What is Reglan Used For?

Reglan Drug Injury

Reglan® is approved for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and the short-term treatment of diabetic gastroparesis (a condition caused by diabetes that involves the stomach emptying too slowly). Reglan is also prescribed to treat nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite in some patients. This is because Reglan affects part of the brain known to trigger vomiting.

How Does Reglan Help Treat GERD?

Reglan works in several ways. First of all, Reglan helps speed the process by which the stomach empties food into the intestines for digestion. This helps alleviate GERD, a condition that causes heartburn. Heartburn results from the stomach’s contents flowing back up into the esophagus. Since the stomach is filled with acidic fluid that burns the lining of the esophagus, the burning sensation in the upper chest area (near the heart) is referred to as “heartburn.”

Because Reglan causes the stomach to empty its contents into the intestines, it helps prevent the back flow, or “reflux,” of the stomach’s acidic contents into parts of the body where it can cause discomfort.

How Does Reglan Help Treat Diabetic Gastroparesis?

Diabetic gastroparesis is a condition in which the stomach cannot efficiently empty itself of food because of nerve damage. This prevents food from moving into the digestive system. Diabetic gastroparesis is a chronic condition and can have severe symptoms that include heartburn, nausea, and dramatic weight loss.

Because Reglan helps empty the stomach and speeds up the digestive process, it is often prescribed for diabetic gastroparesis.

How Does Reglan Cause Tardive Dyskinesia?

Tardive dyskinesia is a serious, often incurable neurological disorder occurring in Reglan users. People with tardive dyskinesia suffer from abnormal, uncontrolled, and involuntary body movements. These movements can affect any part of the body and include:

• rapid eye blinking
• smacking, puckering, or pursing of the lips
• sticking the tongue in and out
• swaying of the hips

These symptoms occur because Reglan blocks a chemical called dopamine. When cells lack regular amounts of dopamine, they become hypersensitive, and if even a tiny amount of dopamine comes in contact with these cells, the nerves will misfire, causing the body to move in irregular and uncontrollable ways. Many Reglan and tardive dyskinesia lawsuits have been filed as a result of these side effects.