Dolasetron
Dolasetron is a serotonin blocker used to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy.
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand
The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 1 clinical label set within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →
📖 Dolasetron: Patient Information Guide
A plain-language walkthrough of Dolasetron — what it treats, how it works, how it’s taken, side effects, warnings and interactions. Tap any section to expand it.
🎯What it's used for▾
Dolasetron is used to prevent nausea and vomiting triggered by cancer chemotherapy.
- Anzemet Tablets are approved to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by moderately emetogenic (nausea-inducing) cancer chemotherapy in adults and in children 2 years of age and older, including both first-time and repeat treatment courses.
⚙️How it works▾
Dolasetron works by blocking serotonin receptors known as 5-HT3 receptors. When chemotherapy is given, it triggers the release of serotonin (a chemical messenger) in the small intestine. That serotonin activates 5-HT3 receptors on nerve pathways that send signals to the brain's vomiting center. By blocking those receptors — both in the gut and in the brain — dolasetron interrupts that chain reaction and prevents the nausea and vomiting reflex from firing.
Unlike some older anti-nausea drugs, dolasetron has very little activity at dopamine receptors and does not appear to affect mood, concentration, or colonic (large intestine) movement in humans.
💊How it's taken▾
Anzemet Tablets are taken by mouth roughly one hour before chemotherapy. Food does not affect how well the drug is absorbed, so you can take it with or without a meal. No dosage adjustment is needed for liver or kidney disease, but your doctor may want to monitor your heart rhythm (ECG) if you have kidney impairment or are older.
- Take Anzemet Tablets approximately one hour before chemotherapy starts
- Can be taken with or without food
- Do not exceed the dose your prescriber has prescribed
- Always follow your prescriber's specific instructions
🤒Side effects — in detail▾
The most commonly reported side effects with Anzemet Tablets include:
- Headache — the most frequently reported effect
- Fatigue
- Diarrhea
- Slow heartbeat (bradycardia)
- Fast heartbeat (tachycardia)
- Dizziness
- Upset stomach (dyspepsia)
- Chills or shivering
More serious reactions — including dangerous heart rhythm changes, fainting, and signs of serotonin syndrome (agitation, muscle twitching, fever, rapid heart rate) — should be treated as medical emergencies. Contact your care team or call 911 right away if these occur.
⚠️Warnings & precautions▾
- Heart rhythm (QT prolongation): Dolasetron prolongs the QT interval in a dose-related way, which can trigger a dangerous arrhythmia called Torsade de Pointes. Avoid it if you have congenital long QT syndrome, or low potassium or magnesium levels — these must be corrected first.
- PR and QRS prolongation: Dolasetron can also slow other parts of the heart's electrical system. Serious events including second- or third-degree heart block, cardiac arrest, and life-threatening arrhythmias have been reported. People with structural heart disease, sick sinus syndrome, atrial fibrillation, myocardial ischemia, or complete heart block are at highest risk.
- ECG monitoring: Recommended for elderly patients, those with renal impairment, congestive heart failure, bradycardia, or any significant conduction abnormality.
- Serotonin syndrome: Using dolasetron with other serotonergic drugs can cause serotonin syndrome — a potentially fatal reaction. Watch for agitation, hallucinations, fever, fast heart rate, muscle rigidity, or loss of coordination. Seek immediate care if these occur.
- Hypersensitivity: Do not take if you have a known allergy to dolasetron.
