VETERINARY TEAM REFERENCE

DEA & state schedules

Scheduling applies to the medication, not to the patient. This independent reference is not affiliated with the DEA.

Ondansetron

FEDERAL STATUS

Not federally scheduled

The identified ingredients in this entry are not listed in the reviewed federal schedules. Prescription-only status, product restrictions and state law are separate questions.

Federal source ↗

State / prescribing or dispensing jurisdiction

STATE STATUS

Select a jurisdiction

Choose the state relevant to prescribing or dispensing. Patient residence alone may not determine every applicable rule.

What each federal schedule means

Highlighted rows match the verified federal or selected state schedule. The schedule describes legal control and abuse potential; it does not rank clinical usefulness or establish a dose.

Federal Schedules I–V: meaning and practice implications
Schedule	Meaning and practice
I	High abuse potential; no currently accepted medical use in U.S. treatment; lacks accepted safety under medical supervision. In practice: Not available for routine veterinary prescribing. Authorized research is a separate pathway.
II	High abuse potential; accepted medical use, sometimes with severe restrictions; abuse can cause severe dependence. In practice: No prescription refills under federal law. Strict prescribing, security and record requirements apply.
III	Less abuse potential than I or II; accepted medical use; abuse can cause moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence. In practice: Federal prescriptions allow up to five authorized refills within six months. State rules may be stricter.
IV	Lower abuse potential than III; accepted medical use; limited dependence risk relative to III. In practice: The same federal five-refill / six-month prescription limit applies. Controlled-drug handling still applies.
V	Lower abuse potential than IV; accepted medical use; limited dependence risk relative to IV. In practice: Still controlled. Check authorized refills and state limits; do not automatically apply the III–IV refill rule.

What this means for the chart

For a controlled medication, confirm the prescriber’s authority for the applicable schedule, the exact formulation and quantity, authorized refills, secure handling, and required inventory / dispensing records. Check the state’s veterinary rules and any prescription monitoring program (PDMP) requirements or exemptions.

A PDMP reporting requirement does not by itself make a drug scheduled. “Not federally scheduled” does not mean over the counter, risk-free, or exempt from state law. States may use additional categories, such as Schedule VI, outside the federal I–V system.

← Medication & Supplement Reference

VETERINARY TEAM REFERENCE · MEDICATION

Ondansetron

A serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonist used as an antiemetic. Human product labeling establishes the ingredient and warnings; animal prescribing requires an appropriate veterinary reference and individual assessment.

Serotonin 5-HT3 antagonist antiemeticProduct-specific clinical reference

Updated October 16, 2026 · Sources and review status below

For veterinarians and veterinary staff. Product-label information is distinct from extra-label clinical practice. This is not a complete prescribing formulary or an automated interaction screen. Verify the current label, exact formulation, patient and species-specific clinical reference before use. Independent veterinary/pharmacy review remains pending.

Prescribing overview

Human oral tablets and ODT products require a veterinary prescription for animal use.

Key prescribing checks

Screen for QT prolongation, electrolyte disturbances and other medicines that affect cardiac rhythm.
Review serotonergic medicines and liver disease; the current generic label contains interaction and serotonin-syndrome warnings.

Uses by species

Approval and evidence apply to the named product, species, route and indication. An extra-label use requires its own prescribing assessment; a human indication is not an animal approval.

Dogs and cats

Extra-label

Antiemetic treatment

Human indications do not establish animal efficacy or approval.

Use / indication source ↗

Pharmacology & pharmacokinetics

Mechanism and clinical role

Selectively blocks serotonin 5-HT3 receptors.

Absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination

Animal-specific pharmacokinetic parameters were not established by the reviewed label.

SAFETY REFERENCE · PRODUCT & SPECIES SPECIFIC

Contraindications & cautions

Contraindications identify circumstances where the source says a product should not be used. Precautions call for assessment or monitoring. Interactions identify combinations to review. They are distinct categories; this summary does not replace a full interaction check or the current product label.

