But mothers need to be aware that the drug has serious side effects. KellyMom.com, a breastfeeding and parenting blogger, warns that one major side effect of Reglan is depression, a condition that tends to be more prevalent in new mothers. “It is contraindicated in moms with a history of depression, and all moms who take this should keep an eye out for signs of depression,” she writes. “It has caused serious depression/anxiety in moms regardless of previous history. This depression side effect usually develops over 3-4 weeks, and goes away if mom discontinues the Reglan.”

Laura, a lactation specialist, responded to the post in hopes of warning unsuspecting women of this possible side effect:

“First, you should know that I am a lactation consultant, I recently gave birth to my fourth child and despite my training and knowledge, I was in need of a galactogogue. I opted for Reglan upon consultation with my physician and despite a history of mild depression.

“After taking the medication for approximately 6 weeks, I decided it was time to taper off of the medication. Within 48 hours of my last dose, I began to suffer from severe anxiety and eventually even had one panic attack. I have never had any problems with, or history of anxiety or panic attacks in my life and as the result of an in-depth assessment by an anxiety disorder specialist, it was determined that this development was directly related to my use of Reglan.

“This experience was absolutely horrible! I was bed ridden for 10 days and it took a total of three weeks for me to recover completely. Subsequently, my milk supply suffered substantially from the physical insult. I have since, however, been able to recover it partially only after arduous pumping and retraining of my baby to take the breast once again.

“As a lactation consultant, I will be happy to educate my clients on the use of this drug, but I will never again recommend it myself.”

SOURCE: Reglan Side Effects › Women warn new mothers of Reglan’s depression risk

Melissa Kotlen Nagin

Reglan, or metoclopramide, is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of heartburn and GERD. It is also prescribed, off label, to help stimulate lactation, “but it is definitely not as benign as Domperidone, which carries with it virtually NO side effects,” she says.

For one, Reglan can cause depression in mothers who are already more susceptible to depression because of hormone changes following childbirth. But Reglan also carries an FDA black box warning. Long-term use of Reglan greatly increases a woman’s risk of a serious involuntary movement disorder known as Tardive Dyskinesia. The condition can be debilitating and often does not go away, and often worsens, after the medication is discontinued.

Nagin’s advice? “If you are having milk supply issues, be sure to see a lactation consultant ASAP! The longer you wait, the more intense the process to get your supply back to where it should be.”

SOURCE: Reglan Side Effects › Lactation specialist warns against use of Reglan

The drug is primarily used in infants to treat gastroesophageal reflux and in children and adults to treat heartburn or nausea and vomiting caused by other medications. But Reglan has a side effect of increasing the prolactin in the brain. Prolactin is the milk-making hormone. Coupled with frequent and regular breast pumping, Reglan has been shown to increase breast milk production. A small amount of the mother’s dose will transfer to her breast milk, but studies indicate that there have been no side effects to infants.

However, some reports of other, serious side effects from the use of Reglan have made breastfeeding advocates leery of the medication. Some mothers have reported feeling fatigued, irritable or depressed while taking the medication. Reglan is in a class of medications known as dopamine-blockers, which includes several antipsychotic and some antidepressants. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a black box warning to consumers and health care providers warning of the risk of a neurological disorder called tardive dyskinesia with the long-term or high-dose use of Reglan.

As an alternative medication to Reglan, breastfeeding experts recommend Motillium (domperidone), to increase breast milk production. Motillium does not pass the blood-brain barrier and as a result has fewer side effects.

Source: Breastfeeding Online

SOURCE: Reglan Side Effects › Breast milk-increasing medication linked to neurological disorder