Receive a FREE Booklet
How Reglan® Causes Tardive Dyskinesia
Reglan® (or metoclopramide), taken for gastrointestinal symptoms, and many antipsychotic medications, block dopamine receptors in the brain. Dopamine is considered a neurotransmitter, which means that it delivers chemical messages to muscles and nerves within the body.
When dopamine is blocked, as in neuroleptic drugs called dopamine antagonists (e.g. Reglan®), the signals that get transmitted to the body are interrupted. This, in turn, causes the muscles in the body to function differently. An excess of dopamine receptors then exist in the body and this makes the user more prone to having involuntary movements.
To treat heartburn or acid reflux, signals telling muscles of the upper gastrointestinal tract to relax are blocked by the dopamine antagonists in Reglan®. When Reglan® is taken for longer than three months, however, the blockage of dopamine actually causes other parts of the body to be affected. There are cases where Reglan® was taken for less than three months and individuals developed tardive dyskinesia, but a majority of cases of Reglan® -induced tardive dyskinesia occurred in people who were taking the medication for longer than three months.
Certain People May Be More Susceptible To The Effects of Reglan®
- Smokers
- Children & adolescents
- Schizophrenics
- Those born with developmental defects such as brain disorders, fetal alcohol syndrome & mental retardation
- The elderly
Anyone can get tardive dyskinesia. You don't have to fall into a certain group of people to develop the debilitating disorder. You only have to take Reglan®, and you may develop tardive dyskinesia, a disorder that you may suffer from without end.
Read about: Symptoms of Tardive Dyskinesia
If you would like to discuss financial compensation, call us at 1-800-214-1600 for a FREE consultation or fill out the form.
