Zofran Uses

Zofran uses include preventing nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery, among other things. Zofran is not licensed to treat vomiting and nausea -- only to prevent them. Zofran has been studied for use in children as young as four years old who were undergoing chemotherapy, but there have been no studies done in children undergoing radiation or surgery.

 

Uses of Zofran: An Overview

Zofran® (ondansetron hydrochloride) is a prescription medicine that has been licensed for preventing nausea and vomiting due to several causes. Specific Zofran uses include:
 
  • Prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy (chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting)
  • Prevention of nausea and vomiting caused by radiation therapy (radiation-induced nausea and vomiting)
  • Prevention of nausea and vomiting caused by surgery (postoperative nausea and vomiting).
     

Zofran for Chemotherapy Nausea and Vomiting

Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of chemotherapy. Some types of chemotherapy are more likely to cause nausea and vomiting than others. Nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy are likely due to many causes, one of which is the body's increased production of serotonin in the small intestine in response to chemotherapy.
 
The main symptoms of nausea are feeling sick to your stomach and feeling like you might vomit, while vomiting is actually "throwing up." In general, Zofran is better at preventing vomiting than preventing nausea. Zofran works to prevent nausea and vomiting by blocking serotonin at certain receptors in the body. It is much easier to prevent nausea and vomiting than to treat it once it starts. Zofran is licensed to prevent nausea and vomiting, but it is not a treatment for vomiting or nausea.
 
Zofran is often used in conjunction with other medications to prevent nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy. The nausea medicine chosen by your healthcare provider for this purpose will depend on several factors, including the type of chemotherapy and your previous experiences of nausea and vomiting with chemotherapy.
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;