Postoperative pain is a common and significant complication; thus, numerous ways exist to control it. Recent years have witnessed a growing trend to use pregabalin to control pain.

 The present study compared the effects of two different doses of pregabalin on postoperative pain after lumbar disc herniation surgery.

It enrolled 90 patients undergoing elective herniated disc surgery using random sampling and divided them into three groups: high-dose pregabalin (150 mg), low-dose pregabalin (75 mg), and placebo. The study then compared them regarding postoperative pain, the received dose of analgesic, and the severity of side effects. 

The mean age of the enrolled patients was 43.9±6.7 years. Both pregabalin groups showed lower mean postoperative pain than the placebo group. Moreover, the high-dose pregabalin group showed lower mean postoperative pain than the low-dose group without any statistically significant difference. 26.7% of the patients in the low-dose pregabalin group, 23.3% of the high-dose pregabalin group, and 53.3% of the placebo group needed analgesics. Additionally, 16.7%, 26.7%, and 13.3% of patients in the low-dose pregabalin group, high-dose pregabalin group, and placebo group complained of side effects.

This study shows that pregabalin significantly reduces postoperative pain and the required dose of analgesia. Additionally, pregabalin complications are minor and can be neglected.

Boroojeny SB, Faghihi H, Hojjat SM, Tabatabaei SMN. Effects of Two Different Preoperative Doses of Pregabalin on Postoperative Pain After Lumbar Disc Herniation Surgery. Med Surg Nurs J. 2021;10(2):e120070. doi: 10.5812/msnj.120070.