New concern: Metoclopramide side effects

[Wisdom3_1-9]

Almost 17 years ago I had an emergency room visit for a truly awful bout of some stomach bug. I was given prochlorperazine, which helped with the nausea and vomiting. But it also caused cervical dystonia, which was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. It required another trip to the ER. Until they treated me again, I was screaming in agony from the pain.

I only recently discovered that metoclopramide is in the same family of drugs and there have been known cases of dystonia as an adverse effect. I'm now terribly concerned that this will upset my SN plans. I've considered taking some of the metoclopramide in advance just to see if it will mess me up, but I'm not sure how I would explain it to a doctor if it did. (It's a prescription drug and it most definitely was not prescribed to me.)

Just one more thing to worry about. Up until now, I've been prepared for a fair bit of discomfort and pain from the SN regimen, but have been looking forward to a relatively peaceful end. Now I'm just going to be worried that my departure will feature a repeat of my most (physically) painful experience. And at a time that I want to die in peace and quiet, I'm going to be screaming, writhing in pain.

 

[LaVieEnRose]

How did it take if you recall to feel the cervical dystonia after taking the prochlorperazine?

If your life has been shit, why would you expect your final moments to be different? (This question isn't specifically directed at you; it's more rhetorical.) Sure, we don't deserve unpleasant ends but we didn't deserve to be pushed to suicide either. If we can endure, then we never have to feel any pain or discomfort ever again. Of course, in practice is a completely different story than talking about it.

 

[well2hell]

Almost 17 years ago I had an emergency room visit for a truly awful bout of some stomach bug. I was given prochlorperazine, which helped with the nausea and vomiting. But it also caused cervical dystonia, which was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. It required another trip to the ER. Until they treated me again, I was screaming in agony from the pain.

I only recently discovered that metoclopramide is in the same family of drugs and there have been known cases of dystonia as an adverse effect. I'm now terribly concerned that this will upset my SN plans. I've considered taking some of the metoclopramide in advance just to see if it will mess me up, but I'm not sure how I would explain it to a doctor if it did. (It's a prescription drug and it most definitely was not prescribed to me.)

Just one more thing to worry about. Up until now, I've been prepared for a fair bit of discomfort and pain from the SN regimen, but have been looking forward to a relatively peaceful end. Now I'm just going to be worried that my departure will feature a repeat of my most (physically) painful experience. And at a time that I want to die in peace and quiet, I'm going to be screaming, writhing in pain.

If I recall correctly, prochlorperazine has a higher affinity for dopamine receptors than metoclopramide — meaning it carries a higher risk of tardive dyskinesia (TD).

It would be wise to test metoclopramide on its own. Have some Benadryl (diphenhydramine) at hand if TD appears. If you end up having to see a doctor, simply tell them you were feeling nauseous after eating leftovers and took some metoclopramide that you had at home because you were prescribed it for some reason a few years back.

In any case, there is an alternative: domperidone. It works the same way as metoclopramide, but it has the advantage of not crossing the blood-brain barrier (unless it is compromised) so it doesn't cause extrapyramidal symptoms like TD.

 

[BaronVon]

I have genuinely used this medicine prescription from a doctor for nausea related to stomach ulcer symptoms. I felt no side effects from it at all. I never understand the panic about it on this site personally

 

[Wisdom3_1-9]

If I recall correctly, prochlorperazine has a higher affinity for dopamine receptors than metoclopramide — meaning it carries a higher risk of tardive dyskinesia (TD).

It would be wise to test metoclopramide on its own. Have some Benadryl (diphenhydramine) at hand if TD appears. If you end up having to see a doctor, simply tell them you were feeling nauseous after eating leftovers and took some metoclopramide that you had at home because you were prescribed it for some reason a few years back.

In any case, there is an alternative: domperidone. It works the same way as metoclopramide, but it has the advantage of not crossing the blood-brain barrier (unless it is compromised) so it doesn't cause extrapyramidal symptoms like TD.

THANK YOU for this information. It's extremely helpful.

I have genuinely used this medicine prescription from a doctor for nausea related to stomach ulcer symptoms. I felt no side effects from it at all. I never understand the panic about it on this site personally

The thing is, people react differently to medications. Even if only a small percentage of people experience side effects, the risk might be more of a concern if you've had similar experiences in the past.