Gabapentin versus Transdermal Fentanyl Matrix for the Alleviation of Chronic Neuropathic Pain of Radicular Origin: A Randomized Blind Multicentered Parallel-Group Noninferiority Trial

Table 1

Drug administration schedule for the present study.

Day	1–6				7–28	29–56
Fentanyl	12 mcg/h				Pain was assessed every six days. The dose was increased gradually by 12 mcg/h when the mean NRS was higher than 2.	The last dose was maintained
Day	1	2	3–4	5–6	7–28	29–56
Gabapentin	300 mg hs	300 mg bid	300 mg tid	Morning: 300 mg, afternoon: 300 mg, evening: 600 mg	Pain was assessed every six days. The dose was increased gradually by 300 mg/day up to 2400 mg/day when the mean NRS was higher than 2.	The last dose was maintained