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Metoclopramide is the only medication widely used to promote gastrointestinal motility in the USA. Despite its appreciable risk of central nervous system complications, it continues to be prescribed to children for chronic use. We sought to estimate the prevalence of chronic metoclopramide use among US children and identify the diagnoses that may have prompted this use. The US metoclopramide label lists only two indications in adults: symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) and diabetic gastroparesis. The latter is rare in children so, in examining the indications likely to have prompted chronic metoclopramide use, we focused on GERD.

From two health services databases representing privately and publically insured children, respectively, we estimated the number of US children who used metoclopramide chronically and …