Comparison of Effects of Two Drugs (Pregabalin & Celecoxib) on 24 hours Post-Operative Pain Intensity in Patients Undergoing Tibia Fracture Surgery

Abstract

Background: Celecoxib is widely used in post-operative cases because of its ability to reduce postoperative opioid drug use. Currently, the use of this drug is common in post-operative cases. In various studies, pregabalin was used for the management of pain after spinal surgery to reduce the need for opioids. Objectives: Since the treatment of tibia fractures and surgery is painful and has a long-term recovery, this study aimed to compare the effect of two drugs (pregabalin and celecoxib) on pain severity at 24 h postoperatively in patients having tibia fracture surgery. This would mark significant progress in taking the proper drug. Methods: In this probability clinical experiment, the sample consisted of 50 patients scheduled for tibia fractures, who were selected from the table of random numbers. Then, the patients were assigned into two groups: celecoxib (Group C) and pregabalin (Group P). In the first group, celecoxib was administered to patients at 1 h pre-operatively at a dose of 200 mg and 1 h post-operatively at a dose of 200 mg. In the second treatment group, patients received pregabalin at 1 h pre-operatively at a dose of 200 mg and 1 h post-operatively at a dose of 200 mg orally. Then VAS (visual analog scale) scores were recorded at 6, 12, and 24 h after surgery. Finally, using SPSS software, qualitative variables were compared according to their percentage by the Chi-square test. For quantitative analysis of variables, the mean value of each group was calculated. The comparison of means was made by t-test. Results: The VAS score was considerably lower at 24 hours after surgery in the pregabalin group than in the celecoxib-treated group. However, after 6 and 12 h of surgery, no statistically meaningful difference was observed. A less analgesic effect was observed in the group treated with celecoxib than pregabalin, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: Pregabalin improves postoperative pain, and it has more analgesic effects than celecoxib.