Refractory nausea and vomiting in the setting of well-controlled idiopathic intracranial hypertension

Summary A 27-year-old woman with a history of recurrent nausea and vomiting in the setting of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) was admitted for control of unremitting nausea and vomiting. Initial antiemetic therapy included optimisation of IIH therapy by titrating acetazolamide, in addition to using ondansetron and metoclopramide as needed, with minimal relief. She was ultimately treated with palonosetron with complete resolution of her acute nausea. Nausea, often treated with 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT3) receptor antagonists, approved for perioperative and chemotherapy-induced nausea, are used off-label to treat nausea and vomiting outside of those settings. The efficacy of different regimens has been compared in the literature and continues to remain controversial. When choosing from different 5-HT3 antagonists there are other considerations, in addition to efficacy to consider: dosing schedule, half-life, time of onset, duration and cost-to-benefit ratio, and although one 5-HT3 antagonist may not have been effective, another one may be. In our case palonosetron, with a significantly longer half-life than other 5-HT3 antagonists, was effective in resolving nausea when compared with the more commonly used ondansetron.