Chlorpromazine in the control of vomiting in children; preliminary clinical evaluation.

Abstract

Vomiting is both a common and an important therapeutic problem in children. Every physician is aware of the extreme dehydration that may quickly follow its onset. A drug which appears to be a safe and effective agent for the control of vomiting is now available in the form of chlorpromazine hydrochloride* (10-[γ-dimethylaminopropyl]-2-chlorophenothiazine hydrochloride). Boyd and co-workers † and Cook and Toner 3 have shown that this drug inhibits apomorphine-induced emesis in animals. These studies suggest that chlorpromazine acts by depressing the vomiting center within the central nervous system, thus blocking the vomiting reflex. Several forms of side-reaction have been described in connection with chlorpromazine therapy. A sedative effect of variable degree is seen in the majority of successfully treated patients. This effect is most pronounced after the first dose and usually disappears within a few hours. Pharmacological studies by Moyer and co-workers 4 reveal that in the usually administered therapeutic