A randomized trial of tramadol versus ibuprofen as an adjunct to pain control during vacuum aspiration abortion

BackgroundThe study was conducted to determine whether tramadol is more effective than ibuprofen for reducing pain during uterine aspiration for abortion.Study DesignWomen presenting to a community-based abortion clinic were invited to participate in this double-blind, randomized trial. Following informed consent, subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 50 mg tramadol or 800 mg ibuprofen orally in addition to the standard clinic analgesic protocol. The primary outcome was pain as verbally rated on a scale from 0 to 10. Measurements were obtained immediately after and 30 min postprocedure.ResultsOne hundred fifty-eight women were enrolled, 80 women were randomized to ibuprofen and 78 women, to tramadol. Immediately after the procedure, the mean pain scores in both treatment groups were 4.9 (95% CI=4.3–5.5). Thirty min postoperatively the mean pain score in the ibuprofen group was 2.8 compared to 3.6 in the tramadol group (p=.04).ConclusionThere was no difference in immediate postprocedure pain between women receiving tramadol or ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is somewhat more effective than tramadol at reducing pain 30 min following surgical abortion.