Six high quality studies evaluated the efficacy of post-discharge gabapentinoids on pain and opioid consumption after TJA.
Qualitative review of the three studies that evaluated treatment with gabapentin for less than 7 days after TKA found that it had no impact on postoperative pain in all three studies.
There were two pregabalin studies that evaluated pain scores between 3 days and 1 week postoperatively and one that evaluated pain scores at 3 months and 6 months postoperatively. All three of these studies found favorable reductions in pain scores with pregabalin compared to placebo.
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- Clarke H, Katz J, McCartney C, Stratford P, Kennedy D, Pagé M, et al. Perioperative gabapentin reduces 24 h opioid consumption and improves in-hospital rehabilitation but not post-discharge outcomes after total knee arthroplasty with peripheral nerve block. Bja Br J Anaesth 2014;113:855–64. doi:10.1093/bja/aeu202 .
- Lunn T, Husted H, Laursen M, Hansen L, Kehlet H. Analgesic and sedative effects of perioperative gabapentin in total knee arthroplasty. Pain 2015;156:2438–48. doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000309 .
- Clarke H, Pagé G, McCartney C, Huang A, Stratford P, Andrion J, et al. Pregabalin reduces postoperative opioid consumption and pain for 1 week after hospital discharge, but does not affect function at 6 weeks or 3 months after total hip arthroplasty. Bja Br J Anaesth 2015;115:903–11. doi:10.1093/bja/aev363 .
- Petersen K, Lunn T, Husted H, Hansen L, Simonsen O, Laursen M, et al. The influence of pre- and perioperative administration of gabapentin on pain 3–4 years after total knee arthroplasty. Scand J Pain 2018;18:237–45. doi:10.1515/sjpain-2018-0027
- Singla N, Chelly J, Lionberger D, Gimbel J, Sanin L, Sporn J, et al. Pregabalin for the treatment of postoperative pain: results from three controlled trials using different surgical models. J Pain Res 2014;Volume 8:9–20. doi:10.2147/jpr.s67841 .