Olanzapine for nausea and vomiting.
Nausea and vomiting are often encountered in palliative care patients. Multiple medications are available to provide relief. However, several drug combinations are usually used to treat emesis. Current research has identified several receptors that trigger nausea and vomiting, hence the difficulty of using only 1 medication to provide relief. Olanzapine is a drug approved for treatment of schizophrenia and mania. It blocks multiple neurotransmitters dopaminergic, serotonergic, adrenergic (alpha(1)), histaminergic, and muscarinic receptors. Most of these receptors are also involved in causing emesis. Studies have shown that olanzapine could be used to treat nausea and vomiting with promising results.
Licup
Nerissa
N
Department of Internal Medicine, ETSU College of Medicine, Johnson City, TN, USA. didslicup@yahoo.com
D000932:Antiemetics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D009325:Nausea / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D000077152:Olanzapine; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014839:Vomiting / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control
D000932:Antiemetics; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D000077152:Olanzapine