# E-DRUG: dipyrone / metamizol **URL:** https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-dipyrone-metamizol/698 **Category:** e-drug **Created:** [April 30, 1997, 2:11pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-dipyrone-metamizol/698 "1997-04-30T14:11:22Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![Jerome\_Sclafer1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jerome\_Sclafer1](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/Jerome_Sclafer1) #### Post date: [April 30, 1997, 2:11pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-dipyrone-metamizol/698/1 "1997-04-30T14:11:22Z")
E-DRUG: dipyrone / metamizol (cont.) ------------------------------------ France: Dipyrone is marketed in France in many drugs. 2 tradenames contain only dipyrone and 2 are combnations with cafeine and 2 others with antispamodic and 1 with codeine. Cameroon: Dipyrone was also present in Cameroon up to 1994 when I left the country, but there is no doubt that the same drugs are still present. It was very much used mainly as antipyretic. A retrospective survey carried out in 1993 on outpatient records of a district hospital found that 48% of prescriptions contained dipyrone . The October-December 1992 issue of the Precriber's bulletin (independent drug bulletin, no longer published) contained two pages of review on dipyrone. The main messages were: fatal side effects exists altough rare, and dipyrone shoudl not be used as first line antipyretic or analgesic. This bulletin was sent to all prescribers (doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists). The survey mentionned above found that in the same hospital prescription at the outpatient department dropped to 9% in 1993. (Steinhausen KF. The effect of a drug bulletin on rational prescribing in hospitals of Fako division in South West province, Cameroon. University of Heidelberg, 1993). \*\* Jerome Sclafer ---- e-mail: jeromejet@easynet.fr \*\* \*\* La revue Prescrire -- member of the editorial team \*\* \*\* Prescrire tel: +33 1 4700 9445 fax: +33 1 4807 8732 \*\* -- Send mail for the `E-Drug' conference to `e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'. Mail administrative requests to `majordomo@usa.healthnet.org'. For additional assistance, send mail to: `owner-e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'.