Ibuprofen provides better pain relief than the more widely-prescribed codeine, a new study has suggested.
Researchers said the cheap, over-the-counter drug is also less addictive and causes fewer side effects than codeine.
More than 5,000 people across 40 trials took part in the study, which found that patients given a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) felt far less pain within six to 12 hours than those taking codeine.
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Effective: Ibuprofen provides better pain relief than codeine, a study has found. Researchers in Canada also said ibuprofen is less addictive and causes fewer side effects than codeine
‘In all surgery types, sub-groups and outcome time points, NSAIDs were equal or superior to codeine for postoperative pain,’ said Dr Matthew Choi, associate professor of surgery at McMaster University in Canada.
‘We found that patients randomized to NSAIDs following outpatient surgical procedures reported better pain scores, better global assessment scores, fewer adverse effects and no difference in bleeding events, compared with those receiving codeine.’
Codeine is Britain’s most commonly prescribed opioid — with usage of it having risen five-fold in the last decade. There are 2,456 prescriptions per 10,000 citizens.
Those findings sparked fears the UK could soon face an addiction crisis similar to the one taking place in the US, where overdose deaths from prescription opioids rose from 3,400 in 1999 to about 17,000 in 2017.
Earlier this year, the UK’s medicines watchdog, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), recommended that millions of patients suffering chronic pain with no known cause should not be prescribed painkillers amid addiction fears.
While codeine is only available on prescription in Britain, it can be bought at pharmacies in the form of the lowest strength co-codamol, when it is combined with paracetamol — or Nurofen Plus, when it is mixed with ibuprofen.
Ibuprofen is sold over the counter for around 50p for 16 200mg tablets.
Widespread: Codeine is Britain’s most commonly prescribed opioid — with usage of it having risen five-fold in the last decade . There are 2,456 prescriptions per 10,000 citizens (stock)
The NSAID works by blocking your body’s production of certain natural substances that cause inflammation, and is used to decrease pain or fever.
Researchers also found that as well as being more effective at relieving pain than codeine, NSAIDs also caused fewer side effects such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness and headaches.
They said the drugs should be used as an alternative to opioids for patients who have undergone dental and surgical procedures.
‘These findings are of general importance to any clinician performing painful medical procedures,’ the researchers said.
The study was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
