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Endometriosis - Evidence
Evidence on paracetamol
There is no evidence on the use of paracetamol for the pain associated with endometriosis.
- CKS found no direct evidence to support the use of paracetamol in relieving the pain associated with endometriosis.
- Evidence for the use of paracetamol to treat primary dysmenorrhoea is very limited.
- A systematic review investigated the efficacy of minor analgesics for relieving pain in primary dysmenorrhoea. One small randomized controlled trial (n = 35) found paracetamol (500 mg four times a day — a sub-therapeutic dose) was no better than placebo at relieving pain (relative risk 1.00, 95% CI 0.28 to 3.63) [Zhang and Li Wan Po, 1998].
- A Cochrane systematic review of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea found two trials (n = 165) comparing paracetamol with an NSAID. No difference in pain relief was found, but the authors of the review pointed out that the available evidence had little power to detect such differences [Marjoribanks et al, 2003].
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