Analgesic activity of floctafenine after cholecystectomy

In a double-blind, crossover study involving 40 post-cholecystectomy patients, the analgesic activity of a new oral nonnarcotic agent, floctafenine, was compared with that of oral meperidine and oral propoxyphene. A behavioral approach to the measurement of pain relief, i.e., the measurement of pain on movement or coughing, was used in addition to the accepted subjective method. Floctafenine 200 mg was found to have analgesic activity intermediate between that of meperidine 75 mg and propoxyphene 65 mg. Patients reported the fewest side effects after floctafenine. Initial pain level was found to affect the final pain score. Effects on pain relief due to age, sex, time of the day, and carryover effects were also examined and not found to be significant.