The effects of indoprofen vs paracetamol on swelling, pain and other events after surgery.

The capability of indoprofen compared to paracetamol in reducing swelling, pain and other events of an acute inflammatory reaction was tested in a double-blind crossover study with bilateral oral surgery. Identical surgical procedures were performed on two separate occasions in 24 patients. After one operation they received tablets of indoprofen, after the other, paracetamol. A double-placebo method was used, as dosage regimens for the two treatments were different. Medication started 3 h after surgery and continued for 3 days. Almost identical swelling was measured after both treatments indicating that indoprofen has the same anti-inflammatory activity as previously found with paracetamol, which reduces swelling with about 30% compared to placebo. The pain and preference assessments were significantly in favor of indoprofen. Subjective bleeding scores were significantly increased with indoprofen. However, bleeding was minimal, and the occurrence of hematoma/ecchymosis was not increased with indoprofen. The results indicate that indoprofen is capable of reducing an acute, post-operative inflammatory reaction. For this purpose, it appears to be more efficient than other non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, oxyphenbutazone, indomethacin and naproxen.