High–dose Oral Vitamin C Supplementation and Acute Pain Control Following Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Randomized Controlled Study

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of vitamin C supplementation on acute postoperative pain. Design Randomized Controlled Trial. Methods Patients who underwent elective LC were randomly assigned to either vitamin C or placebo groups. A total of 320 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to the vitamin C (159 patients) and placebo (161 patients) groups. The vitamin C group took three 1 g tablets, four times each, both before and after surgery. Numeral rating scale (NRS) scores were assessed 6 h, 1 d, and 2 days postoperatively. The amount of pethidine consumed was also compared on the day of the operation, on postoperative day 1, and on postoperative day 2. Additional clinical profiles were obtained on admission. Findings NRS scores and amount of pethidine consumption at each time point (operation day, postoperative day 1, and postoperative day 2) were not significantly different between the two groups. Furthermore, the white blood cell count, length of hospital stay, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and postoperative complications were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusions This study showed that high-dose oral vitamin C was ineffective for pain reduction after LC.