Domperidone is principally a Dopamine Antagonist and belongs to the therapeutic class antiemetic. It is prescribed to treat mainly vomiting and nausea associated with certain drugs and is also used to treat Parkinson’s disease. It works by increasing the contractions and movements in the bowel and stomach. Similarly, as with any other potential drug, domperidone is also advised to be used under the supervision and prescription of a registered healthcare practitioner or physician. It acts as a “peripherally selective antagonist” of dopamine receptors, particularly D. It may be administered by various routes of administration, such as oral, rectal, and intravenous.

Domperidone

Domperidone relieves the symptoms of vomiting and nausea by increasing the transportation of food in the stomach by acting as a prokinetic agent by raising the gastrointestinal peristalsis. In addition, it also promotes lactation, i.e. increased production of breast milk, by increasing the release of prolactin.

It has been also involved in the research of dopamine for evaluation of its biological functions, which is a significant hormone and neurotransmitter in the body. For this reason, it is significantly useful in the treatment of vomiting and nausea associated with dopamine agonists during antiparkinson therapy. It is also prescribed for diverse conditions of GI motility disorders such as diabetic gastroparesis, chronic gastritis, and subacute gastritis.

Medicines Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

However, the “Medicines Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency” has issued a number of guidelines indicating the restricted use of this drug among the population. The MHRA introduced the specific dose regime and licensed indications for the use of domperidone in April 2014.

The guidelines identified that the use of domperidone is associated with an increased risk of possibly life-threatening cardiac adverse effects. This risk was more evident in patients greater than 60 years, adults with an excess daily dose of more than, and individuals taking QT-prolonging medicines or concomitant CYP-3A4 inhibitors.

This drug, domperidone, is mainly a dopamine antagonist which could not enter the CNS freely. However, if domperidone is orally or parenterally administered, it endorses the emptying of liquids in the gastric region, thereby increasing the pressure in the lower oesophageal sphincter in healthy individuals.

The pharmacodynamic, as well as antiemetic properties of domperidone, are quite comparable to the metoclopramide; though domperidone possesses a decreased tendency to cause extrapyramidal adverse reactions. It alleviates effectually the signs of nausea and vomiting due to chronic postprandial dyspepsia, acute migraine as well as gastroesophageal reflux disease. However, in the UK, this drug is particularly prescribed for treating nausea and vomiting with a restricted duration of use up to 1 week.