Preemptive Gabapentin vs Pregabalin for Acute Postoperative Pain after Surgery under Spinal Anaesthesia

Gabapentin and Pregabalin have been used in treatment of neuropathic pain as well as postoperative pain with good results. However there is paucity of studies in comparison with each other. This study was designed to compare their efficacy with respect to increase in duration of analgesia, reduction in total post- operative require-ments of analgesics and study side effects and complications. Sixty patients of either sex in ASA grade I and II were randomly allocated to one of the two groups of thirty each. Patients in Group G were given single dose of gabapentin 1200mg, whereas in Group P were administered pregabalin 300mg one hour prior to administration of spinal anaesthesia. Pain was assessed by Visual Analogue Scale immediate postoperatively and every two hourly thereafter. Time since spinal anaesthesia to first dose of analgesic (diclofenac) and total dose of analgesic in first 24 hours was recorded. The total postoperative analgesic time was 8.98h in Group G whereas 14.17h in Group P (HS, P < 0.001). Total dose of analgesics in first 24h was 62.5mg in Group P and 72.5mg in Group G and was not significant (P>.05). Dizziness and somnolence were the only side effects noticed in both groups. Gabapentin and pregabalin, both have been effective in prolongation of post-spinal analgesia, Pregabalin more than Gabapentin and either can be used as part of multimodal therapy if not as sole analgesic.