Survey on comparison of the analgesic effects of carbamazepine and diclofenac on knee osteoarthritis

ABSTRACT

Osteoarthritis is the most common arthicular disease of human. Medical managements of this disorder are mostly limited to relieving pain usually by NSAIDs. However, due to many side effects of these medications, especially on elderly patients, long-term therapy with these drugs is of major concern. In this study, the analgesic effect of carbamazepine on knee Osteoarthritis was compared with diclofenac as a NSAID and placebo. In this double-blind randomised clinical trial study, 60 patients diagnosed with knee Osteoarthritis were investigated for 12 months. The patients were then categorised into three groups; carbamazepine, diclofenac, and placebo groups. After two weeks of treatment, the pain relief rate was re-evaluated for each patient using Visual Analogue Scale [VAS]. The data was then analysed using Chi-Square test. Patients categorised as carbamazepine and diclofenac groups showed a marked pain relief after treatment period compared to the placebo group [p<0.05 vsp= 0.12 respectively]. However, the analgesic effect of carbamazepine was not significant compared to diclofenac. Carbamazepine has a same analgesic effect on knee Osteoarthritis as NSAIDs. So, it may be a favorite alternative to NSAIDs in patients who are not able to tolerate the detrimental effects of these drugs