Diflunisal has an analgesic effect similar to other NSAIDs in single dose, but benefits from providing significant analgesia for about twelve hours. This property may be useful when regular dosing is needed, or when taking several doses of a shorter acting analgesic is impractical.
Diflunisal. A new oral analgesic with an unusually long duration of action.
The analgesic efficacy of single 500- and 1,000-mg doses of diflunisal (Dolobid), a new nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic, was compared in a double-blind study with that of acetaminophen, 600 mg, the combination of acetaminophen, 600 mg, with codeine phosphate, 60 mg, and placebo in 159 oral surgery outpatients. Using a self-rating record, patients rated their pain and its relief hourly for 12 hours after medication. Both doses of diflunisal were significantly more effective than acetaminophen alone and produced peak analgesia comparable to that of the acetaminophen-codeine combination. Diflunisal proved to have an unusually long duration of analgesic action. Acetaminophen and the combination were significantly superior to placebo through hours 2 and 5, respectively; both doses of diflunisal were significantly superior through the end of the 12-hour observation period. None of the active treatments produced more side effects than the placebo.