Nausea and vomiting are major concerns for patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Nausea and vomiting are also frequent complications associated with surgery and are commonly associated with pregnancy. Earlier pharmacologic agents commonly used as antiemetics included histamine-1 blockers, anticholinergics, and dopamine antagonists. A discovery that type 3 serotonin receptor-blocking properties were contributing to the effect of one of the dopamine antagonists, metoclopramide, eventually led to the development of the newer antiserotoninergic drugs. The purpose of this review is to compare the benefits and harms of these newer drugs in treating or preventing nausea and vomiting.
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