Reglan – A Black Box Warning

Did you know that after possibly knowing for years, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is only know getting around to mandating a black box warning for Reglan side effects (Reglan tardive dyskinesia)?

Metoclopramide side effects can be either temporary, or permanent. It can have life-altering effects on a patient’s health and well-being.

You see, Reglan is prescribed to treat various gastrointenstinal disorders. These disorders include but are not limited to the slow stomach emptying that can occur in tandem with diabetes.

Additionally Reglan is used as a second-line treatment for heartburn resulting from gastroesophageal reflux. Migraine headaches, in additional to nausea and vomiting often associated with treatment for cancer, are other conditions Reglan is used for.

The problem is that metoclopramide–which is essentially what Reglan is–operates by blocking dopamine in the brain. That is where the risk comes in – it targets the neurological system. Whenever you mess around with the brain, you can have harmful side effects.

Such is the case with Reglan and for that matter, other manufacturers that make metoclopramide, reports Gordon Gibb, a writer with www.lawyersandsettlements.com.

“The key metoclopramide side effect is tardive dyskinesia (TD), and has been described as a ‘horrible’ condition characterized by involuntary, and unnatural movements of the mouth, tongue and jaw. The face (uncontrollable jerking) and eyes (blinking) can also be affected, as can other areas of the body.”

“However the tongue, mouth and jaw appear to be the front-line respondents to TD, and the condition not only poses a problem for the patient with swallowing, it looks awful,” writes Mr. Gibb. “Reglan patients working in retail, or in jobs that put them in close contact with other people, are at risk of being re-assigned, demoted or even fired due to their condition.”