Pharmacologic Properties of Ketorolac Tromethamine: A Potent Analgesic Drug

Abstract

Summary of comparative studies of ketorolac tromethamine in patients with several pain states. Drug and Kind and pain Measure of Analgesic dose (mg) Ref intensity efficacy efficacy Postrneniscectorny (moder- ate) Surgery pain (moderate to severe) Orthopedic surgery (mod- erate to severe) Postoperative pain (moder- ate to severe) Renal colic pain (rnoder- ate) Cancer pain (moderate to severe) Postoperative pain (moder- ate to severe) Osteoarthritis (moderate) SPlD SPID, TOTPAR SPID, TOTPAR SPID, TOTPAR SPID SPID. TOTPAR SPID, TOTPAR SPID. TOTPAR - K, Ketorolac trornetharnine; D, Diflunisal; M, Morphine; P, Pethidine; PE. Pentamcine; PL, Placebo; DH, Dihydrocodeine; A. Aspirin: SPID. Summed pain intensity differences; TOTPAR, Total pain relief. Comparisons with Opioid Drugs Ketorolac has analgesic activity similar to or higher than opioid drugs (1 1,23). Data comparing the analgesic efficacy of ketorolac and opioids in postoperative pain is derived mainly from single-dose studies. Intramuscular administration of ketorolac at doses of 10 or 30 mg provided greater pain relief after major surgery than 30 mg of pentazocine (23). Lntrarnuscular ketorolac was superior to meperidine in efficacy and duration of action in postoperative pain after dental surgery (29). Several studies have compared the efficacy of ketorolac and morphine, the reference opioid drug, in post- operative pain relief (lO,l9,59,79,lOl,ll5). Brown et al. (10) compared the efficacy of intravenous ketorolac (10 and 30 mg) and morphine (2 and 4 mg) and observed that both drugs had a similar onset of action. The reported efficacy in this study, in descending sequence, was: ketorolac 30 mg, ketorolac 10 mg, morphine 4 mg, and morphine 2