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Researchers in Sacramento, Calif., are looking for people who still experience troublesome symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) even while taking heartburn medication, to participate in a study to evaluate an investigational heartburn treatment.
Wendy 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 (Reglan) was the leading prescription cause for tardive dyskinesia,” a debilitating involuntary movement disorder similar to Parkinson’s.
An 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.
You 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.
American children are taking more medications than ever before to treat chronic conditions, according to the 2010 Medco Drug Trend Report, raising the question, “How safe are these drugs for children?”
A team of researchers renowned for their work in colon cancer believe they may have found a better treatment for Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer based on findings from their colon cancer research, according to Science Daily.
Swiss biotech group Addex Pharmaceuticals announced that its lead drug candidate met expectations in a mid-stage clinical trial in heartburn, setting the company up for a lucrative partnership with a bigger drug maker that would provide much-needed funds for the startup company.
Findings from a new study on the causes of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may lead to new way of treating the condition. According to a team of researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, GERD, which causes painful chest pain and heartburn, may be caused by immune system cells causing inflammation. The study showed that gastroesophageal reflux in rats causes tissue in the esophagus to release immune chemicals called cytokines. Those cytokines attract inflammatory cells that cause the uncomfortable symptoms associated with heartburn and GERD.
