Analgesic Effects of Gabapentin and Paracetamol
Analgesic Effects of Gabapentin and Paracetamol
This research is about the effects of drug gabapentin; which is an amino acid that is
 structurally similar to neurotransmitter GABA. It is a novel drug used for the treatment of
 postoperative pain with analgesic properties having unique mechanism of action. This study
 reviews clinical effects of this agent in hand injury patients managed at the Department of
 Plastics & Reconstructive Surgery, Dow University of Health Sciences & Dr. Ruth KM Pfau Civil
 Hospital Karachi.

 This study aims to inquire the analgesic properties of gabapentin in the patients and to
 further investigate its comparison with the equivalent dose of paracetamol given 6 hours
 after undergoing operative procedure. Acetaminophen is well tolerated when administered in
 therapeutic dose for pain management. It is a principal drug used as pain reliever and as an
 antipyretic regimen.

 This is an experimental study in which a pre-coded questionnaire would be approved in the
 research for appraising the intensity of pain after intervening operative procedure using
 visual analogue scale, measuring the pain intensity from 0-10. The questions regarding pain
 intensity will be inquired after administrating the drug six hours postoperatively. The drug
 will be prescribed by the doctor on duty having no knowledge regarding the given drug or the
 group in which he/she is administrating the drug; further questionnaire will be filled by the
 two co-investigators who will be trained by principal investigator, how to take correct
 information.

 Sample size was calculated using www.openepi.com using the previous literature searches of
 similar research and 50 patients (25 in each group) will be randomly selected from the ward
 of a known case of hand injury. Group A patients will receive 600 mg of gabapentin post
 operatively while group B will receive 1 g of paracetamol for management of pain
 postoperatively orally.
Gabapentin is an anti-convulsion medication and has a high affinity for voltage-gated calcium
 channel throughout the brain, acts by inhibition of release of excitatory neurotransmitters.
 As a lipophilic substance, it shows linear pharmacokinetics and has oral bioavailability
 greater than 90%. Gabapentin is used in a variety of condition as a therapeutic measure
 involving diabetic neuropathy, post-herpetic neuralgia, in partial seizures, restless leg
 syndrome, post-menopausal hot flashes, anxiety, resistant mood disorders, essential tremors,
 and numerous other modalities. Gabapentin is a muscle relaxant and anti-spasmodic, its
 analgesic effect has also be identified for moderate to severe pain.
1. Inclusion Criteria:

 1. Patients between 18-60 years of age

 2. Patients Undergoing hand surgery in the Department of Plastics and Reconstructive
 Surgery, Dr. Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, Dow University of Health
 Sciences

 2. Exclusion criteria:

 1. Pregnant women

 2. Any patient presenting with the signs of:

 -  Arrhythmia

 -  Myocardial ischemia

 -  Cognitive impairment

 -  Psychiatric disorders

 -  Drug abuse

 3. Patients sensitive to any epileptic drug or taking any anti-epileptic drug

 4. Having severe and multiple injuries.