🔀What it interacts with▾
Dolasetron's overall interaction risk is considered low, but some combinations require caution:
- QT-prolonging drugs (e.g., flecainide, quinidine): combining these with dolasetron increases the risk of dangerous heart rhythm problems
- PR-prolonging drugs (e.g., verapamil): increases risk of heart conduction slowing
- Cimetidine (heartburn drug): raises blood levels of dolasetron's active form by about 24%
- Rifampin (antibiotic): lowers blood levels of dolasetron's active form by about 28%, which could reduce its effectiveness
- Serotonergic drugs (SSRIs, SNRIs, MAO inhibitors, tramadol, lithium, mirtazapine, fentanyl, intravenous methylene blue): significantly raise the risk of serotonin syndrome
- Drugs or conditions causing low potassium or magnesium (e.g., some diuretics): worsen the heart rhythm risks associated with dolasetron
This is not a complete list of interactions. Always talk with your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
📋Before taking it▾
- Tell your doctor if you have any heart condition — especially long QT syndrome, heart block, sick sinus syndrome, atrial fibrillation, myocardial ischemia, or congestive heart failure
- Tell your doctor if you have kidney impairment — ECG monitoring is recommended
- Tell your doctor if you are elderly — QT prolongation risk is higher and ECG monitoring may be needed
- Tell your doctor about ALL medications you take, especially antidepressants, anti-arrhythmic drugs, or any drug that affects heart rhythm
- Low potassium or magnesium levels must be corrected before you start this medication
- Do not take Anzemet if you have a known allergy to dolasetron
- Anzemet Tablets have not been studied in children under 2 years of age and are not recommended for that age group
- Tell your doctor if you have liver problems — while no dose adjustment is required, your doctor should know your full history
🚑If you take too much▾
There is no specific antidote for a dolasetron overdose. If an overdose is suspected, treatment is supportive — meaning doctors will manage symptoms as they appear. Heart rhythm changes (including prolonged PR, QRS, and QT intervals) are the main concern with excessive doses, and cardiac monitoring may be needed.
📡Pharmacodynamics — effects in the body▾
Dolasetron selectively blocks 5-HT3 serotonin receptors and has very low affinity for dopamine receptors. In clinical studies, it did not affect pupil size, EEG brain wave patterns, mood, concentration, colonic movement, or prolactin hormone levels. At higher doses, it prolongs the QT, PR, and QRS intervals on an ECG — effects that are dose-dependent and primarily linked to its active metabolite, hydrodolasetron.
🔬Pharmacokinetics — how your body processes it▾
After you take an Anzemet Tablet, dolasetron is rapidly and almost completely converted in the body to its active form, hydrodolasetron. This active metabolite reaches peak blood levels in about one hour and has a mean half-life of roughly 8 hours — meaning it takes about that long for half of it to leave your system. About 75% of the oral dose is effectively absorbed (bioavailability), and food does not change this. The body clears hydrodolasetron mainly through the kidneys (about two-thirds) and through the feces (about one-third).
📦How to store it▾
Store at 68° to 77°F (20° to 25°C) . Protect from light.
📄 Written from Dolasetron’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Every point is grounded in that labeling — nothing is invented. How we use AI →
Supplements & herbs that interact with Dolasetron
169 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Dolasetron in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.
- Major · 4
- Moderate · 123
- Minor · 42
Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — see our data sources & update cadence. Not medical advice: an interaction being documented does not mean it will happen to you; do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.
🩺 Pharmacist Counseling Corner
Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Dolasetron — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
What exactly is Anzemet for, and when do I take it? ▾
Can I take Anzemet with food, or does it need to be on an empty stomach? ▾
What side effects should I watch out for? ▾
I take an antidepressant — is that a problem with Anzemet? ▾
I have a heart condition — is Anzemet safe for me? ▾
My child is having chemotherapy — can kids take Anzemet Tablets? ▾
Is Dolasetron available over the counter? ▾
When was Dolasetron first available? ▾
Who makes Dolasetron? ▾
💬 Answers drafted from Dolasetron’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Grounded in that labeling — nothing is made up. How we use AI →
🧰 Keep exploring
💊 How Dolasetron comes
Dolasetron is available in 1 form. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.
Tablet
How this form is used
- Anzemet Tablets are used to prevent nausea and vomiting associated with moderately emetogenic cancer chemotherapy in adults
- Anzemet Tablets are used to prevent nausea and vomiting associated with moderately emetogenic cancer chemotherapy in children 2 years and older
- Anzemet Tablets are indicated for both initial and repeat courses of chemotherapy
- Anzemet Tablets should be taken by mouth about one hour before chemotherapy
- Anzemet Tablets can be taken with or without food
- Anzemet Tablets should not be taken in doses exceeding the recommended amount — follow your prescriber's guidance
- Anzemet Tablets are not recommended for children under 2 years of age
📊 Dolasetron across the U.S. market
How Dolasetron appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.
