Redlands, CASandra S (not her real name) says she has been dealing with Reglan side effects for almost 30 years. She was prescribed the Reglan medication in the 1980s and shortly after started suffering from side effects. Sandra has not been diagnosed with Reglan Tardive Dyskinesia but she does experience involuntary movement and twitching. Now, she wants other people to know what can happen, so they do not experience it themselves.
"I've been having these problems [side effects] for a long time," Sandra says. "I was prescribed Reglan off and on for a long time. I have twitches under my eyes. Actually, it's under one eye, but it alternates from side to side. Also, it feels like a muscle wraps around my throat when I yawn. I have little seizures in my arms and hands. I get very bad shakes of my head, arms and hands. I have little spasms throughout my body.
"I was taking Reglan for my stomach—they thought it was an ulcer but it wasn't. The more Reglan they told me to take, the worse I got. I was really tired and achy. This has been going on for some time. I did lose my stomach. They [doctors] eventually thought I had stomach cancer but after they took out my stomach it turned out it wasn't cancer. I was wondering if it [the stomach problem] was attributed to Reglan, but I'm not sure. I still have spasms in the area where my stomach was and I don't know why.
"I've had anxiety and panic attacks. I also have bad headaches that I didn't used to have but I don't know if that is because of Reglan."
It has been almost 30 years since Sandra first took Reglan. She stopped taking it about 8 years ago, but she still suffers from side effects that have been linked to the medication. Sandra says that when she was prescribed Reglan, it was for long periods at a time.
"I had a little seizure that paralyzed the side of my face for a while and I still have twinges that freeze the side of my face," Sandra says. "I don't know why I would have the feeling of something being wrapped around my throat—it just happens and all I can do is try to relax, but I panic when that happens. It's like someone is wrapping something about an inch thick around my neck.
"My hands give me a lot of trouble. I get coldness and tingling in my fingers and my feet. I also have a paralyzing effect in my feet—they turn into a large pretzel. The twinges in my face, neck and hands are regularly occurring.
"They [doctors] told me I have a nervous stomach and they ended up taking it out. They gave me overdoses of a medication that can cause serious problems that go misdiagnosed, then I had to go through major surgery to correct the problem—I lost my stomach!
"I didn't have panic attacks before the medication but they started soon after. I was so bad that I couldn't leave the house for a couple of years and there was no reason for that. I had to train myself to leave the house. Anxiety attacks are very sad, especially when you're used to being independent. I had to go under doctor's care for the panic attacks.
"The twitching is so embarrassing when it happens in public and you don't know it's happening until you think that something is wrong and you touch it and can feel it happening. I don't think you should take a medication for any length of time if it can cause that.
"I just hope my story can help somebody else not go through this."