Naproxen in the treatment of OC-resistant primary dysmenorrhea. A double-blind cross-over study.
The efficacy of oral contraceptives (OC) in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea in controlled studies varies from 50 to 80%. The addition of a prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor, naproxen, was found to afford pain relief to a further 70% of women with OC-resistant dysmenorrhea in a double-blind cross-over study comprising 39 patients. This effect was shown to be statistically significant at p = 0.0005. Our recommendation is that low-dose OCs should be the first choice as contraceptive agents for women with dysmenorrhea and that a prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor should be given when OCs are ineffective.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004412:Dysmenorrhea / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009288:Naproxen / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D009288:Naproxen