News Tagged ‘gastroparesis

Clinical trial seeks diabetics for new gastroparesis treatment

gastroparesis sleepy stomachDiabetics who suffer from nausea, vomiting, bloating, or abdominal discomfort after eating may be eligible to participate in a study for an investigational medication to reduce the symptoms associated with delayed stomach emptying, also known as gastroparesis, a condition many diabetics experience.

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Forum discusses side effects of heartburn drug Reglan

stomach esophagus 150x150 Forum discusses side effects of heartburn drug ReglanWendy from Oklahoma sought advice from fellow gastroparesis sufferers on Inspire.com’s group forum after her doctor recommended she take Reglan (metoclopramide) to treat symptoms of her condition. Gastropareses causes pain and nausea from slow emptying of the stomach contents. Wendy was concerned, she said, because “I read () was the leading prescription cause for tardive dyskinesia,” a debilitating involuntary movement disorder similar to Parkinson’s.

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Drugs that block dopamine receptors can cause Tardive Dyskinesia

dopamine receptorsAn estimated 250,000 to 400,000 people in the United States have Tardive Dyskinesia, a disfiguring and debilitating involuntary movement disorder involving symptoms such as lip smacking, tongue thrusting and protruding, eye blinking and bulging, head jerking, facial grimacing, and puckering and pulsing of the lips. The muscle spasms can become painful and embarrassing and often are permanent. But what is most disturbing is that in many cases, the condition could have been prevented.

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Using Reglan can make you depressed

dv1916080You can’t turn on the TV these days without hearing that the heartburn medication Reglan, also known by the generic name metoclopramide, has been linked to the serious involuntary movement disorder, Tardive Dyskinesia. But the drug also carries another serious warning – it can cause depression and suicidal thoughts.

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Diabetic gastroparesis treatment shows well in clinical trials

gastroparesis2 150x150 Diabetic gastroparesis treatment shows well in clinical trialsTranzyme Pharama says its new treatment for diabetic gastroparesis, a disabling disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents, has shown positive results in phase II clinical trials among diabetic patients with the digestive disorder. The pharmaceutical company was granted “fast-track status” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for TZP-102, a designation that is typically reserved for drugs that treat serious and unmet medical needs. The designation is designed to speed up the review and approval process.

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Man suffers permanent disability from heartburn drug

heartburn 150x150 Man suffers permanent disability from heartburn drugWhen 57-year-old August Macaluso, a former nuclear-plant maintenance worker in Charlotte, N.C., began shaking violently, blinking incessantly and slurring his speech, he and his wife Sharon were both puzzled. Desperate for answers, Sharon Googled his symptoms and learned that the drug her husband had been taking for just three months was linked to the involuntary movement disorder Tardive Dyskinesia with frighteningly similar symptoms. He stopped taking the drug and after a battery of medical tests, doctors confirmed the Macalusoes’ worst fears. August had suffered permanent damage.

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Generic Reglan makers released from Tardive Dyskinesia lawsuit

20071012 generic drugs 18 150x150 Generic Reglan makers released from Tardive Dyskinesia lawsuitWyeth, Inc. and Schwarz Pharma Inc. have been dismissed from a lawsuit filed in Texas involving the drug company’s Reglan (metoclopramide), a medicine used to treat gastrointestinal conditions. The lawsuit alleged that the drug caused the plaintiff to develop a severe movement disorder known as Tardive Dyskinesia. However, the case will proceed against Activis-Elizabeth, L.L.C., makers of a generic version of that the plaintiff was taking.

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Quality improvements reduce drug usage among neonatal community

preemie babyA new study has found that quality improvement intervention initiatives such as ongoing education and automated feedback reports of medication usage among low birth weight babies in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) can significantly reduce use of medications, some of which carry serious adverse effects.

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Long-term use of Reglan can cause serious neurological problems

tablet Long term use of Reglan can cause serious neurological problemsFor nine years, Valerie (not her real name) was prescribed and took Reglan (metoclopramide) to control her acid reflux. The drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the 1980s to treat various digestive tract conditions such as severe heartburn and gastroparesis, or the delayed emptying of the stomach contents. As the drug became more widely prescribed, the FDA began receiving reports that the drug may cause a neurological disorder. Despite the warning signs, it took the FDA almost 30 years to investigate and act.

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New Jersey judge calls for consolidation of Reglan lawsuits

judge gavelA New Jersey judge is calling for a statewide consolidation of all lawsuits filed against the makers of the heartburn medication Reglan that involve claims that the drug caused a serious and debilitating movement disorder known as Tardive Dyskinesia. Judge Eugene J. Codey, Jr., of the Essex County Superior Court, filed the request arguing that the New Jersey court system could better handle the mounting number of lawsuits if they were all centralized in one court. The primary defendant in the lawsuits, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, is headquartered in New Jersey.

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