From the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, this article discusses Tardive Dyskinesia and a possible treatment. In the example cited, an individual who had an AIMS (abnormal involuntary movement scale) score of 21 was able to reduce it to a 10 in just 4 weeks. This is not to say that this is a cure, but possibly something for you and your doctor to consider as a potential treatment for this debilitating disorder.
Sharma H. Treatment of Tardive Dyskinesia by tetrabenazine, clonazepam and vitamin E. Indian J Psychiatry [serial online] 2009 [cited 2009 Apr 24];51:162-3. Available from: http://www.indianjpsychiatry.org/text.asp?2009/51/2/162/49466
We have recently issued a press release detailing our reglan side effects lawsuit for tardive dyskinesia sufferers. The text of the press release which can be read at PR Web’s site is as follows:
Gregory & Swapp PLLC now represents clients who have been injured by the prescription drug Reglan, announces Managing Partner J. Craig Swapp. With the FDA’s recent black box warning for the drug Reglan, the law firm has introduced a Reglan lawsuit website to help inform individuals of the dangers of the drug and what legal options are available to those injured by its side effects.
Reglan is a popular prescription drug used by millions of people to deal with gastrointestinal problems in adults. Unfortunately, according to the FDA’s black box warning, the prolonged use of Reglan has been linked to the development of Tardive Dyskinesia. Tardive Dyskinesia is a serious and often irreversible movement disorder, with involuntary body twitching such as repetitive movement of extremities, facial ticks, constant lip-smacking, unintentional grimacing of the face, tongue protrusion, rapid eye movement or blinking, puckering of the lips and impaired finger movement. People suffering from Tardive Dyskinesia often withdraw from social contact, and can be affected emotionally and psychologically – leading to severe depression.
For updates concerning Reglan side effects, please visit this web link.
Reglan is the trade name for metoclopramide, a prescription drug used to treat gastrointestinal problems in adults, such as diabetic gastropaesis, delayed gastric emptying, and GERD (Acid Reflux Disease). Metoclopramide is a dopamine antagonist which is intended to increase lower esophageal sphincter pressure and thus improve gastrointestinal emptying. The FDA approved Reglan in 1985 for short-term treatment (between 4 and 12 weeks) of these conditions only after other treatment methods have failed.
Some evidence indicates that a third of patients taking Reglan were prescribed the drug for longer than 12 weeks. Of those long-term patients, about 20% developed some form of Tardive Dyskinesia (Western Journal of Medicine). Recent studies have indicated that up to 2 million people were prescribed Reglan or its generic equivalents. The elderly are especially susceptible to the medication. Reglan is manufactured by Baxter Healthcare Corporation and several generic versions are manufactured by Wyeth, Pliva, Schwarz Pharma, and Teva Pharmaceuticals.
The Law Firm of Gregory & Swapp PLLC handles serious personal injury cases, including dangerous prescription drugs, wrongful death, vehicle accidents, etc. For more information please visit Gregory & Swapp’s Tardive Dyskinesia website or call 1-800-404-9000.
FDA is putting a black box warning (the strongest FDA warning) on all drugs containing the pharmaceutical ingredient metoclopramide (Reglan), which is used in the treatment of disorders like heartburn caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease.
“The new black box warns of the risk of tardive dyskinesia, a neurological disorder that causes muscle spasms and repetitive movements. The risk grows with prolonged use of the drug or with high doses of it, and it usually continues even after the drug is stopped, the warning states. ”The chronic use of metoclopramide therapy should be avoided in all but rare cases where the benefit is believed to outweigh the risk,” said CDER chief Janet Woodcock.”
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today 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.”
“A drug manufacturer may be liable for negligent misrepresentation even though it would not be liable in strict products liability because it did not manufacture or sell the product which harmed the consumer, the First District Court of Appeal held Friday.
Reversing San Francisco Superior Court Judge Robert L. Dondero’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Wyeth Inc., Div. Three ruled that the pharmaceutical company owed a duty of care in formulating its product warnings extended to patients who were injured by generic versions of Wyeth’s medications.
Wyeth manufactures and markets a medication containing metoclopramide, sold under the trade name Reglan, which is used to treat gastroesophagel reflux disease. Purepac Pharmaceutical Company, Teva Pharmaceutical USA Inc., and Pliva Inc. all manufacture generic versions of metoclopramide. ”