Reglan

Plaintiffs' Personal Injury Law Firm

Reglan

Reglan is a product that was manufactured by Wyeth and Schwarz Pharmaceuticals to treat acid reflux or gastro esophageal reflux (GERD), heartburn, nausea and vomiting. It was distributed by Baxter Healthcare and was approved by the FDA in 1985. More that two million prescriptions for Reglan have been administered since the product hit the market. The company enjoys over $27 million in profits each year from sales of this product.

Reglan, or metoclopramide, is a dopamine inhibitor and its purpose is to strengthen the muscles of the stomach as it goes through the digestive process. In order to prevent acid reflux Reglan helps move the process on a little more rapidly.

But the side effects of this product began to show up fairly quickly. While reducing the levels of dopamine the hormone prolactin was activated and began to affect the central nervous system. Patients who took Reglan began experiencing side effects that were similar to those of Parkinson's patients as they were unable to control the movement of their bodies. Symptoms even began mimicking the effects of Tardive Dyskinesia with twitching, involuntary shaking and tremors and extreme facial movements.

And if that weren't enough, symptoms of Reglan produced suicidal thoughts and attempts, loss of sexual desire in women and erectile dysfunction in men. Patients also suffered from depression, memory loss and confusion and extreme anxiety.

By February of 2009, the Food and Drug Administration stepped in and required Wyeth and Schwarz to include warning boxes on their product alerting people to the dangers associated with taking this medication. Originally the FDA had approved Reglan for patients who could not find any other relief for their acid reflux problems. But the drug was only deemed safe in low doses and for short periods of time. Major concerns began as the number of people who developed Tardive Dyskinesia increased after using Reglan.

The side effects of taking this medication seem to persist even after you stop taking it. Patients who took Reglan in higher doses for periods of 3 months or longer showed signs of the seizures and muscle movements listed above and in a lot of cases the effects were permanent.

If you, someone in your family or anyone you know used the drug Reglan to resolve acid reflux issues and suffered any of the side effects listed here, please contact us here at Napoli Bern Ripka Law Firm. You may be eligible for compensation through any number of class action suits against the makers of this drug.

If you live in New York you can make an appointment to come to our office which is located in the Empire State building. We also have offices throughout the country. We are committed to helping our clients realize the justice that they deserve.

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