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Reglan Tardive
Dyskinesia Neurological Disorder Lawsuits
(GERD and GER Drug Reaction Lawyer)
Tardive
dyskinesia is a neurological disorder that exhibits itself
through repetitive, involuntary, & purposeless movements like
grimacing; tongue protrusion; lip smacking, puckering & pursing;
and rapid eye blinking. Victims of tardive dyskinesia also can
exhibit rapid & involuntary movements of the arms and legs. The
neurological disorder can be caused by Reglan Tablets, Reglan
Oral Disintegrating Tablets, Metoclopramide Oral Solution, and
Reglan Injections.
If your child,
yourself, or someone else that you love has been given Reglan
and has exhibited Tardive Dyskinesia symptoms, make sure that
you get this person to a proper medical doctor, then feel free
to
e-mail your questions about Reglan and Tardive Dyskinesia.
FDA Requires Boxed
Warning for Reglan and other Metoclopramide Containing Drugs (Tardive
Dyskinesia GER and GERD Lawsuits)
On February 26, 2009,
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that
manufacturers of metoclopramide, a drug used to treat
gastrointestinal disorders, must add a boxed warning to their
drug labels about the risk of its long-term or high-dose use.
Chronic use of metoclopramide has been linked to tardive
dyskinesia, which may include involuntary and repetitive
movements of the body, even after the drugs are no longer taken.
Manufacturers are required to implement a
risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, or REMS, to ensure
patients are provided with a medication guide that discusses
this risk.
The FDA wants patients and health care
professionals to know about this risk so they can make informed
decisions about treatment, said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director
of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. The
chronic use of metoclopramide therapy should be avoided in all
but rare cases where the benefit is believed to outweigh the
risk.
Current product labeling warns of the risk of
tardive dyskinesia with chronic metoclopramide treatment. The
development of this condition is directly related to the length
of time a patient is taking metoclopramide and the number of
doses taken. Those at greatest risk include the elderly,
especially older women, and people who have been on the drug for
a long time.
Tardive dyskinesia is characterized by
involuntary, repetitive movements of the extremities, or lip
smacking, grimacing, tongue protrusion, rapid eye movements or
blinking, puckering and pursing of the lips, or impaired
movement of the fingers. These symptoms are rarely reversible
and there is no known treatment. However, in some patients,
symptoms may lessen or resolve after metoclopramide treatment is
stopped.
Metoclopramide works by speeding up the
movement of the stomach muscles, thus increasing the rate at
which the stomach empties into the intestines. It is used as a
short-term treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease in
patients who have not responded to other therapies, and to treat
diabetic gastroparesis (slowed emptying of the stomach's
contents into the intestines). It is recommended that treatment
not exceed three months.
Metoclopramide is available in a variety of
formulations including tablets, syrups and injections. Names of
metoclopramide-containing products include Reglan Tablets,
Reglan Oral Disintegrating Tablets, Metoclopramide Oral
Solution, and Reglan Injection. More than two million Americans
use these products.
Recently published analyses suggest that
metoclopramide is the most common cause of drug-induced movement
disorders. Another analysis of study data by the FDA showed that
about 20 percent of patients in that study who used
metoclopramide took it for longer than three months. The FDA has
also become aware of continued spontaneous reports of tardive
dyskinesia in patients who used metoclopramide, the majority of
whom had taken the drug for more than three months.
Reglan Tardive
Dyskinesia Lawsuits (GER and GERD Malpractice)
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a
more serious form of gastroesophageal reflux (GER), which is
common. GER occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES)
opens spontaneously, for varying periods of time, or does not
close properly and stomach contents rise up into the esophagus.
GER is also called acid reflux or acid regurgitation, because
digestive juices—called acids—rise up with the food.
When acid reflux occurs, food or fluid can be
tasted in the back of the mouth. When refluxed stomach acid
touches the lining of the esophagus it may cause a burning
sensation in the chest or throat called heartburn or acid
indigestion. Occasional GER is common and does not necessarily
mean one has GERD. Persistent reflux that occurs more than twice
a week is considered GERD, and it can eventually lead to more
serious health problems. People of all ages can have GERD.
An estimated two-thirds of all infants suffer
from GER, though the pathological condition called GERD (gastroesophageal
reflux disease) affects approximately only one in 300 babies.
Reglan is a neuroleptic medication used to
treat gastrointestinal problems that have had many cases of
Tardive Dyskinesia reported in response to it. Reglan is
supposed to increase the stomach and small intestine
contractions to help the passage of food. As every medication,
Reglan has side effects associated to it and some of them are
very serious. In February 1996, the FDA warned that Reglan
causes an increased risk of Parkinsonism.
Reglan is a dopamine antagonist that
increases lower esophageal sphincter pressure and improves
gastrointestinal emptying. The FDA approved Reglan, which is
manufactured by Baxter Healthcare Corporation, for short-term
treatment (between 4 and 12 weeks) of these conditions only
after conservative methods of treatment have failed. However, it
is common that patients are prescribed Reglan for longer than 12
weeks, which is against FDA recommendations.
This is problematic because prolonged use of
Reglan can cause Tardive Dyskinesia, a serious and often
irreversible movement disorder. Infants who are given Reglan
appear to be at an even greater risk for this serious drug side
effect.
The symptoms a person can experience from
Tardive Dyskinesia can vary from mild barely noticeable facial
ticks and involuntary movements to severe problems. Severe cases
of Tardive Dyskinesia can have a significant impact on a
person's life disabling them from normal functioning. Severe
facial ticks and involuntary body movements can be extremely
embarrassing cause a person to withdraw from social
interactions.
Texas Tardive Dyskinesia
(Drug Reactions)
If you have any questions
about Tardive Dyskinesia that you think was caused by Reglan any
other Metoclopramide Containing Drugs,
please feel free to e-mail your questions.
The ToxicDoseLaw.com Website
was developed by Texas Dangerous Drug Attorney Jason Coomer. He
is a Texas Reglan Lawyer who commonly works with other Reglan
Tardive Dyskinesia Lawyers including Houston Tardive Dyskinesia
lawyers, Dallas GERD Medical Malpractice Lawyers, San Antonio
GERD Malpractice Lawyers, and other Austin Reglan Medical
Negligence Lawyers on a variety of product liability and medical
malpractice lawsuits. By sharing information and working
together, his law firm and other firms throughout the nation are
able to provide better representation for there clients. For
more information on Texas Lawyer Jason Coomer,
go to his Law
Firm's Web Site. |
