Ibuprofen beats acetaminophen

Nursing, Dec 2004

ARTHRITIS PAIN

Ibuprofen relieves the pain of osteoarthritis better than acetaminophen, according to one of the first studies comparing the two drugs for this indication.

French researchers investigated the degree of pain relief from single and multiple doses of each drug in 222 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. They found that a single 400-mg dose of ibuprofen offered significantly greater pain relief in the first 6 hours than a 1,000-mg dose of acetaminophen.

After 2 weeks of taking either ibuprofen or acetaminophen three times a day, patients taking ibuprofen had significantly less pain and more improvement in stiffness and function than those taking acetaminophen. Researchers didn't note any differences in the number or severity of adverse reactions.

Source: "The IPSO Study: Ibuprofen, Paracetamol Study in Osteoarthritis. A Randomised Comparative Clinical Study Comparing the Efficacy and Safety of Ibuprofen and Paracetamol Analgesic Treatment of Osleoarthritis of the Knee or Hip," Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, F. Boureau, et al., September 2004.