Washington, DCThe pain in their words is palpable. Real people, reaching out to cyberspace and pleading to anyone who will listen, about their suffering from Reglan side effects. Various aspects of metoclopramide have proven to be a complication for many to varying degrees, with the worst being tardive dyskinesia—an often irreversible condition characterized by involuntary movements of limbs, eyes, the mouth and tongue. The result can be devastating.
As it has been for a 37-year-old Reglan patient who posted to a popular health blog back in the summer about her experiences with Reglan.
"Reglan is the worst thing that ever happened to me," she writes. "I was prescribed Reglan for gastroparesis. Shortly after, I started having horrible feelings of anxiety, irritability, and an inability to sit still. I started having panic attacks. I had horrible chills all the time. I couldn't stop pacing [around] my house. In fact, I paced the house so much that my shins were horribly painful, and yet I kept pacing.
"My husband didn't want me around the children any more, because I was so irritable. Even worse, after I stopped taking the drug, the anxiety didn't completely go away. It has been more than two years since I stopped taking Reglan, but I have to take a low dose of Effexor (anti-anxiety drug) to keep the anxiety and chills away.
"Reglan continues to ruin my life, even though I stopped taking it some time ago."
Here's another posting, also from a 37-year-old female who took Reglan for six months (twice the recommended maximum) in 2007. Two years later, she reported that she was still experiencing tremors, involuntary muscle spasms, or Reglan tardive dyskinesia, akathisia and severe anxiety.
"Under any circumstances, please do NOT (author emphasis) take this medication. It has literally ruined my life. I am a young woman who is damaged for the rest of my life because of Reglan.
"This drug should be banned. If you do take this drug, DO NOT (author emphasis) take this drug for more than 3 months, as it's only approved by the [US Food and Drug Administration] for 3 months. I was left on the drug for 6 months and my brain became damaged. I will never be the same person, thanks to Reglan."
Reglan side effects in infants have also been a concern—and are reflected in some of the postings—after nursing mothers have been prescribed Reglan to boost milk production. Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome, or NMS, is also a worry—although extremely rare.
However Reglan and tardive dyskinesia are two terms you see together with increasing frequency. And while it's common to see images of older Americans suffering from involuntary movements of the tongue, jaw and eyes (blinking), it's disheartening to see images of younger Americans, at the height of their careers, suffering the ill effects that may be with them for the rest of their lives. Little wonder so many Americans are involved in a Reglan lawsuit.
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