Comparison of Duloxetine Versus Pregabalin in Post-mastectomy Pain Syndrome: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Chronic post mastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS) is a chronic post-surgical neuropathic pain following breast cancer surgeries and lasting more than three months after surgeries. Pregabalin is originally used as an antiepileptic drug and identified as treatment for neuropathic pain .There are several recent reviews have revealed that it reduces post-operative opioid consumption and improves pain scores after breast surgeries. Duloxetine is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. Its mechanism of action is related to the potentiation of serotonergic and noradrenergic activity in the descending inhibitory pain pathways of the central nervous system and used for treatment of neuropathic pain conditions as painful diabetic neuropathy, neuropathic pain of lung cancer and chemotherapy induced sensory neuropathy