Click here to view the embedded video.

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.

SOURCE: Reglan Side Effects › Gastroparesis organization raises awareness through video

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.

25-year-old Desiree Jennings, who was training to be a professional football cheerleader, got a flu shot in August. Ten days later she began suffering from dystonia. Now she cannot walk or talk without difficulty. Oddly, she can run seemingly normally. While running she can talk normally, too. She can even walk backwards without the excessive movements. But when she stops or begins to move forward, the jerking movements come back.

Reactions to the flu shot like Jennings’ is rare, but the risk of developing a type of dystonia is greater with some medications. For example, the Food and Drug Administration earlier this year issued a black box warning on Reglan after reports of patients who took the medication began suffering from a type of dystonia known as Tardive Dyskinesia. Up to 20 percent of consumers who took Reglan for more than 12 weeks contracted the disorder. Now the drug’s label warns users against long-term use, but the warnings come too late for too many who are suffering just like Jennings.

SOURCE: Reglan Side Effects › Woman suffers from movement disorder after getting flu shot

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.

The FDA recently issued a black box warning – the strongest warning the FDA can require – on Reglan (metoclopramide) after reports of serious and debilitating side effects from people who were taking the medication over an extended period of time. The condition, known as Tardive Dyskinesia, is an involuntary movement of muscles that can include lip smacking, tongue thrusting, eye blinking and buldging, head jerking, facial grimacing, puckering and pursing of the lips and involuntary movements of the fingers. The condition often lingers even after the medication has been discontinued, causing serious disability.

Currently, the makers of Reglan are facing numerous lawsuits by individuals who have been harmed by the medication and are seeking justice. Could Jessica be another victim of Reglan?

Watch the video below.

SOURCE: Reglan Side Effects › Are Baby Jessica’s head jerks a side effect of Reglan?

“He has been sick ever since he was born,” writes Sam Weber. Karter was diagnosed with infantile spasms when he was just two months old, and has been on the medication Reglan for digestive problems since he was just two days old. He was recently taken off Reglan, and tested for West Syndrome, a seizure disorder, but the tests came out negative. “I have a feeling that he may have TD,” Sam Weber writes. “He continues to spasm and cry and stiffen up like he is in pain.”

The Weber’s concerns about Tardive Dyskinesia may be warranted. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a black box warning on Reglan and its generic metoclopramide after receiving reports that long-term use of the medication has been linked to an increased risk of Tardive Dyskinesia. Individuals with Tardive Dyskinesia develop involuntary movements of their muscles. Those movements include lip smacking, tongue thrusting, head jerking, facial grimacing, and involuntary movements of the fingers.

There is no known cure for Tardive Dyskinesia, and symptoms may persist even after the medication is discontinued.

SOURCE: Reglan Side Effects › Family asks, ‘Is this Tardive Dyskinesia?’

While several antipsychotic and some antidepressants have been linked to the condition, more drugs are being added to the list of possible culprits. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a black box warning to consumers and healthcare providers warning of the risk of tardive dyskinesia with the long-term or high-dose use of metoclopramide, more commonly known as Reglan, a medication prescribed for the treatment of disorders like heartburn caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease. Elderly patients, especially women, are at an increased risk of developing the condition while using Reglan.

The medicines that can cause tardive dyskinesia affect how nerve impulses are transmitted across gaps between nerve cells. This is done in part by blocking a chemical made by the body called dopamine. (Reglan is considered a dopamine receptor blocking agent.) Over time, the nerves seem to become hypersensitive to dopamine, causing abnormal movements.

There is currently no cure for the condition, however in some patients, symptoms may lesson or resolve after coming off the medication. The FDA has advised physicians to avoid long term use of Reglan except in rare cases where the benefit outweighs the risks.

SOURCE: Reglan Side Effects › Dopamine-blocking medications linked to tardive dyskinesia