Side Effects of Reglan:
Mental depression
Severe movement disorders
Abdominal pain
Trouble breathing
Convulsions
Cardiovascular conditions
Blood problems
Reglan (metoclopramide) is a prescription drug used to treat gastrointestinal problems in children and adults. Post-operative patients and those undergoing cancer treatments may be given Reglan to reduce nausea and vomiting. Children and adults with gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), diabetic gastroparesis, and other related conditions are often prescribed Reglan. Infants are commonly given Reglan to treat GER and GERD. Reglan has also been prescribed for women who are pregnant and experiencing morning sickness, breastfeeding mothers, and for nausea assocated with migraines. On January 26, 2009 the FDA issued an alert warning against chronic use of metoclopramide containing drugs and requiring a boxed warning.
Reglan is a dopamine (a neurotransmitter, i.e. a molecule that transmits certain messages to and from neurons) antagonist that increases lower esophageal sphincter pressure and improves gastrointestinal emptying. Reglan, is manufactured by Baxter Healthcare Corporation, and the FDA approved it for short-term treatment (between 4 and 12 weeks) of these conditions only after conservative methods of treatment have failed. However, evidence shows that one-third of patients are prescribed Reglan for longer than 12 weeks, which is against FDA recommendations.
Evidence shows that Reglan can cause Tardive Dyskinesia, a serious and often irreversible movement disorder. Patients with tardive dyskinesia suffer abnormal muscle movements, which can affect the muscles of the face, mouth, jaw, tongue, eyes, neck, shoulders, torso, larynx, diaphragm, arms, legs, feet, and hands. This disorder can be similar to Parkinson’s symptoms and is diagnosed as drug induced Parkinson’s. Tardive dyskinesia can adversely affect the ability to breathe, swallow, walk, and talk. Infants who are given Reglan appear to be at an even greater risk for this serious drug side effect.
The FDA and Baxter Healthcare recognize that Reglan increases the risk of tardive dyskinesia. However, they have failed to adequately convey the seriousness of Reglan side effects. At least two independent studies have found that 27 to 29 percent of patients who are prescribed Reglan for periods exceeding 12 months develop tardive dyskinesia. However, this condition can develop in patients even after short-term use. It is estimated that more than two million people in the United States use Reglan and other products containing metoclopramide.
Studies have shown, and the FDA has confirmed, that the risk of developing tardive dyskinesia is greater for children (including infants) than for adults taking Reglan. While tardive dyskinesia can afflict anyone taking Reglan, children are much more susceptible to the effects of Reglan.
It can be extremely difficult to diagnose tardive dyskinesia in a patient taking Reglan because the drug actually conceals the very symptoms it is causing. For this reason, symptoms of tardive dyskinesia can break out suddenly when Reglan use is reduced or terminated. This factor can also increase the severity of tardive dyskinesia since a patient may have the condition for quite a while before Reglan is stopped.
There is no known treatment for tardive dyskinesia. In some cases, the syndrome may disappear or symptoms may be reduced weeks or even months after a patient stops taking Reglan. In some cases, the damage is irreversible.
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