title: Oral gabapentin premedication for elderly patients undergoing intraocular surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare effects of gabapentin premedication with diazepam in patients undergoing cataract surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a randomised double-blind study, the effects of gabapentin premedication as a sedative, anxiolytic, analgesic and oculohypotensive agent were studied in 56 elderly patients undergoing elective intraocular surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was significantly more sedation in the diazepam group than in the gabapentin group. However, there was less subjective anxiety in the gabapentin group than in the control group. There was a significant fall in intraocular pressure (IOP) and significant reduction in mean arterial pressure in the gabapentin group compared with the control group. Perioperatively, significantly more supplementation with intravenous midazolam was given in the control group than in the gabapentin group. A significantly larger number of patients in the gabapentin group scored a postanaesthesia recovery score of 10 compared with the control group. There was a statistically significant difference in the postoperative visual analogue scale scores for pain and number of analgesic requests with gabapentin scoring over diazepam in this regard.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hence, premedication with oral gabapentin in these elderly patients undergoing elective intraocular surgery produced intraoperative anxiolysis, decreased sedation, a modest decrease in IOPs and improved postoperative recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care, JIPMER, Dhanvantari Nagar, Puducherry, India.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kavitha
authors.forename: Satyen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parida
authors.forename: Pankaj
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kundra
authors.forename: Renuka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000588:Amines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000765:Anesthesia, Conduction; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003975:Diazepam / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D058447:Eye Pain / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D000077206:Gabapentin; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008874:Midazolam / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D010149:Postoperative Pain; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D011292:Premedication; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000588:Amines; D000700:Analgesics; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D000077206:Gabapentin; D003975:Diazepam; D008874:Midazolam
keywords: Clinical Trial; Drugs; Medical Education; Pharmacology; Treatment other