antiemetic
Meaning of antiemetic: Antiemetics work through several different mechanisms depending on the drug class, from blocking specific brain receptors to countering inner ear signals.
Definition of antiemetic
An antiemetic is a drug used to prevent or reduce nausea and vomiting. Because nausea and vomiting can arise from several different pathways in the body, including the digestive tract, the inner ear's balance system, and specific centers within the brain that trigger vomiting, different classes of antiemetics act on different receptors to interrupt this process.
Common antiemetic classes include serotonin receptor blockers, often used for nausea related to chemotherapy or surgery, dopamine receptor blockers, and antihistamines, which are also used for motion sickness because of their effect on the inner ear's balance signals.
Because the underlying cause of nausea influences which antiemetic is likely to work, the choice of drug often depends on the situation involved, such as chemotherapy, recovery from surgery, motion sickness, or pregnancy, rather than a single antiemetic being equally effective for every cause.
Used in a sentence
An antiemetic was administered before the procedure to reduce the risk of postoperative nausea.
Good to know
An antiemetic effective for one cause of nausea, such as motion sickness, is not necessarily effective for another, such as chemotherapy related nausea, since different triggers act through different pathways.
Word origin
Where “antiemetic” comes from
Formed from Greek anti-, meaning against, and emetikos, meaning causing vomiting, from emein, meaning to vomit.