Comparison of oral ketorolac and oral magnesium for postoperative pain management in anorectal surgery: A randomized double-blind clinical trial

ObjectivePostoperative pain is one of the most common complications after anorectal surgery and can delay recovery, lengthen hospital stay, and reduce patient comfort. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are widely used due to their strong analgesic and opioid-sparing effects but are associated with gastrointestinal, renal, and bleeding risks. Magnesium may provide analgesic benefits with fewer adverse effects. However, evidence regarding its efficacy in the oral form and direct comparison with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs remains limited. In this study, we aimed to compare the analgesic effectiveness of oral magnesium with that of oral ketorolac to identify the more suitable analgesic drug in these patients.MethodsIn this double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 104 patients undergoing anorectal surgery were randomly divided into 2 groups. Group 1 received oral magnesium (250 mg daily), and Group 2 received oral ketorolac (10 mg daily). The medicine was given to the patients 2 h after the operation and then every 12 h for 10 days. Pain levels were measured at 24-hour intervals after the surgery using the visual analog scale.ResultsBoth treatments significantly reduced postoperative pain over time (p p p = 0.089 and 0.092, respectively). Narcotic consumption was higher in the magnesium group than in the ketorolac group (p < 0.001).ConclusionsOral magnesium demonstrated a clinically meaningful analgesic effect comparable to that of oral ketorolac from postoperative day 5 onward, suggesting that it is a safe non-opioid alternative for postoperative pain management in anorectal surgery. Further multicenter trials with larger samples are warranted to confirm these findings.