Pain relief during and following outpatient curettage and hysterosalpingography: a double blind study to compare the efficacy and safety of tramadol versus naproxen. Cobra Research Group

To compare the analgetic efficacy and side-effects of Naproxen and Tramadol following the outpatient VABRA aspiration or hysterosalpingography.Ninety-one patients from the gynaecology clinics of two university hospitals and one municipal-teaching hospital.Multicentre double blind randomized clinical trial. Computerised randomisation, stratification per-centre.Semiquantitative assessment of the two drugs was performed by the patient and the gynaecologist using a 1- to 6-point scale. Pain, stress and well-being was scored by the patient using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the verbal description scale (VDS), ranging from 0 (good) to 100 (bad). Side-effects during the first 24 h postoperatively were recorded by the patient in a diary.The analgetic efficacy (pain, stress and well-being) of Naproxen and Tramadol was identical. Subjective assessment by the patient and the doctor also revealed no differences between Naproxen and Tramadol. Side-effects of Tramadol, however, were significantly more severe than those of Naproxen and this phenomenon was responsible for a lower ability to proceed with normal activities in the Tramadol group.Tramadol is a good alternative for Naproxen at outpatient VABRA or HSG procedures when Naproxen is contra-indicated.