A comparison of tilidine hydrochloride and morphine in the treatment of postoperative pain.

Intramuscular injections of 10 mg morphine or 100 mg tilidine hydrochloride were administered in a double-blind fashion and in random order to 40 patients after minor surgical operations. The therapeutic effect of each analgesic was assessed by comparing the severity of pain immediately postoperatively with that 1, 2, 3 and 4 hours after injection of the relevant analgesic. Tilidine and morphine relieved pain to a similar degree. Within the limits of the protocol followed, morphine appeared superior to tilidine in some tests. No major side-effects occurred.