A double-blind comparative study of piroxicam and ibuprofen in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Recommended dosages of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have increased considerably since their introduction. The maximum recommended dosage for ibuprofen, a widely prescribed drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, has increased from 400 mg three or four times a day (at the time of its introduction) to 2,400 mg per day at present. Piroxicam at 20 mg per day was compared with ibuprofen at 2,400 mg per day in 20 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Both drugs were found to be effective, with similar side-effect profiles.