Analgesic effect of etoricoxib in secondary dysmenorrhea: a randomized, double-blind, crossover, controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of etoricoxib in the treatment of secondary dysmenorrhea. STUDY DESIGN: A single daily dose of etoricoxib, 120 mg, was compared with mefenamic acid (500 mg) every 8 hours and a placebo in a randomized, double-blind, crossover, controlled trial for the relief of moderate and severe pain from secondary dysmenorrhea in 22 women treated over 3 menstrual periods. Each treatment lasted up to 3 days. The first-dose analysis was based on an 8-hour observation period. RESULTS: Etoricoxib, 120 mg, provided analgesic efficacy superior to that of the placebo for the summed pain intensity difference over 8 hours (p =0.005), and total pain relief over 8 hours (p < 0.05), and all primary and secondary end points were similar to those of mefenamic acid. No serious or unexpected adverse events were reported, and no subjects withdrew from the study because of an adverse event. However, the incidence of nausea and epigastic pain in the mefenamic acid group was significantly higher than in the etoricoxib group. CONCLUSION: A single daily dose of etoricoxib, 120 mg, was as efficacious as mefenamic acid in the management of secondary dysmenorrhea, with a lower incidence of epigastric pain, and was well tolerated for the treatment of secondary dysmenorrhea.