Domperidone-induced dystonia: a rare and troublesome complication

No Measurable Transfer of Oxytocin-Receptor Agonist Merotocin Detected in Human Breast Milk

Objective: The study aimed to assess the transfer of merotocin from systemic circulation to breast milk in early postpartum women and women with established lactation. Methods: This was a two-part, multicenter, open-label, parallel-group study. Merotocin was administered as a single 90-minute intravenous (iv) infusion mimicking the intranasal pharmacokinetic profile. In Part A, 12 early postpartum women received doses of either 4 μg (n = 6) or 16 μg (n = 6) of merotocin within 4 days of delivery. In Part B, six women with established lactation received 20 μg of merotocin. The total concentration of merotocin in plasma and breast milk and its metabolites excreted in breast milk were measured at various time points. Adverse events (AEs) were also assessed for both parts of the study. Results: In both early postpartum and established lactation groups (mean age, 26.3 years; 83.3% Caucasian), merotocin and its metabolites in breast milk were below the limit of quantification (25.0 pg/mL) at all time points. Sixteen treatment-emergent AEs occurred in early postpartum women only, including seven events of uterine spasm and three of breast engorgement. There was one moderate event, whereas all the other events were considered mild. Conclusion: Merotocin was undetectable in breast milk after single iv administration of up to 20 μg in early postpartum women and women with established lactation.

Drugs in Focus: Domperidone

Domperidone is a peripheral dopamine-2 receptor antagonist with prokinetic and antiemetic properties. Its prokinetic effects are mainly manifest in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Currently its use is restricted to relief of nausea and vomiting in children older than 12 years for a short period of time. However, among (pediatric) gastroenterologists, domperidone is also used outside its authorized indication ("off label") for treatment of symptoms associated with gastro-esophageal reflux disease, dyspepsia, and gastroparesis. Little is known about its efficacy in the treatment of GI motility disorders in children and controversial data have emerged in the pediatric literature. As its use is off label, appropriate knowledge of its efficacy is helpful to support an "off label/on evidence" prescription. Based on this, the purpose of this review is to summarize all evidence on the efficacy of domperidone for the treatment of GI disorders in infants and children and to report an overview of its pharmacological properties and safety profile.

A Rare Case of Domperidone-Induced Acute Dystonia in a Young Adult Due to Consumption of Combination Drug (Proton Pump Inhibitors With Domperidone) and Its Possible Pathomechanism

Globally, a substantial number of people are tormented by dystonia. Domperidone, a D-2 receptor antagonist acts outside the blood-brain barrier in the brain stem as well as on the gastrointestinal tract. In India, domperidone is conveniently obtainable over the counter as a combination drug with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for dyspepsia and gastro-esophageal reflux disease. We present a rare case of domperidone-induced acute dystonia in a young adult presented within 72 hours after consuming two oral doses of this combination drug (PPIs with domperidone) for dyspepsia. Drug-induced extra pyramidal symptoms (EPS) are often misdiagnosed as some psychiatric condition and undoubtedly its expeditious diagnosis staves off unnecessary investigations and ameliorates prognosis. Our case ignites alertness amongst practitioners in India over the judicious use of PPIs with domperidone as the latter may trigger EPS. Such combination drugs can be prescribed if absolutely mandatory by the treating physician. The possible pathomechanism of this hyperkinetic motor phenomenon, perturbing the equilibrium of the cortical-subcortical circuit and resulting in an overflow of muscular activity, is attempted to be explained here, although the explicit mechanism is still blurry.

Machine Learning Approach for Active Vaccine Safety Monitoring

BACKGROUND

Vaccine safety surveillance is important because it is related to vaccine hesitancy, which affects vaccination rate. To increase confidence in vaccination, the active monitoring of vaccine adverse events is important. For effective active surveillance, we developed and verified a machine learning-based active surveillance system using national claim data.

