Ondansetron is a medication used to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery.
A 2006 double blind, randomized controlled trial indicated ondansetron may have value in the treatment of schizophrenia, as an adjunct to haloperidol. The 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.
An earlier, smaller, open label trial had found ondansetron to be useful in treating antipsychotic induced tardive dyskinesia in people with schizophrenia, and the study patients also showed significant improvement in the diseases symptoms.
Early studies have also examined ondansetron as a possible treatment for psychosis resulting from advanced Parkinsons disease. Its apparent benefits despite a lack of any significant antagonistic properties at dopamine receptors or the 5 HT2A receptor raises interesting questions about the etiology of psychosis.
There is tentative evidence that it may be useful in decreasing the desired effects of alcohol and also some tentative evidence being effective for people who are addicted to stimulants.
