Journal of Pain Management & Medicine

Abstract

Study of the Recommended Dosage of the N-Acetyl Cysteine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Bromelain and Zinc Preparation for the Treatment of Dysmenorrhea

Zuramis Estrada and Francisco Carmona*

Background: Dysmenorrhea is defined as pain during menstruation and affects a large percentage of women with varying degrees of pain. Currently, gynecologists recommend a preparation composed of N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), alpha Lipoic Acid (LA), Bromelain (Br) and Zinc (Zn), (NAC/LA/Br/Zn) to relieve the symptoms of dysmenorrhea. However, there are no data on the most adequate dosage to recommend in patients with dysmenorrhea. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine when the NAC/LA/Br/Zn preparation is recommended in patients with dysmenorrhea and on what basis specialists make this decision.

Methods: A survey was conducted among gynecologists with extensive experience recommending this preparation. Descriptive statistics including absolute numbers, frequencies (%) and means were used to explore the data.

Results: The most frequently recommended regimen is to begin with continuous administration for 90 days with 10-day breaks (69%). In patients with primary dysmenorrhea the most recommended approach is discontinuous therapy for mild pain (50.7%) and 90-day continuous therapy with 10-day breaks in patients with moderate or severe pain (47.9% and 71.2%, respectively). In the case of secondary dysmenorrhea, the most recommended approach is 90-day continuous therapy with 10-day breaks for any degree of pain (41.1%, 57.5% and 76.7% respectively). Most gynecologists (79%) adapt the regimen after clinical assessment of the degree of pain towards discontinuous administration patterns on the days around menstruation.

Conclusions: The most common regimen for the treatment of dysmenorrhea with the NAC/LA/Br/Zn preparation is to start treatment with 90 days of administration with 10-day breaks. The treatment can subsequently be continued with the same continuous regimen with breaks or adapted according to the degree of pain.

Published Date: 2023-02-20; Received Date: 2023-01-18