Robins introduced the drug in the US under the brand name Reglan in 1979 as an injectable and an oral form was approved in 1980. in 1989 A.H. Robins was acquired by American Home Products, which changed its name to Wyeth in 2002.The drugs were initially used to control nausea for people with severe headaches or migraines, and later uses for nausea caused by radiation therapy and chemotherapy, and later yet for treating nausea caused by anesthesia. In the US the injectable form was labelled for chemotherapy-induced nausea and the oral form was eventually labelled for gastroesophageal reflux disease.It became widely used in the 1980s, becoming the most commonly used drug to treat anesthesia-induced nausea and for treating gastritis in emergency rooms.The first generics were introduced in 1985.In the early 1980s signs began to emerge in pharmacovigilance studies from Sweden that the drug was causing tardive dyskinesia in some patients. The FDA required a warning about tardive dyskinesia to be added to the drug label in 1985 stating that: "tardive dyskinesia . . . may develop in patients treated with metoclopramide,” and warned against use longer than 12 weeks, as that was how long the drug has been tested. In 2009 the FDA required that a black box warning be added to the label.The emergence of this severe side effect led to a wave of product liability litigation against generic manufacturers as well as Wyeth.
It is also used in pregnancy as a second choice for treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum (severe nausea and vomiting of pregnancy).It is also used preventatively by some EMS providers when transporting people who are conscious and spinally immobilized. Migraine
In migraine headaches, metoclopramide may be used in combination with paracetamol (acetaminophen) or in combination with aspirin. Gastroparesis
Evidence also supports its use for gastroparesis, a condition that causes the stomach to empty poorly, and as of 2010 it was the only drug approved by the FDA for that condition.It is also used in gastroesophageal reflux disease. Lactation
While metoclopramide is used to try to increase breast milk production, evidence for its effectiveness for this is poor. Its safety for this use is also unclear. Procedures
Intravenous metoclopramide is used in small-bowel follow-through, small-bowel enema, and radionuclide gastric-emptying studies to reduce the time taken for barium to go through the intestines, thus reducing the total time needed for the procedures. Metoclopramide also prevents vomiting after oral ingestion of barium. Contraindications
Metoclopramide is contraindicated in pheochromocytoma. It should be used with caution in Parkinsons disease since, as a dopamine antagonist, it may worsen symptoms. Long-term use should be avoided in people with clinical depression, as it may worsen ones mental state.