The Effect of Magnesium Sulfate plus Ketorolac versus Morphine plus Ketorolac on Pain Relief in Patients with Renal Colic: A Double-blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: It seems that magnesium sulfate (MgSO 4 ) can be useful in reducing acute pain caused by stone passing through the ureter by reducing ureteral smooth muscle contractions. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of MgSO 4 plus ketorolac versus morphine plus ketorolac on pain relief in renal colic. Methods: The present double-blind randomized clinical trial was performed on 70 patients with renal colic divided into two groups. Patients in the first group received 30 mg intravenous ketorolac plus 5 mg intravenous morphine while patients in the second group received 30 mg/kg MgSO 4 plus 30 mg intravenous ketorolac. Then, patients’ hemodynamic parameters and pain scores were evaluated before and 20, 40, and 60 min after the intervention. Results: Within 60 min of administration, systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced in the morphine plus ketorolac group ( P < 0.001) while there was no significant change in the MgSO 4 plus ketorolac group in this regard ( P = 0.576). In addition, the patients’ mean pain scores were not significantly different between the two groups in any of the studied times ( P > 0.05). Conclusion: Given that the addition of MgSO 4 to ketorolac, as compared with the addition of morphine (as a drug) to ketorolac, has been associated with fewer complications and greater stability of hemodynamic parameters, it can be stated that the use of MgSO 4 as an adjunct can be a good choice for further pain relief in patients with contraindications for drug administrations.