Background: This study was conducted to compare the effects of intrathecal clonidine (30 micrograms) with intrathecal dexmedetomidine (5 micrograms) with regard to a) time of onset, peak effect and duration of sensory and motor block; b) hemodynamic effects following administration of the drugs; c) duration of complete and effective analgesia; d) sedation levels and any side effects associated with the drugs used in the study; e) and to find out which of these two is more useful clinically.