Comparison of Gabapentin 100 and 300 mg with Placebo in the Treatment of Moderate Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Abstract

Since surgery is the last treatment for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, and the pain after it can be acute and chronic and cause movement restrictions, and the pain of this surgery is due to the nature of the nerve being under pressure. , it may occur more severely after surgery and in the long term after surgery it may also appear as chronic pain; Its control and management around surgery is essential. Considering the unwanted side effects of carpal tunnel syndrome, the side effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and the lack of introducing a drug that can reduce the pain intensity after carpal tunnel syndrome surgery to zero in the short term (acute) and long term (chronic), we decided to study We aim to investigate the effects of gabapentin in controlling acute and chronic pain after carpal tunnel syndrome surgery. Materials and Methods: In this study, which is a clinical trial, 120 patients who were candidates for CTS surgery were included in this study and after random allocation, they were divided into two groups: gabapentin and routine treatments. In addition to receiving routine medications, the patients in the intervention group took a Gabapentin drug (300 mg) two hours before the surgery, and took one tablet (100 mg) every eight hours for two days after the surgery. After the end of the intervention, the intensity of pain and the need for painkillers (during the first 48 forearms after surgery, once every six hours - after surgery for thirty days and once every 5 days) were done to check the effects of the drug. . Finally, after collecting the data, it was entered into the statistical software SPSS version 17 and analyzed with the help of Mann-Whitney and Independent T statistical tests with a confidence coefficient of 95% (α = 0.05). Results: Prophylactic administration of gabapentin 300 mg led to a reduction in the incidence of acute pain and the need for opioid medication for pain management in the first 48 hours after surgery. On the other hand, administration of gabapentin 100 mg led to proper management of chronic pain and reduced numbness in the first thirty days after carpal tunnel syndrome surgery.