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M AY 2 0 1 5 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
• Emend (aprepitant) 80 mg oral or film or 150 mg IV. Emend antagonizes
the NK1 receptors and can prevent vomiting from a single dose. It
works for 48 hours.
• Ativan (lorazepam) 2 mg sublingual. Ativan is a sedative that is most
generally used to treat anxiety, but also works well to treat post-oper-
ative nausea and vomiting. It is known by oncologists as a treatment
to reduce nausea, vomiting and anxiety in patients undergoing
chemotherapy.
• Zyprexa (olanzapine) 5 mg po. When everything has failed, patients
with intractable nausea and vomiting undergoing chemotherapy
swear by this well-known anti-psychotic drug's antiemetic properties.
The mechanism remains unclear, but it appears that olanzapine
blocks multiple types of receptors that induce both nausea and vomit-
ing. When all else fails,
Zyprexa might be
worth a try.
John Hsu, MD
Presbyterian Hospital
Whittier, Calif.
shjhshjh@gmail.com
