Comparative Effects of Oral Clonidine and Pregabalin Premedication on Postoperative Recovery After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Randomized Double-Blind Study

Abstract

Background: Post-operative recovery optimization remains a crucial aspect of modern anesthetic practice. This study compared the effects of oral clonidine versus pregabalin premedication on post-operative recovery profiles. Methods: In this prospective, randomized, double-blind study, 75 ASA I patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly allocated to receive either oral clonidine 5μg/kg (n=25), pregabalin 150mg (n=25), or placebo (n=25) before surgery. Post-operative parameters including pain scores, sedation levels, hemodynamic stability, and analgesic requirements were monitored for 4 hours. Results: Pregabalin demonstrated superior pain control with 100% of patients maintaining VAS ≤4 versus 72% in clonidine and 24% in placebo groups (p<0.001). Clonidine provided better hemodynamic stability, maintaining lower heart rates (71.00±3.51 vs 83.20±5.76 beats/min in placebo, p<0.001) and mean arterial pressure (82.64±2.30 vs 93.60±6.61 mmHg in placebo, p<0.001) at 240 minutes. Sedation patterns differed significantly, with pregabalin showing deeper sedation (RSS 3 in 88%) compared to clonidine (RSS 2 in 96%). Conclusion: Both medications demonstrated distinct advantages in different aspects of recovery, suggesting the need for individualized premedication selection based on specific recovery priorities.