While medications and surgery can both improve gastroparesis symptoms, many patients still struggle with finding the right treatment. However, a new medication might soon help: tradipitant. In a study published in Gastroenterology, researchers explored whether tradipitant could improve patient outcomes and reduce symptoms for patients with either the idiopathic or diabetic form of the condition.
Gastroparesis
Although doctors aren’t sure of the exact cause of gastroparesis, many believe it relates to a damaged vagus nerve. This damage can come from surgical complications or too much glucose in your blood. Gastroparesis is a disorder which alters the way food moves from your stomach to the small intestine. Normally, gastrointestinal muscles squeeze and relax; this movement pushes food out of the stomach. In patients with gastroparesis, the muscles fail to perform this rhythm. As a result, it is difficult to move food through the digestive system.
Symptoms include:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Acid reflux
- Loss of appetite
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating
- Commonly feeling full
- Heartburn
- Indigestion
Learn more about gastroparesis here.
Tradipitant
Within the study, researchers tracked 152 patients with gastroparesis over a 2 year period. The trial was double-blind. This means that patients received either tradipitant or a placebo, but neither patients nor administers knew what the patient was receiving.
Out of the participants, 77 patients received 85mg tradipitant 2 times daily, while 75 received a placebo. Patients took their medication for 1 month. During this time, data was collected via questionnaires, diaries, and index scores. Ultimately, researchers sought to understand how tradipitant impacted symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.
First, researchers noted that patients taking tradipitant experienced less nausea, and more nausea-free days, than those taking a placebo. 32.9% of patients using tradipitant expressed a nausea score under 1 by the end of the month. Alternately, only 11.8% of those taking the placebo experienced the same result.
Read the source article here.
