[Reduced diclofenac administration by B vitamins: results of a randomized double-blind study with reduced daily doses of diclofenac (75 mg diclofenac versus 75 mg diclofenac plus B vitamins) in acute lumbar vertebral syndromes]

Abstract

Pain syndromes of the lumbar spine are one of the main problems in orthopedic practice. The therapeutic effect of NSAIDs is not subject to doubt in this connection. But considering that the application of NSAIDs is frequently associated with side effects, a reduction of dosage would be to the patient's benefit. Clinical studies have shown that concomitant treatment with vitamins B1, B6, B12 and diclofenac leads to a more efficient pain relief than treatment using diclofenac alone and thus provides the possibility of saving NSAIDs. This clinical trial was carried out in order to determine whether these results can also be achieved when a reduced dosage of diclofenac (75 mg daily) is used. 123 patients with acute pain syndromes of the lumbar spine were treated with either B-vitamins and diclofenac or diclofenac alone for a maximum of 7 days. There was the option to terminate therapy in the trial after 3-4 days in the case of total pain relief. 45 patients could stop the treatment due to remission of symptoms. 30 patients belonged to the combination therapy group, the other 15 took diclofenac alone; this difference is statistically significant (p less than 0.05). All parameters concerning pain relief and movement of the vertebral column showed statistically significant differences in favour of the B-vitamin-diclofenac-combination, too. The results document the positive influence of B-vitamins on painful vertebral syndromes and indicate that B-vitamins contribute to saving of NSAIDs by shortening the treatment time and reducing daily NSAID-dosage.