A number of years ago, these three—Reglan, Tardive Dyskinesia and Marijuana—probably would not have been sitting in a headline together. But with the recent FDA-imposed black box warning for Reglan—the one that states the drug can bring on potentially chronic and debilitating neurological side effects (translation: tardive dyskinesia), Reglan’s been sitting side-by-side more often in text than GERD or “acid-reflux” patients would like.
The disturbing thing about Tardive Dyskinesia—aside from the fact that it’s a potential side effect of something used to treat a condition that’s seemingly rather commonplace—is that any resource you go to will tell you there is no treatment for it. That’s right: no treatment. And it can be completely debilitating—there are no shortage of videos on youtube.com to give you an impression of how challenging the condition must be to live with. Read the rest of this entry »
So you’re pregnant, you’re heavy, you’re tired, and you’re suffering from indigestion and nausea quite badly. This is typically a situation beyond the ability of Alka-Seltzer to remedy. One of the medicines currently available to treat acid reflux (GERD) and nausea is Reglan, and it may be recommended to pregnant women in some instances, in the tablet formulation. The only problem is there’s a chance, slim perhaps, but still a chance your indigestion might be replaced by tardive dyskinesia—a movement disorder syndrome. And there’s also the question of what it could do to the fetus. So what should you do?
Someone should do a case study on how companies handle product recalls and safety issues—it seems all the learning from the 1982 Tylenol recall may have been lost and some companies need a little lesson in transparency. Or a lesson from Nutro Products. Read on…
Take the recent Hydroxycut recall. Looking for the official company line? Don’t bother going to their website. That is if you can even find their website. Hydroxycut is manufactured by a Canadian firm, Iovate Health Sciences, Inc. But don’t try to find an Iovate website—that would actually be muscletech.com. Like most users, when you get there, you might try to search for Hydroxycut. Go ahead. You’ll get squat in the search results (see image). However, if you know that Hydroxycut was marketed as a Fat Burner, you can go to the “Products” drop down menu and click on “Fat Burners”. That’ll take you to a clearly just-whipped-up site about the recall. And here’s the kicker: Iovate is not mentioned ANYWHERE on the site. Transparent? No.
1. Approved for 12-week use. Reglan is only approved to be taken for up to 12 weeks, though it’s often prescribed for longer time periods.
2. Generic name is Metoclopramide. Check your prescription label as you may in fact be taking a generic version of Reglan, but not be aware that you are.
3. Prescribed for more than Acid Reflux (GERD). Reglan is a gastrointestinal stimulant, but it’s also an anti-nauseant. It’s prescribed for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, Diabetic Gastroparesis (Diabetic Gastric Stasis), and Renal or Hepatic Impairment.
4. Linked to Tardive Dyskinesia. Reglan has been linked to Tardive Dyskinesia, which involves abnormal and involuntary repetitive movement. Tardive dyskinesia is often permanent, and there is no known effective treatment.