Nutrition Steps should be taken to ensure the patient has adequate nutrition. Pain Severe pain should be controlled with opiate analgesics. Mild pain can be adequately controlled with aspirin, paracetamol or dihydrocodeine. There is the danger of opiate addiction in patients experiencing frequent attacks. Every attempt should be made to withdraw these drugs between attacks.
Some patients report pain relief with sleep.
Analgesics should therefore, be combined with chlorpromazine or promazine. Neurosis or psychosis Will require sedatives or tranquillisers and chlorpromazine. As most anticonvulsants are porphyrinogenic, they should be avoided and intravenous diazepam should be used to treat seizures in the acute presentation. Constipation Will require regular laxatives, eg lactulose. Nausea and vomiting Requires chlorpromazine or promazine.