Clinical trial of nifedipine in primary dysmenorrhoea

Fifty unmarried girls suffering with primary dysmenorrhoea, participated in a double-blind, parallel trial of nifedipine versus placebo. The efficacy of the nifedipine/placebo was assessed by measuring the intensity of pain, the degree of pain relief, the necessity of a supplementary analgesic and the extent to which drugs enable the patients to continue their daily activities during each dysmenorrhoeic cycle. In this study nifedipine was found to be significantly superior as compared to the placebo. Among severely incapacitated group more number of nifedipine treated patients(11 /1 6) were able to continue their daily activities as compared to placebo group (4/13). Only 3 girls experienced few side effects.