Successful Use of Ondansetron in a Boy With Both Leukemia and Tourette Syndrome
 

(ondansetron is known as "Zofran" and is used for nausea and vomiting, esp for patients who are receiving chemotherapy for cancer)http://jcn.sagepub.com/cgi/content/a...23/1/108?rss=1
Journal of Child Neurology, Vol. 23, No. 1, 108-111 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0883073807307085
© 2008 SAGE Publications

The Successful Use of Ondansetron in a Boy With Both Leukemia and Tourette Syndrome
Renata Rizzo, MD, PhD
Section of Child Neuropsychiatry, Department of Pediatrics University of Catania, Azienda Policlinico, Catania, Italy, rerizzo@unict.it

Santo Marino, MD

Section of Child Onco-hematology, Department of Pediatrics University of Catania, Azienda Policlinico, Catania, Italy

Mariangela Gulisano, MD



Mary M. Robertson, MD, FRCP, FRCPCH, FRCPsych, DSc (Med)

University College, London, UK

This article reports an 8-year-old boy with both acute lymphoblastic leukemia and Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. Initially, for his leukemia, he was treated with chemotherapy, which resulted in severe nausea and vomiting for which he was given ondansetron. This not only relieved the target symptoms, but also those of his Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. Following a reduction of the ondansetron dosage, his Gilles de la Tourette syndrome symptoms reemerged.

(Ondansetron is a highly selective Serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonist; the drug was thought to "reduce mesolimbic dopaminergic hyperativity"; it has been used sucessfully in treating neuroleptic induced tardive dyskinesia.) excerpted from article noted at beginning of post)