Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Alesha McElvogue-Calonkey on October 13, 2009 at 2:53pm

I take Reglan, but it did not work by itself, I take it three times a day and Prescription strength Prilosec twice a day and it is doing pretty good. Not real bloated, no pain and less gas problems like acidic burps, etc. There are different doses of reglan as well. Your dr may have to play with things a bit.

Permalink Reply by Linda Booth on October 14, 2009 at 3:31am

Thanks for the information. I guess I will need to talk to my doctor about it. Do you remember how long it took to work? I know some prescription drugs take a month or longer to take effect.

Permalink Reply by Margaret on October 13, 2009 at 4:24pm

Hi Linda,

I too have had gastroparesis for quite a while (for over 7 years). I was put on many types of meds including Erythromycin, Zofran, and Reglan. I was never really sure if Reglan was really making much of a difference or not. I later had to discontinue using it due to a side effect called "Tardive Dyskinesia." I was actually on Reglan for a year or more before I experienced this side effect. I think some people respond to using Reglan, but in my case it's usefulness was very limited.
If you are searching for more help, support, and information regarding Gastroparesis, I also organize a support group website called G.A.T.E.-Gastroparesis And Type 1 diabetes Exhange. It is actually for anyone with either condition or both conditions like myself. The website is http://www.meetup.com/Type1Diabetes-GP-SupportGroup/

You can join the group, (it's free) and can participate online if you aren't located neraby. We also meet locally in th SF East Bay Area, California.

The website also has a lot of good Gastroparesis-related information on the messageboard and on the website files. I hope you find it helpful for you.




Margaret

Permalink Reply by Linda Booth on October 14, 2009 at 3:36am

Thank you Margaret for the information. I joined the group website G.A.T.E. What is "Tardive Dyskinesia"?

Permalink Reply by Margaret on October 14, 2009 at 10:42am

Hi Linda,

I'm glad you decided to join the G.A.T.E. support group. To answer your question, "Tardive Dyskinesia" is a side effect you can experience after taking certain types of medications, including Reglan which is also known as "Metoclopramide." It causes involuntary movements of the face. In my case, it effected my tongue. I thought it had become swollen because it seemed to keep coming out of my mouth. But what had actually occured was that I had developed this "Tardive Dyskinesia" side effect. Luckily, as soon as I stopped taking the Reglan the side effect went away. For some people, however, this side effect continues indefinately, can get worse, and can become permanent in some cases. I would recommend that you look into Reglan's possible side effects if you will continue using this medication. I have put a few links below to some informational websites.


Here is a link to more information about the condition. https://www.google.com/health/ref/Tardive+dyskinesia
Here is a link to Reglan side effects. http://www.medicinenet.com/metoclopramide/article.htm

Margaret

Permalink Reply by Linda Booth on October 14, 2009 at 2:25pm

Thanks for the information. I will definitely be talking to my doctor regarding the side effects. So if you no longer take Reglan, what do you take if anything? My gastroparesis is so bad that I am hoping something will help it. I've had episodes so bad that I will be on the floor doubled over in pain from it, waiting for it to subside. It lasts about 10-15 min but it is so excruciating and afterward I will vomit so hard that I will have red splotchy patches on my face.(this was before I started taking Reglan) And then other times I am just so uncomfortable from the distention and bloating. Also I am not able to wear skirts or pants(anything with a waistband) because it is just too uncomfortable.

Permalink Reply by Margaret on October 14, 2009 at 3:06pm

You are welcome for the information. I have a gastric pacemaker/stimulater, which has greatly reduced the number of overall episodes I have. For example, one year I had approximately had 50-60 hospital ER/hospital admissions. Now I probably average about 3 a year. It is not a cure for Gastroparesis, but it definatly helps out a lot to prevent my nausea/vomitting/pain episodes. I can relate to the pain issues very much. The pain I experienced was a combination of burning and stabbing pain. Even if I try to lie down (between trips to the toilet to throw up), I can never find a comfortable position. The nausea is awful. It's like a lingering nausea that makes you almost want to throw up in hopes that the feeling will go away, but it doesn't. Once I start vomitting, it's normally cyclic. Meaning that you are sick throwing up several times over and over and over. I am unable to hold anything down including water, so I eventually become so dehydrated that I am forced to go to the ER for IV hydration. To make matters worse for me, my veins are very hard to access, so no one can put an IV in me anymore, I now have a port that I use for this purpose.

Permalink Reply by Linda Booth on October 15, 2009 at 9:59am

Wow you really have had it rough too. Well it is really nice to be able to talk to someone else experiencing the same thing. I'm not sure what my doctor will suggest next but I really don't think this pill is making much of a difference anyway. Just this morning I was awoken with what seemed the start of an attack but I was able to fight it off(I am able to do that sometimes by deep breathing exercises) and then other times I am not so fortunate. Well thanks for all the information and all the best to you.

Permalink Reply by Margaret on October 15, 2009 at 3:57pm

You're welcome, Linda. Good luck with everything. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.

Permalink Reply by Laurie Pariseau on October 18, 2009 at 4:22pm

Linda,
In my experience Reglan worked in 2-3 days. It is helpful to take it 30 minutes before the meal too. I find the gastroparesis really complicating my blood sugar control. My doctor told me to stop taking the Reglan because of potential side effects which are irreversible once they happen. I get really bad heartburn with throbbing pain in my chest. The Reglan helps so much that I sneaked some recently- which I had leftover from my previous prescription. It helped within an hour. So now I am convinced that I need it periodically. This diagnosis makes me so mad about having diabetes- no other problems but this- healthy heart, kidneys, eyes, other nerves except the gastrointestinal ones,

Permalink Reply by Linda Booth on October 20, 2009 at 11:08am

Laurie,

Thank you so much for the information. I have been taking Reglan 30 minutes before each meal and at bedtime. And I've been taking it for 3 weeks now and it hasn't seemed to do very much. I have a lot of bloating still going on and have had to fight off stomach attacks with severe pain. Sometimes I am so bloated and it is so uncomfortable that I can't even sleep. Also I cannot wear pants or skirts(anything with a waistband) as it is just too uncomfortable. I'm only on 5 mg so maybe that's why, I don't know. I've heard there are some bad side effects but not sure I'm experiencing anything. I have had heartburn since I started taking it but not real often. I really hate this condition too.

Permalink Reply by Katie on April 19, 2010 at 9:46pm

Hi, Linda!

I am new to thie website, and group. In case your doctor didn't tell you, Reglan/Metoclopramide has been black labeled by the FDA due to the condition Tardive Dyskinesia (listed in comments above). Apparently it is very common in long term use of the drug. My doctor switched me to domperidone. It is a generic drug from Canada, and is the drug of choice for treatment of gastroparesis. My doctor said that the best part is, there are NO SIDE EFFECTS! I have found this to be true, and I would say the number of times that I throw up has been decreased by at least 50%.

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