So you’re pregnant, you’re heavy, you’re tired, and you’re suffering from indigestion and nausea quite badly. This is typically a situation beyond the ability of Alka-Seltzer to remedy. One of the medicines currently available to treat acid reflux (GERD) and nausea is Reglan, and it may be recommended to pregnant women in some instances, in the tablet formulation. The only problem is there’s a chance, slim perhaps, but still a chance your indigestion might be replaced by tardive dyskinesia—a movement disorder syndrome. And there’s also the question of what it could do to the fetus. So what should you do?
Someone should do a case study on how companies handle product recalls and safety issues—it seems all the learning from the 1982 Tylenol recall may have been lost and some companies need a little lesson in transparency. Or a lesson from Nutro Products. Read on…
Take the recent Hydroxycut recall. Looking for the official company line? Don’t bother going to their website. That is if you can even find their website. Hydroxycut is manufactured by a Canadian firm, Iovate Health Sciences, Inc. But don’t try to find an Iovate website—that would actually be muscletech.com. Like most users, when you get there, you might try to search for Hydroxycut. Go ahead. You’ll get squat in the search results (see image). However, if you know that Hydroxycut was marketed as a Fat Burner, you can go to the “Products” drop down menu and click on “Fat Burners”. That’ll take you to a clearly just-whipped-up site about the recall. And here’s the kicker: Iovate is not mentioned ANYWHERE on the site. Transparent? No.
1. Approved for 12-week use. Reglan is only approved to be taken for up to 12 weeks, though it’s often prescribed for longer time periods.
2. Generic name is Metoclopramide. Check your prescription label as you may in fact be taking a generic version of Reglan, but not be aware that you are.
3. Prescribed for more than Acid Reflux (GERD). Reglan is a gastrointestinal stimulant, but it’s also an anti-nauseant. It’s prescribed for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, Diabetic Gastroparesis (Diabetic Gastric Stasis), and Renal or Hepatic Impairment.
4. Linked to Tardive Dyskinesia. Reglan has been linked to Tardive Dyskinesia, which involves abnormal and involuntary repetitive movement. Tardive dyskinesia is often permanent, and there is no known effective treatment.