What is "metoclopramide"

n. (context pharmacology English) A gastrokinetic drug with antiemetic properties.

Metoclopramide is a medication used mostly for stomach and esophageal problems. It is commonly used to treat nausea and vomiting, to help with emptying of the stomach in people with delayed stomach emptying due to either diabetes or following surgery, and to help with gastroesophageal reflux disease. It is also used to treat migraine headaches.

Common side effects include: feeling tired, diarrhea, and feeling restless. More serious side effects include: movement disorder like tardive dyskinesia, a condition called neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and depression. It is thus rarely recommended that people take the medication for longer than twelve weeks. It is pregnancy category B in the United States and category A in Australia, meaning no evidence of harm has been found after being taken by many pregnant women. It belongs to the group of medications known as dopamine-receptor antagonists.

In 2012, metoclopramide was one of the top 100 most prescribed medications in the United States. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, a list of the most important medication needed in a basic health system.