600 mg and nefopam 30 mg to be significantly different from placebo at the 0·025 and 0·005 levels respectively.