Olanzapine for intractable nausea in palliative care patients

Abstract

Nausea is a common problem among palliative care patients, which is often undertreated. Olanzapine, an atypical antipsychotic, possesses a unique neurotransmitter binding profile that is similar to methotrimeprazine, an anti-emetic widely used in Europe for recalcitrant nausea. We report a case series of six patients who suffered nausea which was resistant to initial treatment with traditional antiemetics; each patient exhibited marked improvement when treated with olanzapine.