Reglan Users Beware, Temporary Reflux Relief May Lead to Incurable Twitching

Pete Strom — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:52:06 GMT

That is enough to give you heartburn in and of itself, right?

Statistics indicate that approximately 25 million Americans suffer from some form of heartburn and/or gastric reflux.

Statistics also indicate that as many as 74% of new moms choose to feed their babies breast milk over formula.

So what in the world do these two facts have in common? Both groups make up the estimated 2 million users who were prescribed and may be currently taking Reglan.

Reglan is the brand name for metoclopramide. Metoclopramide is a substance that helps to speed the stomach muscles, thereby shortening the time it takes for stomach contents to empty into the stomach. One of Reglan's side effects is that it increases prolactin, the milk-making hormone in the brain, which in conjunction with pumping will stimulate milk production (hence the prescription for new moms). Reglan is additionally prescribed to women who are pregnant and experiencing morning sickness, infants and children with reflux, and for nausea associated with migraines.

No, its not a snake oil, it’s a drug that has recently come under scrutiny after being tied to tardive dyskinesia, a condition that causes rapid muscle movements that are repetitive, involuntary and purposeless. The condition may affect facial muscles, resulting in grimacing, tongue protrusion, lip smacking, puckering and pursing of the lips, and rapid eye blinking. Patents with tardive dyskinesia have difficulty not moving and are often embarrassed by the symptoms of the disease, causing them to withdraw socially, leading to depression.

Although the drug has not been recalled, the FDA issued a black box warning advising you to carefully consider its potential side effects and make an informed decision before taking Reglan for any period of time. The black box warning is the strongest labeling that the FDA may place upon a drug. The FDA press release specifically advises “[t]he chronic use of metoclopramide therapy should be avoided in all but rare cases where the benefit is believed to outweigh the risk.”, leaving consumers the choice of whether to continue taking the drug. Notably, the symptoms are rarely reversible even if you stop using Reglan.

Reglan is recommended for up to 3 months. However, may reports claim that as many as 20% use it for longer periods due to the chronic nature of their condition.

If you or someone you know uses Reglan and suffers from tardive dyskinesia we urge you to contact one of our Reglan lawyers as soon as possible to protect your legal rights.

Strom Law Firm is a personal injury and criminal defense law firm centrally located in Columbia, South Carolina. Our firm proudly handles personal injury, criminal defense, defective products, class actions, pharmaceutical liability, toxic torts, medical malpractice, nursing home neglect, workers compensation, social security, veteran's benefits, qui tam, predatory lending, tax investigations, business litigation, and wills and estates. Our lawyers proudly edit the Columbia, South Carolina Injury Board as well as the Strom Law Blog as a pro bono effort to provide the public valuable information. Our lawyers are licensed in: South Carolina, New York, Georgia, Florida, and the District of Columbia.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Pete Strom

South Carolina Personal Injury Blog - Tardive Dyskinesia

Reglan Users Beware, Temporary Reflux Relief May Lead to Incurable Twitching