Dextromethorphan as a Novel Non-opioid Adjunctive Agent for Pain Control in Medication Abortion

Medication abortion using mifepristone and misoprostol is common, accounting for nearly one-third of abortions in the United States in 2014. Although women generally tolerate medical abortion well, pain and bleeding are common and expected side effects. Up to a quarter of women rate their pain as severe during their procedure. Pain management for medical abortion is challenging given that the most acute pain occurs at home rather than under the supervision of medical professionals. Currently there is insufficient evidence to recommend an optimal regimen for pain control in medication abortion and there are concerns surrounding narcotic prescribing and the opiate abuse epidemic. This is a four-arm, prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial comparing dextromethorphan administration in conjunction with the current standard regimen (NSAIDs and narcotic medication by request- commonly oxycodone or codeine) to the standard regimen alone. Pain will be evaluated by analgesia usage and self-reported pain scores. Investigators will also investigate factors influencing pain and subjective components of the patient narrative. Ideally, a non-opioid adjunct to NSAIDs or narcotics could be used to control pain and significantly curtail or avoid opioid use. Investigators seek to test the efficacy and safety of dextromethorphan as a non-narcotic analgesic for medication abortion.

Inclusion criteria

• Women aged 18 and over
• Willing to give voluntary consent
• English-speaking
• Eligible for medication abortion per Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania protocol
• Self-reported reliable cellular phone access for the duration of study participation
• Able to receive and reply to a "test" text at time of consent
• Willing to comply with the study protocol

Exclusion criteria

• Use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or monoamine oxidase inhibitors due to risk of Serotonin Syndrome
• Allergy to any component of the medication abortion regimen or study drug
• Has any other condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, would preclude informed consent, make study participation unsafe, complicate the interpretation of the study outcome data, or otherwise interfere with achieving the study objectives
• Anticipated use of dextromethorphan during study period