Pregabalin does not decrease acute pain or postoperative nausea and vomiting after hysterectomy: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: Hysterectomy is associated with severe postoperative pain. The relative efficacy of pregabalin compared with other treatments for post-hysterectomy pain is unclear. METHODS: We searched the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases for studies that compared the use of pregabalin and placebo for reducing pain in patients undergoing hysterectomy. RESULTS: This meta-analysis showed that pregabalin had limited pain-relieving effects at 2, 6, 24, and 48 hours after hysterectomy compared with placebo. Pregabalin significantly reduced postoperative nausea and vomiting. However, there was no significant difference in postoperative sedation or visual disturbances between patients treated with pregabalin and placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Pregabalin is not clinically superior to placebo in terms of reducing pain intensity and morphine consumption in patients undergoing hysterectomy. However, the limitations of this meta-analysis mean that more high-quality randomized controlled trials are necessary to verify our pooled results.