Comparative study between 2 different doses of pregabalin and lidocaine on pain following propofol injection: A double-blind, randomized clinical consort study.

Background: Propofol, an intravenous anesthetic, often causes pain on injection, which can be very distressful to patients. We investigated the analgesic effect of pregabalin on pain following propofol injection, compared with lidocaine.

Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, prospective trial, 120 patients were randomized into 3 groups of 40 each; who received oral placebo and intravenous lidocaine 40 mg with venous occlusion for 1 minute (group L, n = 40), oral pregabalin 75 mg and intravenous normal saline with venous occlusion for 1 minute (group LP, n = 40), and oral pregabalin 150 mg and intravenous normal saline with venous occlusion for 1 minute (group HP, n = 40) as pretreatment, followed by administration of 1% propofol 0.5 mg/kg. Pain intensity was measured on a 4-point scale (0 = no, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, and 3 = severe pain). Any side effects associated with pretreatment substances were recorded during the first 24 hours after surgery.

Results: A total of 120 patients completed this trial. Demographic data were similar between groups. The incidence of pain following propofol injection was significantly reduced in group HP (50%) and group L (55%) compared with group LP (92.5%) (P < 0.05, respectively). The incidences of moderate pain in group HP (12.5%) and group L (15%) were significantly decreased compared with group LP (37.5%; both, P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the incidence of side effects such as headache and dizziness between groups.

Conclusion: Pretreatment with oral pregabalin 150 mg and intravenous lidocaine 40 mg with venous occlusion equally reduced pain from propofol injection.