Using drugs to relieve nausea in children

Most parents would do just about anything to relieve the nausea and vomiting in children with a stomach bug.

Little is known about the use of gastroenteritis drugs in children, however, so researchers at the University of North Carolina reviewed prior clinical studies of medicines to treat children's symptoms.

In the current issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, the researchers report that ondansetron, sold by GlaxoSmithKline under the brand name Zofran - generic versions are available - was effective and decreased the risk of vomiting, the need for intravenous fluids, and hospital admissions.

The reviewers also examined other drugs for vomiting but did not find enough studies to reach any conclusions.

The six studies of prescription ondansetron, however, showed consistent success reducing vomiting from gastroenteritis. The authors noted a limitation of their meta-analysis: all those studies of ondansetron had been supported by Glaxo. They did not report any financial conflicts of interest in this study.

While the drug appeared to increase short-term incidence of diarrhea, they said, public health agencies and medical societies should consider amending guidelines for treating certain children with gastroenteritis to include ondansetron.

Currently, ondansetron is recommended for nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy, radiation or surgery.