A hiccup (also called hiccough or singultus) is an involuntary, intermittent, spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles followed by laryngeal closure, and is usually transient. Rarely they can be persistent (continuing for 48 hours or up to one month) or intractable (longer than one month).
Download the complete bulletin:
Download (PDF, 12.21KB)
A joint initiative of the Patient Services Section and the Drug and Therapeutics Information Service of the Pharmacy Department, Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park, South Australia. The RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin is distributed in electronic format on a weekly basis, and aims to present concise, factual information on issues of current interest in therapeutics, drug safety and cost-effective use of medications.
Editor: Assoc. Prof. Chris Alderman, University of South Australia – Director of Pharmacy, RGH © Pharmacy Department, Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park, South Australia 5041.
Tagged as:
baclofen,
chlorpromazine,
hiccough,
hiccups,
metoclopramide,
RGH E-bulletin,
singultus
Patients receiving long-term metoclopramide treatment are at risk for tardive dyskinesia. Tardive dyskinesia is one of the clinical manifestations of drug-induced movement disorders along with akathisia, dystonia and parkinsonism. It is a hyperkinetic movement disorder characterized by involuntary, repetitive movements of the extremities, or lip smacking, grimacing, tongue protrusion, rapid eye movements or blinking, puckering and pursing of the lips, or impaired movement of the fingers. One study of 125 patients presenting for drug-induced movement disorders revealed 63% had tardive dyskinesia, 30% parkinsonism, 24% dystonia and 7% akathisia.
Drugs that block dopamine receptors, such as antipsychotics, have been associated with these adverse effects, but the association with anti-emetics such as metoclopramide and prochlorperazine has been less well-recognised.
The complete bulletin can be downloaded here
The 2009 RGH E-Bulletins are archived here.
If you like this post and what else you see on the blog please subscribe by RSS feed (the orange button) or by email. Visit my subscription page.
Tagged as:
disorder,
metoclopramide,
movement,
RGH E-bulletin,
tardive dyskinesia
