Nausea

What is Metoclopramide?

Metoclopramide is a medication used to treat nausea. It can help your symptoms by stopping you from feeling and being sick.

It’s a generic version of the branded Maxolon. This means they both contain the same active ingredient and work in about the same way but Metoclopramide is usually cheaper.

Metoclopramide is a short course of treatment and you should take it for a maximum of five days.

How does Metoclopramide work?

Nausea is the feeling of needing to be sick, which sometimes triggers actual vomiting. It’s often triggered when nerves in a part of your body are irritated and send signals to a part of your brain called the CTZ (chemoreceptor trigger zone). The CTZ then sends signals via dopamine to the vomiting centre.

The vomiting centre can cause spasms in the gut and feelings of sickness. Metoclopramide works by interrupting the messages that are sent between the CTZ and the vomiting centre. This should reduce nausea and curb the risk of vomiting.

Which dose of Metoclopramide should I use?

The standard dose of Metoclopramide is 10mg, taken up to three times a day.