metoclopramide

Brand names: Metoclopramide

# Metoclopramide: What You Need to Know Metoclopramide is a medicine that helps your stomach work better by making it move food through more quickly and easily. Doctors prescribe it when people have stomach problems like nausea, vomiting, or heartburn. It works by helping the muscles in your stomach and intestines contract in the right way so food moves where it needs to go. This medicine can help you feel better when your digestive system isn't working properly. While metoclopramide can be helpful, it's important to know some safety information before taking it. Don't mix this medicine with alcohol or certain pain medications because it can make you drowsy or cause other problems. If you're taking medicines for depression, high blood pressure, or sleep issues, tell your doctor before using metoclopramide because it might not work well with those drugs. Also, let your doctor know about any other medicines or supplements you're taking. Always follow your doctor's instructions carefully and report any side effects or concerns right away.

Known Interactions

Drug Interactions The effects of metoclopramide on gastrointestinal motility are antagonized by anticholinergic drugs and narcotic analgesics. Additive sedative effects can occur when metoclopramide is given with alcohol, sedatives, hypnotics, narcotics, or tranquilizers. The finding that metoclopramide releases catecholamines in patients with essential hypertension suggests that it should be used cautiously, if at all, in patients receiving monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Absorption of drugs from the stomach may be diminished (e.g. digoxin) by metoclopramide, whereas the rate and/or extent of absorption of drugs from the small bowel may be increased (e.g., acetaminophen, tetracycline, levodopa, ethanol, cyclosporine). Gastroparesis (gastric stasis) may be responsible for poor diabetic control in some patients. Exogenously administered insulin may begin to act before food has left the stomach and lead to hypoglycemia. Because the action of metoclopramide will influence the delivery of fo

Source: FDA-approved drug labeling via openFDA

Most Reported Side Effects (FAERS)

  • TARDIVE DYSKINESIA16,216 reports
  • EXTRAPYRAMIDAL DISORDER12,907 reports
  • NERVOUS SYSTEM DISORDER7,523 reports
  • DYSTONIA7,093 reports
  • NAUSEA6,270 reports
  • PAIN5,898 reports
  • VOMITING4,773 reports
  • ANXIETY4,054 reports
  • ECONOMIC PROBLEM3,962 reports
  • DIARRHOEA3,927 reports

Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Voluntary reports do not establish causation.

Check interactions with metoclopramide:

SafeCheck provides drug interaction information from FDA-approved product labeling (openFDA). This is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making medication decisions.