Incidence of side effects and analgesia requirements
| Side effects | Misoprostol 400 µg (n=40) | Misoprostol 200 µg (n=37) | Gemeprost 1 mg (n=39) | p |
p (misoprostol 400 µg vs gemeprost) |
p (misoprostol 200 µg vs gemeprost) | p (misoprostol 400 µg vs misoprostol 200 µg) |
| Nausea | 11 (27.5%) | 10 (27.0%) | 16 (41.0%) | 0.344 | |||
| Vomiting | 12 (30.0%) | 12 (32.4%) | 13 (33.3%) | 0.968 | |||
| Backache | 17 (42.5%) | 13 (35.1%) | 19 (48.7%) | 0.500 | |||
| Muscle weakness | 6 (15.0%) | 6 (16.2%) | 3 (7.7%) | 0.512 | |||
| Dizziness | 7 (17.5%) | 6 (16.2%) | 4 (10.3%) | 0.643 | |||
| Flushing | 10 (25.0%) | 10 (27.0%) | 6 (15.4%) | 0.430 | |||
| Chills | 20 (50.0%) | 15 (40.5%) | 19 (48.7%) | 0.693 | |||
| Chest pains | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (5.4%) | 1 (2.6%) | 0.208 | |||
| Fever | 28 (70.0%) | 9 (24.3%) | 18 (46.2%) | <0.001* | 0.041* | 0.058 | <0.001* |
| Palpitations | 3 (7.5%) | 3 (8.1%) | 5 (12.8%) | 0.729 | |||
| Diarrhoea (≥2 loose stools) | 4 (10.0%) | 3 (8.1%) | 15 (38.5%) | 0.001* | 0.004* | 0.003* | 1.000 |
| Abdominal cramps | 12 (30.0%) | 5 (13.5%) | 12 (30.8%) | 0.135 | |||
| Pain | |||||||
| No analgesic use | 2 (5.0%) | 4 (10.8%) | 4 (10.3%) | 0.654 | |||
| Opioid use | 8 (20.0%) | 12 (32.4%) | 14 (35.9%) | 0.266 | |||
| Pain score† | 6.1 (2.8) | 4.8 (2.9) | 5.9 (2.9) | 0.123 | |||
| None | 2 (5.0%) | 4 (10.8%) | 2 (5.1%) | 0.590 |
*Statistically significant.
†Pain score was measured using the visual analogue scale to assess the maximum pain experienced during the study.