Honey Versus Diphenhydramine for Post-Tonsillectomy Pain Relief in Pediatric Cases: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Introduction: Tonsillectomy is one of the most common surgeries done worldwide and often the first one a child sustains. Pain relief after tonsillectomy is helpful for oral feeding after surgery. Acetaminophen and diphenhydramine have been conventionally used for reducing pain. This study was conducted to compare the effect of honey and diphehydramine on pain relief after tonsillectomy. Materials and Methods: For this randomized clinical trial study, 120 patients of 5 to 12 years undergoing tonsillectomy were recruited. The patients were divided into four groups randomly. After tonsillectomy and beginning of eating, Group A took 5cc honey alone every hour, Group B was given 5 cc 50% honey (mixed with water) every hour, group C was treated with 1mg/ kg diphenhydramine every 6 hours and group D was observed without any intervention. In all patients, severity of the pain was evaluated by ocher questionnaire at recovery, and 3, 6, 12 and 24 hours after surgery. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and the repeated measures ANOVA (SPSS version 17). Results: The repeated ANOVA showed a significant decreasing trend of pain scores during the study for both pain scales (p 0.05). No statistically significant difference in pain was detected among the groups. Conclusion: Although honey can help the pain decrease, more research is supported for confirmation of this effect.

Keywords

• curative agent
• pediatric cases
• treatment