Effect of paracetamol, mephenoxalone and their combination on pain following bone surgery

Sixty patients suffering moderate postoperative pain after bone surgery were divided randomly into 3 treatment groups on the day following operation. Under double blind conditions they received either 400 mg mephenoxalone, a weak sedative, or 900 mg paracetamol, or the same doses of these drugs simultaneously, three times daily for three days. Pain scores determined by a surgeon 1, 2, 3, and 6 hours after administration of the first dose of the drug indicated that paracetamol and paracetamol + mephenoxalone had similar analgesic effects and were more effective than mephenoxalone alone. However, during repeated administration over 3 days, the mean effect of the drug combination was slightly better than that of paracetamol or mephenoxalone alone. The drug combination did not induce more sedation or gastrointestinal side effects than either drug alone.