Comparison of the efficacy of duloxetine and gabapentin in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuritis

Abstract

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of duloxetine and gabapentin in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuritis .Methods 135 patients with diabetic peripheral neuritis were divided into the observation group（71 cases） and the control group （64 cases） according to random number table method ,and all patients received hypoglycemic therapy based on diabetes treatment principle .Furthermore,the observation group received oral duloxe-tine,while the control group was given oral gabapentin .The pain scores of all patients were evaluated using visual ana-log scale（VAS） and medical outcomes study （SF-36）,and the adverse reactions were recorded during treatment . Results （1） Compared with before treatment ,both VAS scores and SF-36 scores in observation group and control group declined significantly at the end of 1st,2nd,4th week after treatment（all P〈0.05）,while there were no statis-tically significant differences in VAS scores and SF-36 scores between the two groups at the same time point （ all P〉0.05）.（2）The incidence rates of dry mouth ,drowsiness,fatigue and dizziness in observation group were significantly lower than those in control group （18.31% vs.34.38%,4.23% vs.26.56%,0.00% vs.23.44%,0.00% vs. 15.63%,χ2 =4.059,13.308,4.059,4.059,all P〈0.05）,while there were no statistically significant differences in incidence rates of nausea ,diarrhea and flustered between the two groups （all P〈0.05）.Conclusion The duloxetine and gabapentin in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuritis have similar efficacy , but the duloxetine has better security. Key words: Diabetic neuropathies; Peripheral nervous system diseases ; Duloxetine ; Gabapentin