METHODS

We used two databases, one from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, which contains flu vaccination records for the elderly, and another from the National Health Insurance Service, which contains the claim data of vaccinated people. We developed a case-crossover design based machine learning model to predict the health outcome of interest events (anaphylaxis and agranulocytosis) using a random forest. Feature importance values were evaluated to determine candidate associations with each outcome. We investigated the relationship of the features to each event via a literature review, comparison with the Side Effect Resource, and using the Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanation method.

RESULTS

The trained model predicted each health outcome of interest with a high accuracy (approximately 70%). We found literature supporting our results, and most of the important drug-related features were listed in the Side Effect Resource database as inducing the health outcome of interest. For anaphylaxis, flu vaccination ranked high in our feature importance analysis and had a positive association in Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanation analysis. Although the feature importance of vaccination was lower for agranulocytosis, it also had a positive relationship in the Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanation analysis.

CONCLUSION

We developed a machine learning-based active surveillance system for detecting possible factors that can induce adverse events using health claim and vaccination databases. The results of the study demonstrated a potentially useful application of two linked national health record databases. Our model can contribute to the establishment of a system for conducting active surveillance on vaccination.

Involuntary movements in an adolescent: what are the causes?

Involuntary movements can be a troublesome condition and represent a real challenge for emergency doctors, particularly for patients of paediatric age. We report a case of a 17-year-old boy with painful involuntary movements mostly affecting his mouth and lower limbs, but also the trunk. After reviewing the patient’s history, it was revealed that the adolescent had had acute alcohol intoxication with severe acute agitation and therefore was given a single dose of 10 mg intravenous haloperidol. The concealment of the recent event posed serious difficulties in reaching the diagnosis. When the diagnosis of haloperidol-induced acute dystonia was made, 3 mg of intravenous biperiden was promptly administered with complete clinical resolution in 15 min.

Acute Dystonia Secondary to Domperidone in a Pediatric Patient

Domperidone is a dopamine-2 receptor (D2) antagonist. It is used as an antiemetic and has an excellent safety profile. We present a case of acute dystonia secondary to domperidone use in an 11-year-old girl. She was admitted with the diagnosis of viral gastroenteritis and received domperidone for persistent vomiting along with other supportive measures. The vomiting subsided with treatment, but she developed acute dystonia. Domperidone discontinued, and her condition improved in the next 24 hours. The patient discharged, and on a follow-up visit, she was asymptotic. A review of the literature suggests a possible association of acute dystonia with domperidone in children.

Acute Cervical Dystonia Induced by Clebopride

Antidopaminergic drugs are known to induce extrapyramidal symptoms. Clebopride, a dopamine antagonist, also can produce parkinsonism, tardive dyskinesia, tardive dystonia, hemifacial dystonia, or oculogyric crisis; however, acute dystonic reaction caused by clebopride has not been reported in adults. We report two young men who experienced acute cervical dystonia within a few days of taking clebopride. The patients recovered after discontinuation of the drug. Physicians prescribing clebopride should be aware of the adverse effects of this drug.

Prokinetics in the Management of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The goal of this review is to review the current status of prokinetics and to place it in historical context. Impaired motility and thus propulsion have long been thought to play important roles in the pathogenesis of a number of gastrointestinal disorders including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastroparesis, chronic idiopathic pseudo-obstruction, and constipation. Historically, disordered motility was also thought to contribute to a number of functional gastrointestinal disorders such as functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

RECENT FINDINGS

As we learn more of the pathophysiology of FD, IBS, GERD, constipation, and gastroparesis, the limitations of a therapeutic strategy based on the stimulation of motility (i.e., the use of a prokinetic) have become apparent and the disappointments of the past explained. The development of prokinetic drugs has also been hampered by the non-selective nature of many of the agents studied to date which resulted in some unexpected side effects. There is still an unmet need for an effective and safe prokinetic, but drug development in this area must be mindful of the challenges of the area and the need for selectivity for a given target receptor.