comparison of morphine suppository and diclofenac suppository for pain management after elective caesarean section

this study investigated efficacy and side effects of morphine suppository for pain management after the first elective caesarean delivery in comparison to diclofenac suppository. one hundred women aged 18-40 with term pregnancies undergoing elective caesarean section for the first time participated in this prospective project. exclusion criteria included drug sensitivity, fetal malformations or defects, and complications during the cesarean operation. after same spinal anesthesia and same surgical techniques and in the recovery room patients consecutively received 100 mg diclofenac suppository or 10 mg morphine suppository. the pain severity was rated by “numerical rating scale.” there was not the difference between two groups in terms of basal information. pain score was significantly different between two groups in the first 12 hours (5.66 ±1.36 in morphine group and 3.63±0.96 in diclofenac group) but not in the second 12 hour period. considering pain scores every two hours in first 12 hours and every 4 hours in second 12 hours, morphine group had higher scores in comparison to diclofenac group. also, the morphine group required pethidine injection sooner than the other group. the time giving first pethidine injection was 3.28±2.16 hours after operation in morphine group and 5.24±4.07 hours after operation ( p <0.05). this study demonstrated that diclofenac suppository in comparison to morphine suppository decreased subjective pain scores in the first twenty-four hours after elective caesarean section which reached statistical significance in the first twelve hours. although in diclofenac group, pethidine injection was prescribed significantly later.