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Vitamin C as an Adjuvant Analgesic Therapy in Postoperative Pain Management.

  • 2025-06-05
  • Journal of clinical medicine 14(11)
    • Wioletta Mędrzycka-Dąbrowska
    • Sandra Lange
    • Sebastian Dąbrowski
    • Klaudia Długoborska
    • Renata Piotrkowska

Study Design

Type
Review
Sample size
n = 14
Population
surgical patients
Methods
Systematic review, searched PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases, 14 studies included
Background/Objectives: Postoperative pain occurs in approximately 80% of patients undergoing surgery. Although opioids remain the mainstay of postoperative pain management, their side effects have led to the development of multimodal analgesia strategies that aim to limit their use. Some studies have shown a correlation between vitamin C supplementation and a reduction in postoperative pain. The aim of this review was to describe the effect of vitamin C administration on postoperative pain intensity and opioid consumption. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2024. Results: Two authors systematically searched PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases. A total of 14 studies were included in the analysis. In these studies, the visual analog scale (VAS) was most often used to assess the postoperative pain intensity. In all studies, regardless of the measurement time, a reduction in the pain intensity was demonstrated compared to control or placebo groups. The analysis showed that intraoperative or preoperative vitamin C infusion reduced opioid consumption. The administered vitamin C doses ranged from 1 g to 3 g or 50 mg/kg intravenously during the perioperative period. Conclusions: The results showed a reduction in opioid requirements and pain intensity in patients receiving perioperative vitamin C, suggesting that vitamin C can be incorporated into multimodal postoperative analgesia strategies for surgical patients.

Research Insights

  • Vitamin C→Reduced Opioid Consumption

    The analysis showed that intraoperative or preoperative vitamin C infusion reduced opioid consumption.

    Effect
    Beneficial
    Effect size
    Moderate
    Dose
    1 g to 3 g or 50 mg/kg intravenously
  • Vitamin C→Reduced Pain Intensity

    In all studies, regardless of the measurement time, a reduction in the pain intensity was demonstrated compared to control or placebo groups.

    Effect
    Beneficial
    Effect size
    Moderate
    Dose
    1 g to 3 g or 50 mg/kg intravenously
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