A RCT of Ondansetron and Promethazine in the Treatment of Nausea and Vomiting in the Emergency Department

Nausea Clinical Trial

Official title: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Ondansetron and Promethazine in the Treatment of Nausea and Vomiting in the Emergency Department

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

This was a trial comparing two commonly used medications for nausea and vomiting, ondansetron and promethazine, in the Emergency Department.

Clinical Trial Description

Nausea and vomiting are common complaints in the emergency department (ED). There are many pharmacologic agents used for the treatment of these complaints. None are new nor experimental. Very little research has been done in the ED setting to determine which of these agents is most effective with the least adverse effects. Our own previous research found that droperidol but not prochlorperazine and metoclopramide is more effective than placebo. Because of the recent FDA black box warning added to droperidol, the use of this agent has suddenly ceased in many EDs. Promethazine remains a very commonly used antiemetic in many EDs but one recent study found it less effective than prochlorperazine which was in turn found no more effective than placebo in our own study. As a result many physicians have turned to ondansetron, a newer and more expensive agent. Experience among anesthesiologists and oncologists has shown ondansetron to be highly effective with a minimum of adverse effects. These patient populations, however, are very different from those found in the ED. It is our hypothesis that promethazine and ondansetron are equally effective for the ED treatment of unselected patients with nausea and vomiting with similar rates of adverse effects. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double-Blind, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Nausea
• Vomiting

• NCT number: NCT00429832
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: University of New Mexico
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 4
• Start date: October 2003
• Completion date: November 2005