Comparison of paracetamol and aminophenazone plus diazepam suppositories for anxiety and pain relief after tonsillectomy in children.

The anxiety and pain-relieving effect of paracetamol 10 mg/kg or a combination of aminophenazone 4 mg/kg and diazepam 0.2 mg/kg suppositories was studied in 82 children after tonsillectomy in a double-blind study. Both suppositories were studied after halothane or enflurane anaesthesia. At 30 min after administration of coded suppositories, 88-90% of the children in various groups needed extra analgesics, and received pethidine 0.5 mg/kg i.v. Thereafter, the anxiety and pain relief was satisfactory in all groups. There was no significant difference between the effects caused by the drugs. No bleeding occurred from the operation site in any of the study groups. The results suggest that both paracetamol and a combination of aminophenazone and diazepam in the doses used here were weak analgesics for throat pain after tonsillectomy in children during the early postoperative period.