Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

The Gastroparesis Awareness Campaign Organization has released a video to help raise awareness of the seriousness of the condition in which the stomach takes too long to digest food. The video, called The Faces of Gastroparesis 2009, can be seen on YouTube, and here:

People of all ages, shapes and sizes suffer from gastroparesis. The National Institutes of Health estimates as many as 10 million people are living with gastroparesis. Because of the lack of medical education and improper diagnosis, many more may be suffering in silence. Symptoms include abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting and can result in dehydration, electrolyte imbalances and malnutrition.

Treatments include medication, such as Reglan (metoclopramide), and surgery. Those with gastroparesis suffered yet another blow this year when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a black box warning on Reglan after numerous cases of a serious movement disorder known as Tardive Dyskinesia were reported in patients who took Reglan. Long-term users were as much as 20 percent at risk of developing the condition.

Because treatments offer only temporary benefits to patients, activists groups such as the Gastroparesis Awareness Campaign Organization are working to raise awareness in hopes of finding better, safer treatments and, eventually, a cure.

UPDATE: It has been brought to our attention that the young woman featured in this post may have been misdiagnosed. There is some controversy about whether she was suffering from dystonia, her illness was psychogenic, or it was a hoax. We are currently researching the matter and will provide an updated post as soon as possible. A YouTube video originally posted with this story is no longer available.

Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder that can be disabling. Those who suffer from the condition experience muscle contractions that cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures. The causes are not completely known or understood, but it is believed to be either inherited or caused by factors such as birth-related or physical trauma, infection, poisoning (such as lead poisoning), or reaction to drugs (such as Reglan, also known as metoclopramide, a common medication to treat heartburn, GERD and gastroparesis). For one athletic young woman, the cause was likely due to a seasonal flu shot.

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Are little Jessica’s sudden head jerks a side effect of the heartburn drug Reglan? It’s a question posed along with a video of the toddler by Fiestagrill on YouTube.

Reglan, also known as metoclopramide, is generally prescribed to treat diabetic gastroparesis in adults and gastroesophafeal reflux in adults and children. Recent clinical studies have shown that it is safe for the treatment of morning sickness in women who are pregnant. However, a recent FDA warning has made people like Fiestagrill question whether the medication is causing serious injury to babies as well as children.

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Karter’s parents want to know if their infant son has Tardive Dyskinesia (TD). The little guy thrusts his body around and cries constantly for several minutes as his family watches helplessly. They posted this video, called Is this Tardive Dyskinesia, just four weeks ago on YouTube seeking answers.

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This is a YouTube user’s wife. She suffers from tardive dyskinesia as a result of being over-prescribed the atypical antipsychotic Geodon. Tardive dyskinesia is a condition in which a person develops involuntary movements of their muscles, which can include lip smacking, tongue thrusting, eye blinking and buldging, head jerking, facial grimacing, pucker and pursing of the lips, and involuntary movements of the fingers.

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