Forum discusses side effects of heartburn drug Reglan

Jennifer Walker-Journey — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:00:41 +0000

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.

The numerous responses tell the same story. “My experience with Reglan was absolutely frightening,” says SoCal. “I developed severe Parkinson’s-like tremors and anxiety. And, I don’t even have a history of anxiety. I stopped the drug immediately and was told never to take it again.”

“I had the same experience as SoCal with Reglan,” says Natie. “I developed severe anxiety and tremors within the first day of taking it.”

“I had the same exact experiences,” Miss Lady Bug chimes in. “I stopped taking it but was left with permanent nerve damage. I had to go to Mayo Clinic to find that out,” she says. “Mayo told me that Reglan should be outlawed and that the USA is the only country that even still uses it.”

Reglan was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of severe heartburn, acid reflux and gastroparesis. After numerous reports of people using Reglan who then developed tardive dyskinesia, the FDA last year added a black box warning to the drug’s safety label. That warning comes too late for many users of Reglan, who are left with the disabling symptoms of tardive dyskinesia, which include lip smacking, tongue thrusting, eye blinking and bulging, and puckering and pursing of the lips, to name a few.

“I would give anything to be able to go back and do it all over again,” Miss Lady Bug says. “The trembling and anxiety was sooo bad.”

SOURCE: Reglan Side Effects › Forum discusses side effects of heartburn drug Reglan

Supreme Court ruling could cost pharmaceutical industry ‘billions’

Jennifer Walker-Journey — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:11:19 +0000

Last March, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a $6.7 million ruling stating that federal law cannot protect pharmaceutical companies from liability lawsuits that are filed in state court, meaning drug companies are responsible for damages created by products even when the FDA has approved drug labels that include warnings of side effects. That ruling is based on a lawsuit involving Wyeth Pharmaceutical drug Phenergan. As a result of the ruling, numerous lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies that had been lying dormant are finally beginning to move toward trial, according to Bloomberg.

One such case involves Barr Pharmaceuticals, which tried to block a suit in federal court in Oklahoma City over its generic form of metoclopramide, commonly known by the brand name Reglan, a treatment for acid reflux. The plaintiff in that case claimed the drug caused her to develop tardive dyskinesia, a neurological disorder. U.S. District Judge Vicki Mills-LaGrange denied Barr Pharmaceutical’s request, citing the outcome of the Wyeth case.

Tardive dyskinesia is an often irreversible condition that is characterized by involuntary, repetitive movements of the extremities, or lip smacking, grimacing, tongue protrusion, rapid eye movements or blinking, puckering and pursing of the lips, or impaired movement of the fingers.

It is likely the Supreme Court decision will cost the pharmaceutical drug market “billions of dollars,” according to one attorney quoted by Bloomberg. “There’s no way to quantify it, but the number has as many zeroes in it as attacked Pearl Harbor.”

SOURCE: Reglan Side Effects › Supreme Court ruling could cost pharmaceutical industry ‘billions’

Reglan Side Effects » Oklahoma

Forum discusses side effects of heartburn drug Reglan

Supreme Court ruling could cost pharmaceutical industry ‘billions’