Study Objective: To compare the post-operative analgesic efficacy, pre-operative sedation and perioperative anxiety reduction of oral Gabapentin and oral Clonidine in abdomino-pelvic and lower limb surgeries done under spinal anaesthesia.

Design: Prospective randomized comparative study.

Materials and Methods: 60 patients belonging to ASA physical status I and II of both sexes (each group 30 patients) were randomly selected for the study.Group G patients received 300 mg Gabapentin orally and Group C patients received 100 microgram Clonidine orally 120 minutes before surgery. Preoperative sedation, post operative analgesia, perioperative anxiety and adverse effects were compared in both the groups.

Results: Group G showed better VAS readings of 2.33±0.92 in comparison to 5.7±1.29 of Group C at the 6th hour postoperatively. The p value was 0.0001 which is considered significant. Rescue analgesia was more associated with Group C (2.16±0.91) when compared to Group G (1.4±0.49) showing a p value of 0.0002, which is considered significant. The Ramsay sedation score which was used in this study showed a better sedative effect by Gabapentin than Clonidine in the preoperative period. Gabapentin group showed significant sedation at 120 minutes with a p value of 0.0001.

Hospital anxiety and depression score which was used in this study was significantly less in group G patients than group C patients. And remained less upto 24 hours post surgery with a value of 0.0001

Side effects like nausea and vomiting were more associated to Group C as compared to Group G but dizziness was more associated with patients receiving Gabapentin than Clonidine.

Conclusion: Our study shows that Gabapentin is a better adjuvant for providing preemptive analgesia than Clonidine. Gabapentin also showed lesser incidence of side effects.