What you should know about Reglan:
Reglan (metoclopramide) is a prescription drug commonly used for the treatment of gastrointestinal conditions. Reglan is most often used to control gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or to reduce nausea and vomiting. Physicians will often use Reglan for both children and adults suffering from reflux, gastroparesis, and other conditions related to the stomach such as heartburn, decreased appetite, and prolonged fullness after eating.

Reglan works by affecting the lower esophageal sphincter pressure, which then helps to improve gastrointestinal emptying. The FDA has only approved Reglan for short-term treatment (between 4 and 12 weeks) of these conditions, and only after conservative methods of treatment have failed. Unfortunately, prescription trends prove that many patients are prescribed Reglan for longer than 12 weeks (often for years), which is against FDA recommendations. We believe the manufacturers of Reglan are well aware of these extended prescription trends.

If you or a loved one has developed tardive dyskinesia while using Reglan, you may be eligible to seek and recover compensation for the injuries and losses incurred through a Reglan lawsuit. Bertram & Graf, LLC, is designed to provide aggressive and committed representation for injured consumers nationally. To discuss the unique circumstances of your potential Reglan tardive dyskinesia case, please contact us today.

Reglan Side Effects/Signs/Symptoms:
Reglan has been linked to various nervous system disorders. Long-term use of Reglan has been linked to a number of serious side effects including tardive dyskinesia, Parkinson’s-like symptoms, severe depression, and others. Tardive dyskinesia is a movement disorder that is marked by uncontrolled, involuntary muscle movements.
Symptoms may include one or more of the following uncontrolled movements:

• Jaw Movements
• Abnormal Facial Movement
• Lip smacking
• Puckering or pursing of the lips
• Facial grimacing
• Rapid tongue thrusting or protrusion
• Swelling of the tongue, throat or hives
• Rapid blinking, eye bulging
• Rapid movements of the arms, legs, and trunk
• Dystonia
• Mental Depression
• Unexplained abdominal pain

Both the risk of developing Tardive Dyskinesia and the likelihood that it will become irreversible are believed to increase with the duration of treatment and the total cumulative dose.

There is no known treatment for established cases of Tardive Dyskinesia. Those diagnosed with Tardive Dyskinesia may have a lifelong battle.

Even when Reglan (Metoclopramide) is stopped, the patient should not assume they will recover. Symptoms of Tardive Dyskinesia can be permanent. There are drugs that can be prescribed to treat Tardive Dyskinesia, but these drugs have their own risks and side effects, and cannot cure the condition, but only limit the symptoms somewhat.

Reglan in the news:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert to physicians, advising them against long-term use of metoclopramide. According to the agency, the drug is only approved for short-term use, as the higher the dose and the longer the use increases a patient’s risk of injury. The FDA estimates that approximately 2 million people have already used Reglan; that number is expected to continue to increase, putting many more Americans at risk.

In response to the mounting reports of Reglan-caused tardive dyskinesia, in February 2009, the FDA required manufactures of metoclopramide to add a boxed warning to their drug labels. The boxed warning is to alert consumers of the risk associated with high-dose and long-term Reglan  use. The FDA requires boxed warnings to ensure consumers and physicians understand the potential health risks associated with certain drugs. Consumers and their physicians can then make informed decisions about their treatment options.

• Reglan Warnings and Precautions
• Reglan: New Warnings from the FDA
• 2/26/2009 FDA's MedWatch Safety Alerts

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