Also listed with the FDA, not a patient dose form: Powder (3) — bulk drug substance sold to compounders/manufacturers and multi-item kits. These aren’t counted in the dose-form total above.
Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
🔍 Compare Dolasetron products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Dolasetron — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)
| Strength | Route | Manufacturer / Labeler | Category ⓘ | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💊Tablet | ||||
| 50 mg | Oral | Validus Pharmaceuticals LLC × 2 listings | NDA | View NDC → |
| 💊Bulk drug substance | ||||
| 5 kg/5 kg | — | Emcure Pharmaceuticals Limited | BULK INGREDIENT | View NDC → |
| 1 kg/kg | — | USV Private Limited × 2 listings | BULK INGREDIENT | View NDC → |
Showing 5 of 5 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 5 Dolasetron NDCs →
📈 What people report — real-world data (FDA FAERS)
After a medicine reaches the market, patients, doctors and drugmakers can send the FDA reports of problems they think may be linked to it. Here’s what’s been reported for Dolasetron — a signal of what to watch for, not proof the drug caused it.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). These are voluntary reports — they don’t prove the drug caused the effect, and counts reflect how often something was reported, not how often it actually happens. Reports also often name the very problem the medicine is taken for — a common reason to file one is that the drug didn’t help — so for a pain reliever you may see “pain” high on the list; that points to why the report was filed, not to the drug causing the symptom. This counts every report that lists Dolasetron in any role, so the total runs higher than the FDA’s official dashboard, which counts only cases where the drug is the suspect. For the authoritative figures, see the FDA FAERS Public Dashboard. Always talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
🏛️ The road to your pharmacy
How Dolasetron went from FDA review to the pharmacy shelf — the key milestones in its regulatory journey.
Source: Drugs@FDA.
🚨 Recall history
A recall is when a specific batch of a medicine is pulled from the market — usually a manufacturing issue, not a problem with the drug itself. Class I is most serious, Class III least.
Source: openFDA drug enforcement (recall) reports.
RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength
This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.
RxCUI 68091 1 dose form · 3 strengths
-
Dose form (SCDF) Oral Tablet RxCUI 371951In current FDA listingsClinical drug / strength (SCD) 50 MGRxCUI 310007100 MGRxCUI 310006200 MGRxCUI 401714
Look up RxCUI 68091 in the RxCUI Atlas →
RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.
📦 Supply & shortage status
Whether Dolasetron is in short supply in the U.S. right now, plus any shortage history the FDA has on record. A shortage usually reflects a manufacturing or demand issue — not a safety problem with the drug.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Drug Shortages database.
🏷️ Sold under these brand names
🏭 Manufacturers & labelers
RxNorm drug class
Dolasetron belongs to the Serotonin-3 Receptor Antagonist class.
Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.
🔬 Where this comes from
Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.
How we combine label and product data
HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records; we don’t author the underlying clinical facts. We identified 1 FDA-filed SPL label set within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. The representative label is the starting point for the displayed reference monograph; the 12 largest stored in-scope SPL records, which may include that representative, are compared section by section, and the longest available version of each section is retained. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, product-listed strengths, and product-record counts are aggregated separately from ingredient-matched FDA NDC Directory records; package records listed above are associated with the linked SPL; and the normalized concept hierarchy comes from NLM RxNorm.
For canonical ingredient pages, bounded product-attributed indication and administration excerpts may be added to the AI evidence, and the generator is instructed to preserve available product, brand, route, and form qualifiers instead of treating one label as universal. Where a section is identified as AI-written, its plain-language text is generated from bounded label evidence. New draft drug pages remain in the admin review queue before first publication. Validus Pharmaceuticals LLC is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates; it is not the sole source used for the page.
This is general education, not medical advice — always consult your doctor or pharmacist about your medications and any medical condition. For the exact wording of the linked representative label, view that label on DailyMed; some displayed composite sections may come from other in-scope SPL labels. Learn how we use AI and our data sources & update cadence.