Is (30/500) Kapake superior to (8/500) Cocodamol in mild to moderate pain in headache
Date First Published:
January 25, 2008
Last Updated:
September 6, 2001
Report by:
Muhammed Al Zarrad, Registrar Emergency Medicine (Manchester Royal Infirmary)
Search checked by:
TBC, Manchester Royal Infirmary
Three-Part Question:
In [a young adult with mild to moderate pain from tension headaches] does [kapake or cocodamol offer better analgesia] in terms of [onset and duration of pain relief]?
Clinical Scenario:
A 27 year old female with a 2 day history of headache attends the A&E department. Clinical assessment of this patient comforms with a diagnosis of tension headaches. She was given Kapake for pain relief and discharged.
Search Strategy:
Medline using OVID interface 1966-6/98.
Search Details:
(exp acetaminophen/ or paracetamol.ti, ab, sh.) AND (exp codeine/ or codeine.ti, ab, sh.) AND (exp tension headache/ or exp headache/ or headache.ti, ab, sh.)
Outcome:
28 papers of which 1 Russian, 1 German, 19 not relevant and 6 not specific to the question.
Relevant Paper(s):
| Study Title | Patient Group | Study type (level of evidence) | Outcomes | Key results | Study Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symptomatic treatment of chronically recurring tension headache: a placebo-controlled, multicenter investigation of Fioricet and acetaminophen with codeine. Friedman AP, DiSerio FJ. 1987 USA | 198 adults evaluated for Fioricet, acetaminophen with codeine and placebo. | PRCT multicentre | 4 hrs assessment of pain relief, emotional tension and muscle contraction. | Active analgesics effective than placebo. | Different strength than used in UK. Not comparing the analgesics in question. Poor explanation of statistics. |
Author Commentary:
Regarding the proposed question there was no paper addressing the different strengths of codeine compound.
Bottom Line:
Unable to make a comparison between kapake and cocodamol as to pain relief effectiveness.
References:
- Friedman AP, DiSerio FJ.. Symptomatic treatment of chronically recurring tension headache: a placebo-controlled, multicenter investigation of Fioricet and acetaminophen with codeine.