title: The safety of antiemetic medications for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is associated with a significant deterioration in quality of life and is perceived by patients as a major adverse effect of the treatment. The purpose of the review is to determine the safety and efficacy of current antiemetic agents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information on antiemetic guideline recommended antiemetics derived from PubMed showed that the first and second generation 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonists have been safe and effective in the control of acute emesis with a small number of patients experiencing mild headache, diarrhea, or constipation. Improvement in the prevention of delayed emesis has occurred with the neurokinin (NK)-1 receptor antagonists aprepitant, netupitant, and rolapitant with mild headache, constipation, hiccups, and fatigue the most commonly reported adverse events. Olanzapine, an antipsychotic that blocks multiple neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, appears to be effective in the prevention of nausea and emesis with mild short term sedation the only reported adverse event.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current antiemetics that are recommended by the various international antiemetic guidelines are safe and effective in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting when used in the recommended doses. Practitioners should consult the antiemetic guidelines for patients receiving chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: a Cancer Care Program, Central and South America , World Health Organization , Vestavia Hills , AL , USA.|b Department of Medicine , Indiana University School of Medicine South Bend , South Bend , IN , USA.
authors.forename: Rudolph M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Navari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000932:Antiemetics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D009325:Nausea / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011788:Quality of Life; D014839:Vomiting / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000932:Antiemetics; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: antagonists; antiemetics; chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 receptor; neurokinin-1 receptor antagonists; olanzapine