Effects of gabapentin on pain and opioid consumption after abdominal hysterectomy

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pain is an important factor affecting anesthesia and surgery. OBJECTIVES: The present study assessed the effects of 1200 mg gabapentin, an anticonvulsant drug that acts through voltage-dependent calcium channels, for the control of postoperative pain in patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy. METHODS: Fifty patients undergoing hysterectomy were enrolled in the present study. Subjects received either 1200 mg gabapentin or placebo 2 h before surgery. The amount of morphine consumption and level of postoperative pain at 2 h, 6 h, 12 h and 24 h after surgery were measured. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age, duration of surgery and anesthesia, or body mass index between the two groups. The mean intensity of pain in the gabapentin group was significantly lower than in the placebo group. The mean amount of morphine used in the placebo group (5.2 +/- 2.8 mg) was significantly higher than in gabapentin group (1.2 +/- 0.29 mg; P=0.001). Nausea and vomiting in the placebo group was more common than in the gabapentin group (P=0.001). The time interval for initial ambulation after surgery was significantly shorter in the gabapentin group (12.24 +/- 2.18 h) compared with the placebo group (15 +/- 3.61 h; P=0.002). CONCLUSION: 1200 mg gabapentin reduced postoperative pain and the need for opioids, and enabled earlier ambulation of the patient. Significant side effects were not observed.