Evaluation of the effect of preemptive administration of Rosa damascena extract on post-operative pain in elective cesarean sections

Pain is the most common complaint in any kind of disorder. Despite its different nature, place and cause in various cases, pain is the main complaint of about half of the patients that are referred to physicians. Opiates and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, NSAIDS have been used for pain control many years ago, but these drugs also have some side effects. Regarding the complications and continuous pain in preoperative patients, some safe analgesics with better effects and little adverse effects are needed. Since many years ago in Iran, rose extract products are used in food production as jam and soft drink, and also in traditional medicine. The aim of the current research is to evaluate the effectiveness of preemptive prescription of rose extract in patients with elective cesarean sections (because of its little side effects) and compare its effects with placebo prescription. In a double blind placebo-controlled clinical trial, 92 patients had been studied in 2 equal groups. Group A were given rosehip extracts capsule and Group B were given placebo capsules. After preemptive prescription of Capsules A and B (15 min before anesthesia), the pain score was evaluated with visual analog scale (VAS) in varied hours after surgery in the ward, and then, the findings were analyzed. Analgesic drugs are needed for the palliation of post-operation pain. Total dosage of analgesics and the severity of pain in Group A at any time were lower than in Group B. There are no significant side effects in both groups. The initiation of breast feeding and its effects on newborns were same in both groups. According to our study, rosehip extract can be used in elective surgical patients without any significant side effects in order to improve pain and it is a more effective product when compared with NSAIDS and opiates.   Key words: Pain, rosehip extract, elective cesareans.