Comparison of Pregabalin Versus Gabapentin as Pre-emptive Analgesic

Comparison of Pregabalin Versus Gabapentin as Pre-emptive Analgesic in Patients Undergoing Orthopedic Surgeries Under Spinal Anesthesia

There are extensive gaps in the local data considering pregabalin versus gabapentin as pre-emptive analgesics in patients undergoing orthopedic surgeries under spinal anesthesia. Therefore, the current study was planned with the objective of comparing pregabalin versus gabapentin as pre-emptive analgesics in patients undergoing orthopedic surgeries under spinal anesthesia.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Orthopedic Surgery
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Gabapentin; Drug: Pregabalin

Detailed Description

Since postoperative pain in orthopedic surgery, whether neuropathic or nociceptive, presents a significant challenge for both surgeons and patients, knowing the more effective gabapentinoid as a pre-emptive analgesic would help clinicians to offer prolonged timing of first rescue analgesia and less opioid consumption.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 142
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Pakistan
  • Punjab Province
    • Bahawalpur, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 63100
      • Victoria Hospital/Qaid-e-Azam Medical College

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Either gender
• Aged 20-60 years
• Undergoing lower limb orthopedic surgeries under spinal anesthesia

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with a previous history of spine interventions, including surgery or injections (transforaminal, epidural, or facetal) for pain relief
• Patients under any sort of pain modulation therapy, like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
• Patients had a long-term history of any analgesia use
• Those with psychiatric disorders, alcohol/drug dependence, hepatic, renal, cardiac, or pulmonary abnormalities,
• With a history of allergies to gabapentinoids

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group-G; Patients were given a single oral dose of gabapentin 300 mg, with 30 ml of water, one hour prior to administration of spinal anesthesia.	Drug: Gabapentin; Patients were given a single oral dose of gabapentin 300 mg, with 30 ml of water, one hour prior to administration of spinal anesthesia.
Experimental: Group-P; Patients received pregabalin 150 mg as a single oral dose, with 30 ml of water, one hour prior to administration of spinal anesthesia	Drug: Pregabalin; Patients received pregabalin 150 mg as a single oral dose, with 30 ml of water, one hour prior to administration of spinal anesthesia.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain severity	The severity of pain was analyzed on the visual analogue scale (VAS), with a lower score labelling the effectiveness of the treatment.	24 hours
Analgesia duration	The duration of analgesia was measured from awakening to the need of rescue analgesia, when a pain score was more than 3 on VAS.	24 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Muhammad Aamir Latif
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Muhammad Usman, Bahawal Victoria Hospital/Quid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur; Study Director: Ambreen Khan, FCPS, Bahawal Victoria Hospital/Quid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 31, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 29, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 29, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 5, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 5, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 29, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Organic Chemicals; Hydrocarbons; Cyclohexanes; Cycloparaffins; Hydrocarbons, Alicyclic; Hydrocarbons, Cyclic; Acids, Acyclic; Carboxylic Acids; Amines; Amino Acids; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; Aminobutyrates; Butyrates; Acids, Carbocyclic; Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; Gabapentin; Pregabalin
• Other Study ID Numbers: Dr-Usman-QAMC

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Data can be shared on a reasonable request.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No