Lawrence Chu, MD, MS

Ondansetron: an effective treatment for the withdrawal symptoms of opioids?

Chu LF, Clark DJ. Therapy. 2009; 6 (5): 637-640

Opioid withdrawal (OW) is a constellation of symptoms that occur when serum opioid levels abruptly decrease in patients who have developed physical dependence from repeated or chronic opioid exposure. These withdrawal symptoms include CNS activation and sleeplessness, diarrhea, rhinorrhea, piloerection and psychomotor agitation, among others. Managing OW symptoms is the first step in a drug-abstinence treatment program, and is important for obtaining a better treatment outcome. OW symptoms are one set of factors reinforcing ongoing opioid abuse. Aside from its role in opioid abuse, OW complicates the management of opioid medications used for legitimate medical goals. Recent evidence from our laboratories, employing pharmacogenetic haplotype-based computational mapping, have linked the 5HT3 receptor to physical dependence and OW. These agents offer several advantages, including a very benign side-effect profile, several available forms of administration and little potential for abuse.