Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) Response and Central Sensitization of Pain in Women With Dysmenorrhea

Summary

Menstrual pain is the most common gynecological complaint and the leading cause of school and work absences in reproductive-age girls and women. One of the primary treatments for menstrual pain is use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs; over-the-counter medications such as naproxen, ibuprofen, or aspirin), although up to 18% of women do not get pain relief from these medications. One reason for this may be due to central sensitization of pain, which is when alterations in the central nervous system change how pain is processed in the brain and experienced. Determining the role of central sensitization in menstrual pain is important because central sensitization is associated with the development of chronic pain. Understanding the relationship between NSAID response and central sensitization is important because it could indicate women who may go on to develop chronic pain later in life. This study would directly address this question. Identifying women at risk for chronic pain would help target new treatments to this vulnerable group to ideally prevent pain from becoming chronic. This is particularly important for women in the military because the severity of menstrual pain is associated with missed work, such that in active-duty military women, less than 4.4% with mild menstrual pain missed work, whereas 20.7% of women with moderate to severe menstrual pain missed work. Addressing the significant impact of menstrual pain for military women will help reducing suffering and potentially decrease the risk of developing future chronic pain problems in this population.

Conditions

• Dysmenorrhea
• Menstrual Pain
• Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug

Interventions

DRUG

Sodium Naproxen

One dose of 550mg sodium naproxen taken at the onset of at least moderate pain after menstrual bleeding has started (i.e., at least 6/10 on the 0-10 numeric rating scale).

DRUG

Placebo

One dose of placebo capsule taken at the onset of at least moderate pain after menstrual bleeding has started (i.e., at least 6/10 on the 0-10 numeric rating scale).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• United States Department of Defense

  collaborator FED

• Endeavor Health

  collaborator OTHER

• Mclean Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Laura Payne, PhD · Mclean Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

50 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-03-25

Primary Completion

2025-08-01

Completion

2025-08-01

FDA Drug

Yes

Countries

• United States

Study Locations