A double-blind parallel comparison of ketoprofen, codeine, and placebo in patients with moderate to severe postpartum pain.

A total of 152 patients were treated at a single center in a single-dose, double-blind parallel study designed to compare the safety and efficacy of 25, 50, and 100 mg ketoprofen to 90 mg codeine and placebo in patients with moderate to severe postpartum pain (i.e., postepisiotomy, uterine cramping, or cesarean section pain). The analgesic responses to all three doses of ketoprofen and 90 mg codeine were superior to placebo and were not significantly different from each other. No dose-related response was observed with ketoprofen. The number of side effects was significantly greater (P = 0.001) among patients receiving codeine (six patients) than among those receiving ketoprofen (three patients).