How does Domperidone Work (Part II)
When you are reading, writing or actually doing medical practice many issues related to the physical wellbeing of people seem to always filter their way into what you read write and do. They never stop invading your privacy and sometimes you have to work long hours dealing with them. One of them of course is side effects that accompany treatments along with other issues that need to be minimized, prevented or eliminated. Read on for more info on how domperidone works.
What side effects result from domperidone?
First things first so let’s try to delve into the meaning of side effects. A side effect may be viewed as an unwanted response to the work of any medication which is taken by a person in prescribed dosages.
Like everything else connected with disease, side effects caused by medications such as domperidone may be mild or severe, temporary or permanent.
Even though this is the general result of taking medication, there are people or patients who don’t experience side effects when they take the domperidone medication.
People are usually wary of side effects and perhaps even you become concerned by their impacts on your life and business.
If that’s the case, you should conduct a detailed discussion of the risks and benefits of medication with your doctor or pharmacist.
Commons side effects
Over a period of time, about 1% of people who took domperidone reported the appearance of symptoms. However many of them proved manageable while some dissipated by themselves over time.
If you ever experience the side effects listed below which may be severe and troublesome to you, you should quickly contact your doctor. Your pharmacist may also be able to give you advice on how to manage side effects. Here they are:
- dry mouth
- migraine or very painful headache
- cramps in your abdominal area
- pain in your breast(s)
- skin rash
- nausea or dizziness
- headache
- diarrhea
Less common side effect
Even though the list of side effects given below don’t occur very often, they can cause more serious problems if they are not known by your doctor or if you fail to seek medical treatment.
Whenever any of the side effects listed below actually take place, you are advised to consult with your doctor as soon as possible:
- you experience a flow of breast milk from your nipple
- you feel strong palpitations of your heartbeat or pulse
- your menstrual cycles become irregular
- in males, the breast may start to swell.
When you are already taking this drug medication, you should cease taking it and immediately seek medical attention if the side effects mentioned below occur:
- a feeling of fainting or dizziness
- irregular beating of the heart
- if signs of allergic reaction such as hives (skin rash), breathing difficulties and swelling face or throat, take place.
Other side effects not listed among those given above may be experienced by some people when they take domperidone. When this happens while you are taking the drug medication and it causes you concern and bother, you should check with your doctor and discuss the matter.
What are the precautions for using domperidone?
- Before taking the medication – make sure you let your doctor know of any medical issues or allergies you may have experienced, medications you’re taking, if you are pregnant or breast-feeding your child or other important information concerning your health. Whatever decision the doctor makes will be based on the knowledge of these facts in connection to how you should use the domperidone drug medication.
- Heart issues and cardiac arrest – studies undertaken recently show that irregularities of heart rhythm that can result in cardiac arrest or sudden death can be higher in people who take more than 30mg of domperidone per day, or in people over 60 years of age. If for instance you have abnormal electrical heart activity such as QT prolongation, heart failure or low levels of magnesium or potassium in your blood, discuss with your doctor how the drug may impact your medical condition, which in turn will affect dosage and effectiveness of the medication and if there’s a need to monitor progress.
- Important knowledge – it’s important to know if you are using other medications for changing your heart’s electrical activity or increase the amount of domperidone in your blood. There are other medications out there such as sotalol, quinidine, thioridazine, chlorpromazine, pimozde and a host of other medications that can boost the risk of QT prolongation which is an abnormal heart rhythm and should not be used at the same time with domperidone if it can be avoided. You’ll be placed at more risk and complications when you take these other medications if you:
- are a woman
- have nutritional issues
- have low calcium, potassium or magnesium levels
- you’ve experienced a stroke
- are older than 65 years of age
- you have a history of sudden cardiac death in your family
- you have a history of heart disease or irregular heart rhythms
- have a slow heart beat
- have a diabetic condition
- have QT prolongation
Your Hormone levels – Domperidone can increase the hormone prolactin in your body and if you’ve had many cases of breast cancer, you should ask your doctor concerning the risks and benefits from using the drug medication because usually, cancers of the breast are prolactin related.
Kidney function – if your kidneys aren’t functioning well, it may cause the accumulation of domperidone in the body and give rise to more side effects. If you have malfunctioning kidneys you should let your doctor know how the drug medication might affect your health condition, how your condition may affect the medicinal doses you take and whether special monitoring would be needed. It may be that you doctor will recommend you take a lower dose of the medication or take the medication only once or twice daily instead of three times per day.
Pregnancy – it’s not recommended that domperidone in taken during pregnancy unless the benefits are greater than the risks. Contact your doctor immediately when you become aware that you have become pregnant.
Breastfeeding – it’s known that the mediation can pass into breast milk hence if you are breastfeeding your child and taking domperidone at the same time, your baby may be affected. Talk to your doctor about whether you should continue to breastfeed your child.
Seniors – heart problems become greater in people as they grow older beyond 60 years of age and this includes heart attack when taking domperidone. You should know the benefits and risks of the medication so talk to your doctor about your issue.
Children – the effectiveness and safety of this drug medication for children have yet to be established.
Bottom line
This article has attempted to give the full picture of how the drug medication domperidone works for the general health benefit of those taking it. It’s true that the main work that the drug does to your body is to drive the internal bodily substances that navigate the long journey through the gastrointestinal tract. However, it also impacts other health problems and organs along the way in a variety of ways making it an ideal medication for patients.