Reglan - Treatment for Radiation Therapy Side Effects

Since cancer is essentially made up of the body's own native cells (as opposed to being a "foreign" pathogen), most of the standard treatments that are effective in killing cancer cells are likely to have a negative effect on the patient as well. This is why cancer patients undergoing radiation treatments often experience nausea.

Controlling these symptoms is vitally important, since proper nutrition is vital to the recovery process for cancer patients. It is one reason oncologists and other doctors involved in cancer treatment have prescribed metoclopramide, which is sold under the brand names Maxolon and Reglan.

Mechanism of Metoclopramide

First developed in the 1960s as an antipsychotic or neuroleptic medication to treat schizophrenics, metoclopramide works by shutting down the dopamine receptors in the body, which receive neurochemical instructions from the brain (dopamine is the transmitter). In order for an anti-psychotic medication to work properly, it must be able to cross the "blood-brain barrier," a fine network of capillaries that screen out certain chemicals from the blood and prevent them from entering the brain tissue itself.

Unlike more established and commonly-used medications (namely chloropromazine and haloperidol), metoclopramide was not able to cross this barrier. However, when it came to gastro-intestinal problems, this was not an issue, since the control center of this system lies outside of the brain. This made metoclopramide an excellent treatment for motion sickness and other forms of nausea.

There Were Side Effects...

Although effective for short-term relief of symptoms, it has been found that on patient in five will experience almost immediate side effects. Among radiation patients, Reglan may exacerbate feelings of fatigue that have already resulted from the treatment; alternatively, some patients wind up having feelings of restlessness, even agitation. Young people under the age of thirty may find it impossible to control movements of the extremities.

Long-term (90 days or more) effects include clinical depression and movement disorders such as tardive dyskinesia or similar to those in suffered by patients with Parkinson's Disease. Most at risk for these symptoms ñ which are usually permanent, even after the medication has been discontinued ñ are women over the age of fifty-five.

Contraindications

Asthmatics, as well as those already diagnosed with clinical depression should not take Reglan. It should also be avoided by those with kidney disorders, Parkinson's Disease, or any kind of ulcer or gastro-intestinal bleeding. Patients being treated for high blood pressure should also avoid Reglan.

Although it has not been established as to whether Reglan can pass the placental barrier and affect a fetus, it is known that nursing babies can ingest the medication through their mothers' milk; it should therefore be avoided by pregnant and nursing women.

A study published in 2004 also established an increased risk of hip fracture among elderly patients treated long-term with Reglan.

Alternative Medications

Serotonin is another type of neurotransmitter that is specific to the regulation of digestive function and gag reflex. Serotonin blockers are thus a good alternative to dopamine receptor antagonists.

Medical marijuana has long been established as an effective remedy for relieving nausea and stimulating appetite among cancer patients. Although lobbyists for the large pharmaceutical corporations continue to fight against its legalization by the federal government, many states are starting to allow its use. Currently, these include:

Washington
Oregon
California
Montana
Colorado
New Mexico
Nevada
Michigan
Vermont
Maine
Hawaii
Alaska
Rhode Island

Herbal and other non-chemical treatments include peppermint and ginger as well as hypnotherapy and acupuncture. Regardless of the alternative, cancer patients should discuss any such choices with their doctor before undergoing such treatments.

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