Zofran / Zofran ODT

Human oral tablets and orally disintegrating tablets; historical brands with current generic oral-label safety support.

Contraindications · when not to use

Allergy to ondansetron or formulation ingredients; concurrent apomorphine.

Precautions & monitoring

Avoid congenital long-QT syndrome; consider ECG monitoring with electrolyte abnormalities, heart failure or bradyarrhythmias. ODT contains phenylalanine.

Safety sources checked: October 16, 2026. Selected label information; independent veterinary or veterinary-pharmacy review remains pending. A label for dogs, cats, horses or humans does not establish safety for another species.

Adverse effects

Human labeling reports constipation and warns of QT prolongation, hypersensitivity and serotonin syndrome; animal rates are not supplied.

These are selected source-reported effects, not incidence estimates or an exhaustive list. Spontaneous postmarketing reports do not by themselves establish frequency or causality.

Dosing & administration

Verify the source before prescribing. The regimens below summarize selected veterinary product labels, not every accepted veterinary use. They are not automatic substitutions between brands or formulations. Renal/hepatic disease, concurrent therapy, age, indication and clinical response can require a different plan.

A verified veterinary dose has not been entered for this product. Human-label dosing must not be used as an animal regimen. Consult a current species-specific clinical source and the prescribing veterinarian.

A veterinary dose was not verified; no human regimen is presented as an animal protocol.

Extra-label prescribing and food-animal residue requirements are separate from labeled regimens. FDA extra-label-use guidance ↗

Drug & supplement interactions

This is a selected interaction reference, not an automated or comprehensive combination checker. Reconcile prescription drugs, nonprescription products, supplements and recent treatment changes.

Zofran / Zofran ODT

Human oral tablets and orally disintegrating tablets; historical brands with current generic oral-label safety support.

Other QT-prolonging drugs increase rhythm concerns; serotonergic medicines increase serotonin-syndrome risk.

Interaction source ↗Interaction source ↗

Monitoring

Review electrolytes, rhythm disease, liver disease and serotonergic/QT-prolonging drugs.

Client counseling

Seek reassessment for ongoing vomiting, collapse or agitation; symptom control is not a diagnosis.

This section supports the veterinary team's discharge discussion; it does not replace the product’s Client Information Sheet where one is required.

Storage & handling

Keep the actual product in its labeled packaging and storage conditions.

Brands, formulations & ingredient identity

Active ingredients

Ondansetron hydrochloride

Other searchable names: ondansetron HCl · ODT

Zofran and Zofran ODT are recognizable historical brand names for ondansetron.

ODT describes an orally disintegrating tablet, not a different drug. Tablet, dissolving tablet and liquid formulations require separate checks.

MedlinePlus currently marks the listed Zofran branded products as no longer marketed; generic alternatives remain distinct products.

Shared ingredients do not establish interchangeable concentrations, routes, release properties, species labeling or regional availability.

Zofran

Formulation: Historical oral tablet brand
Label / product scope: Human product

Brand identity verified by FDA archive; current availability must be checked.

Product label / source ↗

Zofran ODT

Formulation: Historical orally disintegrating tablet brand
Label / product scope: Human product

Historical synonym, not a current-market availability claim.

Product label / source ↗

References & review status

Clinical reference updated October 16, 2026. Independent veterinary or veterinary-pharmacy review not yet completed. Evidence gaps remain explicitly identified; this page does not claim equivalence to a comprehensive, professionally reviewed veterinary formulary.

01FDA: archived Zofran label ↗02Official prescribing information ↗03MedlinePlus: current brand availability notation ↗

Search another medication or supplement →

Prescribing overview

Key prescribing checks

Uses by species

Dogs and cats

Pharmacology & pharmacokinetics

Mechanism and clinical role

Absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination

Contraindications & cautions

Contraindications · when not to use

Precautions & monitoring

Adverse effects

Dosing & administration

Drug & supplement interactions

Zofran / Zofran ODT

Monitoring

Client counseling

Storage & handling

Brands, formulations & ingredient identity

Active ingredients

Zofran

Zofran ODT

References & review status

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