What is Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome?
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome, or NMS, is a deadly condition that is typically the result of dangerous medications that affect your dopamine receptors. NMS causes a variety of symptoms, ranging from fever to both physical and mental changes. Sadly, it is often the physical symptoms of NMS that lead to death.
NMS generally occurs when your dopamine receptors become blocked or damaged, or your body's production of dopamine is severely restricted. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter in the central nervous system that helps control movement, emotions, and experiences like pain or pleasure, among many others. Because dopamine signals are important for both physical purposes and mental purposes, problems with the dopamine pathway can lead to symptoms for both groups.
Common symptoms of neuroleptic malignant syndrome include:
Frustratingly, these symptoms can lead to other health complications that can later cause a patient's death. After you develop NMS, you may also experience potentially deadly scares such as kidney failure, pneumonia, seizures, and respiratory failure, among others.
NMS is typically incurable. However, doctors can work to protect you from the symptoms of your disease. First and foremost, it is important to stop taking the medication that is disrupting your dopamine production or receptors. Next, doctors will try to lower your fever by wrapping you in cooling blankets, ice packs, and by giving you cooled intravenous fluids. They can use electroconvulsive therapy to help with a wide range of symptoms. Lastly, they can treat complications like renal failure as they arise.
Although neuroleptic malignant syndrome is mainly associated with antipsychotic medications, powerful drugs like Reglan can also cause this condition. Reglan contains a potent ingredient called metoclopramide that can permanently disrupt your dopamine neurotransmitter pathway.
If you have developed NMS or another neuromuscular disease as a result of taking Reglan, you should fight back against this terrible pharmaceutical negligence. To learn more about your legal options, contact a tenacious Reglan lawsuit attorney from Williams Kherkher today.
NMS generally occurs when your dopamine receptors become blocked or damaged, or your body's production of dopamine is severely restricted. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter in the central nervous system that helps control movement, emotions, and experiences like pain or pleasure, among many others. Because dopamine signals are important for both physical purposes and mental purposes, problems with the dopamine pathway can lead to symptoms for both groups.
Common symptoms of neuroleptic malignant syndrome include:
- Muscular rigidity
- Fever
- Abnormal heartbeat, like tachycardia
- Unstable blood pressure
- Changes in behavior or mental status
- Muscle tremors
Frustratingly, these symptoms can lead to other health complications that can later cause a patient's death. After you develop NMS, you may also experience potentially deadly scares such as kidney failure, pneumonia, seizures, and respiratory failure, among others.
NMS is typically incurable. However, doctors can work to protect you from the symptoms of your disease. First and foremost, it is important to stop taking the medication that is disrupting your dopamine production or receptors. Next, doctors will try to lower your fever by wrapping you in cooling blankets, ice packs, and by giving you cooled intravenous fluids. They can use electroconvulsive therapy to help with a wide range of symptoms. Lastly, they can treat complications like renal failure as they arise.
Although neuroleptic malignant syndrome is mainly associated with antipsychotic medications, powerful drugs like Reglan can also cause this condition. Reglan contains a potent ingredient called metoclopramide that can permanently disrupt your dopamine neurotransmitter pathway.
If you have developed NMS or another neuromuscular disease as a result of taking Reglan, you should fight back against this terrible pharmaceutical negligence. To learn more about your legal options, contact a tenacious Reglan lawsuit attorney from Williams Kherkher today.