Orally administered clonidine significantly reduces pain during injection of propofol

Abstract

We examined the analgesic effects of orally administered clonidine on pain induced by injection of propofol (Diprivan; 2,6-diisopropyl phenol). Female patients (n=81) were randomly allocated to one of two groups: oral clonidine (5.5 μg kg-1) followed by i.v. propofol and a control group given placebo followed by i.v. propofol. The median pain score in the group receiving clonidine, using a four-point scale (0=no pain, 1=minimal pain, 2=moderate pain, 3=severe pain) was I (0-2), significantly lower than in the control group [2 (1-3), median (25-75 percentiles), P<0.001].