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Ondansetron

Ondansetron is currently marketed under the trade names Zofran , Anset, Zuplenz, Emeset, Emetron, Emodan), Ondemet, Setronax, Ondansetron and Ondavell.

It is a serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonist used mainly as an antiemetic in chemotherapy. A common use case is to give the drug intravenously about 30 minutes before commencement of a chemotherapy treatment. Its effects are “thought to be on both peripheral and central nerves”. Ondansetron “reduces the activity of the vagus nerve, which deactivates the vomiting center in the medulla oblongata, and also blocks serotonin receptors in the chemoreceptor trigger zone. It has little effect on vomiting caused by motion sickness, and does not have any effect on dopamine receptors or muscarinic receptors.”

So strictly speaking its use should be restricted to chemotherapy treatment, but as cheaper versions of the drug have appeared it has started to be used for all sorts of so-called off label uses:

• vomiting due to acute or chronic medical illness or acute gastroenteritis.
• hyperemesis gravidarum in pregnant women, even though”there is no conclusive data available on its safety in pregnancy, especially during the first trimester”
• cyclic vomiting syndrome; “although there have been no formal trials to confirm efficacy”
• schizophrenia, as an adjunct to haloperidol – one study “found the combination to significantly improve negative schizophrenia symptoms, and people taking both drugs experienced fewer of the adverse effects commonly associated with haloperidol”
• psychosis resulting from advanced Parkinson's disease “despite a lack of any significant antagonistic properties at dopamine receptors or the 5-HT2A receptor, which raises interesting questions about the etiology of psychosis”.
• obsessive compulsive disorder
• Alcoholism - “Ondansetron lowers the cravings for alcohol, especially in early-onset alcoholics”.
• Opioid addiction - “Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have demonstrated that ondansetron might be useful and effective for treating withdrawal symptoms of opioid addictions”
• Irritable bowel syndrome - “Ondansetron blocks the 5-HT3 receptor in the enteric nervous system, and thereby reduces colonic contractions, sensory perception, and motility”
• Postanaesthetic shivering [sic] - “a common occurrence after surgery”. Ondansetron was found “to be as effective as pethidine when given as a single IV dose before anesthesia”

Side effects, apart from the hallucinations, include constipation, dizziness and headache. On September 15, 2011, the FDA issued a Medwatch Safety Alert for Zofran (ondansetron) in patients with congenital heart arrhythmia. Why the hallucinations? Mis-use may be one cause, but serotonin is serotonin whether you antagonise it or agonise it!

Time on Ondansetron when people have Hallucination  :

Age of people who have Hallucination when taking Ondansetron  :

Severity of Hallucination when taking Ondansetron  :

How people recovered from Hallucination :