Comparative study of duloxetine and pregabalin on postoperative analgesic requirement following laparoscopic gynecological surgeries: A prospective, randomized, double blind and placebo-controlled trial

Postoperative pain control is one of the main issues that plays a crucial role in hastening patients’ general condition improvement. Laparoscopic surgeries have many advantages over open surgery, such as smaller incisions, lower morbidity, rapid recovery, and reduction in hospital stays. However, a significant number of patients after laparoscopic surgeries still suffer from high levels of pain and require pain relief, with PONV being the second most common complaint. Duloxetine is a selective antidepressant that inhibits serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake in the central nervous system. Pregabalin is a structural analog of GABA and is an anticonvulsant drug that selectively affects pain transmission. Both drugs reduce acute pain and postoperative opioid consumption following some surgeries. Hence, the present study will be carried out to compare the postoperative analgesic efficacy of duloxetine and pregabalin in laparoscopic surgery. All selected patients will be randomized into 3 study groups (30 patients in each group)

Group D - Patients will receive duloxetine 60 mg, 2 hours before surgery

Group P - Patients will receive pregabalin 150 mg, 2 hours before surgery

Group C -  Patients will receive similar-looking placebo 2 hours before surgery

Primary outcome - Total fentanyl requirements within 24 hours after surgery

Secondary outcome - VAS score at rest and on movement, adverse effects of study drugs (nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, urinary retention, ileus, urticaria, hypotension, bradycardia, respiratory depression, itching), sedation score, and patient satisfaction score.

Statistical analysis will be done after the completion of study