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Effect of intravenous alizapride on spinal morphine-induced pruritus
1Department of Anesthesiology, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Pelotas, Brazil. marciolhorta@uol.com.br
Background:
This double-blind study was undertaken to determine whether alizapride inhibits spinal morphine-induced pruritus.
Methods:
Eighty-four patients undergoing Caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia (100 mg of hyperbaric lidocaine 5% plus morphine 0.2 mg) were randomly allocated to one of two groups. Just after birth, alizapride-50 mg (alizapride group) or metoclopramide-10 mg (metoclopramide group) were injected i.v. Patients were assessed after surgery for pruritus (absent, mild, moderate or severe) or other untoward symptoms.
Results:
In the metoclopramide group, pruritus was absent in 5 (12%) patients, mild in 23 (55%), moderate in 11 (26%), and severe in 3 (7%), while in the alizapride group, these incidences were, respectively, 5 (12%), 33 (79%), 4 (10%), and 0 (P=0.045, chi(2)-test). There was no difference in the incidence of side-effects, which were all minor.
Conclusions:
Alizapride reduced the severity of morphine-induced pruritus.