Oral Gabapentin Versus Intravenous Neostigmine/Atropine Versus Combination of Both for Prevention of PDPH

October 29, 2026 updated by: Mahmoud Faisal, Assiut University

Beyond the Epidural Blood Patch: Combined Oral Gabapentin and Intravenous Neostigmine/Atropine for Prevention of Post Dural Puncture Headache After Cesarean Section Under Spinal Anaesthesia

Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is a major complication of neuraxial anaesthesia.

Pain is intense, frontal, throbbing, and radiates to the occiput; it is more severe when standing and less severe when lying down.

A lot of studies reported several techniques for management of post-dural puncture headache including conservative, pharmacological or interventional techniques. Conservative techniques such as hydration and bed rest. These therapies aim to decrease CSF loss through the dural hole and restore CSF with additional fluid intake.

Pharmacological treatment such as caffeine , methylxanthine (as theophylline), gabapentinoids, Sumatriptan, cosyntropin, dexamethasone, intravenous (IV) injection of ondansetron and IV opioid were used. Also, there are several interventional treatments like), epidural blood patch greater occipital nerve block, and sphenopalatine ganglion block has been used.

Neostigmine has a biphasic effect on sympathetic ganglia, ie, depolarization followed by hyperpolarization. results in vasoconstriction reflects sympathetic regulation of the blood supply to cerebral vessels . An increase in central acetylcholine can maintain cerebral vasoconstriction Atropine crosses the blood brain barrier and is a parasympatholytic , it increases CSF secretion by antagonizing the effect of acetylcholine on the choroid plexus Gabapentin is an anti-epileptic, similar in structure to the endogenous neurotransmitter gamma-amino-butyric acid, but their exact mechanism for treating PDPH is unclear.

A possible mechanism for gabapentin-mediated analgesia is the modulation of glutamate receptors (N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) /kainite). Also it inhibits nociceptive responses to intrathecal NMDA and AMPA in vivo.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
292

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
      • Asyut, Egypt, 71111
        • Recruiting
        • Assiut University hospital
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Sara Mansour, lecturer
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Ramy Mostafa Abdel Gawad, lecturer

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 40 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Scheduled for elective CS under spinal anesthesia.
  • BMI between 25 and 35 kg/m2.
  • ASA 11 primigravida or multigravida.
  • Pregnant in a single full-term fetus.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Emergency CS.
  • Chronic headache or previous PDPH.
  • Any type of chronic pain and those on regular analgesics or anti-epileptic medications.
  • Substance abuse.
  • Smoking.
  • Chronic or gestational hypertension.
  • hypersensitivity to one of the used drugs.
  • liver, kidney, neurological and psychiatric disorders.
  • patient refusal

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo group

73 participants will receive 10 ml normal saline after fetal delivery + oral placebo tablet by small sip of water 2 hours before admission to the operating room
Drug: treatment of Postdural puncture headache

using different drugs and different combinations to compare the efficacy of each one to prevent the postdural puncture headache
Active Comparator: Neostigmine group

73 participants will receive (20 μg/kg neostigmine + atropine 0.02 mg / kg) diluted in 10 ml saline after fetal delivery + oral placebo tablet by small sip of water 2 hours before admission to the operating room.
Drug: treatment of Postdural puncture headache

using different drugs and different combinations to compare the efficacy of each one to prevent the postdural puncture headache
Active Comparator: Gabapentin group

73 participants will receive 10 ml saline after fetal delivery + oral Gabapentin 600 mg by small sip of water 2 hours before admission to the operating room.
Drug: treatment of Postdural puncture headache

using different drugs and different combinations to compare the efficacy of each one to prevent the postdural puncture headache
Active Comparator: Neostigmine plus gabapentin group

73 participants will receive (20 μg/kg neostigmine+ atropine 0.02 mg / kg) diluted in 10 ml saline after fetal delivery +oral Gabapentin 600 mg by small sip of water 2 hours before admission to the operating room.
Drug: treatment of Postdural puncture headache

using different drugs and different combinations to compare the efficacy of each one to prevent the postdural puncture headache

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of postdural puncture headache
Time Frame: from enrollment to day 15

patients suffering from PDPH after drug treatment
from enrollment to day 15

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Total amount of rescue analgesia
Time Frame: from enrollment to day 15

amount of analgesia consumed by patients
from enrollment to day 15
Severity of PDPH
Time Frame: from enrollment to day 15

using NRS (Numerical Rating Scale).
from enrollment to day 15
Intraoperative complications
Time Frame: from enrollment to day 15

nausea, vomiting, tremors, sedation, ataxia, dizziness, bradycardia, hypotension, muscle cramps, muscle twitches, bronchoconstriction, miosis, Increased Secretions
from enrollment to day 15

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Assiut University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 29, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 29, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • anesth35/26

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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