Reglan Sickness "A Horrible Feeling"

Lake Isabella, CAKathleen E. says she does not believe she suffered the same Reglan side effects that other people have reported experiencing. Such side effects include Tardive Dyskinesia, a serious condition marked by involuntary movement. A Reglan black box warning has been announced to alert patients to the potential for development of Tardive Dyskinesia in patients who take Reglan long term.

"I can tell you what it [Reglan] did to me," Kathleen says. "It's not what they described as the reaction that most people had. But, it made me awfully sick. I could not function. I couldn't describe how I felt. It affected my arms, shoulders and knees. I was just sick. I couldn't hardly take care of myself. My husband took it, too. I took him off it. He's 84 and has Alzheimer's. He didn't need anything else wrong with him.

I took it from November, 2008 until April, 2009. I started to feel sick probably right away. I know I was sick by December. The longer I took it, the sicker I got. I never thought of it [Reglan] or even dreamed of it being caused by that until I saw Reglan on television and thought I should look it up.

I quit taking it and started to feel better within a few days. When I was sick, I couldn't hardly use my arms and my knees were really painful. I was absolutely affected by it; I couldn't function at all. I have my husband to take care of and that makes it really difficult. I was afraid to drive because of how I felt. I had to rely on other people.

There was a little bit of shaking, but it wasn't too bad. It was hard for me to lift my arms or let them out straight. It affected my right hand, too. I got to where I couldn't write. My handwriting was illegible.

After I saw it [Reglan] on television, I went on the computer and looked it up. I thought, 'Oh my goodness, I sure don't want that stuff [the side effects],' so I just immediately quit taking it.

I don't know how to describe how I felt. I just wasn't able to function. It was as if I was a zombie; I could barely hold my arms up. It was just a horrible feeling. My doctor never once thought of the Reglan doing it.

I wouldn't want anyone to have to go through it. It's a terrible feeling. I told my doctor, 'I can't function and I can't keep going like this.' It was driving me crazy. If it weren't for the television, I would never once have thought of the Reglan. I'm fortunate that I saw that.

My husband took it [Reglan] for 2 years. He fell a couple of times because he legs gave way on him. I think it can affect different people in different ways."

Kathleen says she has a doctor's appointment next week at which she intends to discuss the possibility that Reglan made her so sick. She may be lucky; according to the FDA, patients who developed Tardive Dyskinesia experienced symptoms even after they stopped taking Reglan.

The FDA has also said that Reglan should only be taken where the benefit is believed to outweigh the risks. Given Kathleen's reaction to news about Reglan—she stopped taking it immediately—it seems clear that there are patients out there who do not believe that Reglan's benefits are worth the potential side effects.