What is the most effective and safest Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for treating osteoarthritis in patients with comorbidities?

INTRODUCTION

Understanding what the most effective and safe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) is for managing osteoarthritis (OA) is complicated. OA is prevalent worldwide and people living with OA commonly have multiple comorbidities. The efficacy and safety of NSAIDs in a patient are influenced by their intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Current guidelines recommend the lowest dose for the shortest duration, monitoring patients for risk factors and comorbidities but generally do not specify, which NSAID is most suitable for a patient with specific comorbidities.

AREAS COVERED

This paper looks at the mechanism of action of all NSAIDs and reviews the current literature concerning their safety in patients with and without comorbidities. Relevant publications were identified by searching PubMed and Cochrane Library using key terms. The search was conducted from inception to 18 July 2023 and included results published before 18 July 2023. The search results and their references were then manually reviewed.

EXPERT OPINION

In the paper, we determine whether the current practice of 'lowest dose for shortest duration' is in fact the best approach for prescribing NSAIDs and identify which NSAIDs are most suitable given a patient's risk factors and comorbidities. Our aim is to help guide health professionals in recommending the most suitable NSAID for each patient.

Comparison of the effects of preemptive acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and meloxicam on pain after separator placement: a randomized clinical trial

Background

This study aims to evaluate and compare the effect of pre-procedural administration of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and meloxicam in reducing pain after separator placement.

Methods

Three hundred twenty-one patients who needed orthodontic treatment and aged above 15 were randomly assigned to one of the three study groups: group A: 650 mg acetaminophen, group B: 400 mg ibuprofen, and group C: 7.5 mg meloxicam. All subjects received a single dose of medication 1 h prior to separator placement. Using visual analog scale, patients recorded their pain perception during rest, fitting posterior teeth together, and chewing at time intervals of immediately, 2, 6, 24, and 48 h after separator placement.

Results

There was no significant difference between acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and meloxicam in post-separator placement pain control when administered 1 h before the procedure. In all the groups, at rest, pain level elevated after separator placement and reached its peak at 24 h and then subsided until 48 h. But during chewing and fitting of the posterior teeth, some of the groups reached a peak in pain at 48 h. No significant difference was found in pain experience between males and females.

Conclusions

Meloxicam can be used as an effective analgesic in orthodontic pain control considering it has less gastric side effects compared to the conventional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Trial registration

Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials, IRCT2015041821828N1