Metoclopramide 15mg modified-release tablets
Drugs used in nausea and vertigo
Genetic variations that may affect drug response
4 known genetic variations may influence how your body responds to Metoclopramide 15mg modified-release tablets.Genes involved: KCNH2, ADRA1D, CYP2D6, ABCB1
These are known genetic variations. They don't mean the medicine won't work for you — speak to your doctor or a pharmacogenomics specialist for personalised advice. Source: DrugBank (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
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Official medicine documents
Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Metoclopramide
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Interactive Drug Analysis Profiles for all medicines
Report a side effect
Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
EudraVigilance
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Metoclopramide
About EudraVigilance
Learn about EU pharmacovigilance and safety monitoring
EudraVigilance data is published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A suspected adverse reaction is not necessarily caused by the medicine.
1 branded products available
Part of the Maxolon brand family (generic: Metoclopramide)
MHRA licensed products
View all licensed products for Metoclopramide on the MHRA register
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
30 mg
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via NHS dm+d BNF mapping files. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and NHS BNF section grouping. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Clinical guidelines and formulary information
British National Formulary
Metoclopramide
Source: British National Formulary, NICE. Joint Formulary Committee. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
NICE clinical guidance(9)
Gastro-oesophageal reflux in children and young people (QS112)
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in children and young people: diagnosis and management (NG1)
Headaches in over 12s: diagnosis and management (CG150)
Gastroparesis in adults: oral erythromycin (ESUOM13)
Assessing motility of the gastrointestinal tract using a wireless capsule (HTG351)
Type 1 diabetes in adults: diagnosis and management (NG17)
Promoting tolerance of enteral feeds in children and young people: domperidone (ESUOM18)
Type 2 diabetes in adults: management (NG28)
Antenatal care (NG201)
Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check stock at pharmacies and supply information
Pharmacy stock checkers
Search for this medicine at major UK pharmacy chains. These links open the retailer's own website — results depend on their current online catalogue.
Supply & product information
Official product databases and supply status monitoring
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. emc (electronic medicines compendium) is operated by Datapharm Ltd. Shortage information sourced from NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS), sps.nhs.uk.
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF codes from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
90 found
Half-life
5 to 6 hours
Mechanism
Metoclopramide causes antiemetic effects by inhibiting dopamine D2 and serotonin…
Food interactions
2 warnings
Human targets
4 targets
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
84%
[A184886]…
Half-life
5 to 6 hours
Protein binding
30%
[A185000][L8417]
Volume of distribution
3.5 L/kg
Metabolism
Elimination
85%
Clearance
0.16 L/h
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
One unique property of this drug is that it does not increase gastric acid secretion. It is available in the oral tablet form or in solution, and can also be administered through the intravenous route.T683 Metoclopramide was initially approved by the FDA in 1980.[A184922]
[L8414]
A nasal spray formulation is also indicated to treat adults with acute, recurrent diabetic gastroparesis.
[L14381]
In the intravenous injection form, it is indicated for the above conditions as well as for the prevention of vomiting that may follow emetogenic chemotherapy or nausea and vomiting after surgery. Intravenous metoclopramide facilitates intubation of the small bowel and stimulates gastric emptying and barium flow in patients who require radiological examination of the stomach or small intestine. In some cases, the delay of gastrointestinal emptying interferes with the radiographic visualization of the gastrointestinal tract, and metoclopramide is used to facilitate emptying in these cases, allowing for adequate diagnostic visualization.
[L8417]
Some off-label uses of metoclopramide include the management of radiation-induced nausea and vomiting, gastric bezoars, intractable hiccups, and migraine pain.
[A184961][A184964][A184967][A40105]
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 2038 interactions
[L8465]
Some symptoms of an overdose with metoclopramide include drowsiness, disorientation, and extrapyramidal reactions. Drugs that manage Parkinson's disease or anticholinergic drugs or antihistamines with anticholinergic properties [A185174] should be employed to treat extrapyramidal symptoms. Normally, these symptoms subside within 24 hours.
[L8414]
Unintentional overdose in infants receiving the oral solution of metoclopramide resulted in seizures, extrapyramidal symptoms, in addition to a lethargic state.
In addition, methemoglobinemia has been found to occur in premature and full-term neonates after a metoclopramide overdose.
Intravenous methylene blue may treat metoclopramide-associated methemoglobinemia. It is important to note that methylene blue administration may lead to hemolytic anemia in patients who suffer from G6PD deficiency, which can result in fatality. Dialysis has not been shown to be effective in sufficiently eliminating metoclopramide in an overdose situation due to low plasma distribution of this drug.
[L8414]
Because of its antidopaminergic activity, metoclopramide can cause symptoms of tardive dyskinesia (TD), dystonia, and akathisia, and should therefore not be administered for longer than 12 weeks.[A184886][L8414]
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
[A184886]
The bioavailability of the oral preparation is reported to be about 40.7%, but can range from 30-100%.
[A184880][A184949]
Nasal metoclopramide is 47% bioavailable.
[L14381]
A 15mg dose reaches a Cmax of 41.0 ng/mL, with a Tmax of 1.25 h, and an AUC of 367 ng\*h/mL.
[L14381]
[A184886][A185153][L8414]
[A185000][L8417]
[A185153][L8414]
[A184880]
CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 both contribute to its metabolism, with CYP2D6 being more heavily involved. CYP1A2 is also a minor contributing enzyme.
[A181352]
The process of N-4 sulphate conjugation is a primary metabolic pathway of metoclopramide.
[A184886]
[L8414]
[A184886]
After high intravenous doses, total metoclopramide clearance ranged from 0.31 to 0.69 L/kg/h.
[A185159]
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
PMID:10821780 PMID:16102731 PMID:35714614 PMID:9603189
Ligand binding causes a conformation change that triggers signaling via guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) and modulates the activity of downstream effectors .
PMID:16102731 PMID:35714614
HTR4 is coupled to G(s) G alpha proteins and mediates activation of adenylate cyclase activity PMID:16102731 PMID:35714614
PMID:21645528
Positively regulates postnatal regression of retinal hyaloid vessels via suppression of VEGFR2/KDR activity, downstream of OPN5 (By similarity)
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
Proteins that transport this drug across cell membranes
PMID:2897240 PMID:35970996 PMID:8898203 PMID:9038218 PMID:35507548
Catalyzes the flop of phospholipids from the cytoplasmic to the exoplasmic leaflet of the apical membrane. Participates mainly to the flop of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, beta-D-glucosylceramides and sphingomyelins .
PMID:8898203
Energy-dependent efflux pump responsible for decreased drug accumulation in multidrug-resistant cells PMID:2897240 PMID:35970996 PMID:9038218
Proteins that carry this drug through the body
Appears to function in modulating the activity of the immune system during the acute-phase reaction
ATC A03FA01
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Metoclopramide
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
3776
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
3775
ChemSpider
4024
BindingDB
48320
Guide to Pharmacology
241
ZINC
ZINC000001530716
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:5299
GenAtlas
HTR4
GeneCards
HTR4
GenBank Gene Database
Y12505
GenBank Protein Database
2661757
Guide to Pharmacology
9
UniProt Accession
5HT4R_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:5297
GenAtlas
HTR3A
GeneCards
HTR3A
GenBank Gene Database
D49394
GenBank Protein Database
681914
Guide to Pharmacology
373
UniProt Accession
5HT3A_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:1950
GenAtlas
CHRM1
GeneCards
CHRM1
GenBank Gene Database
X52068
GenBank Protein Database
34451
Guide to Pharmacology
13
UniProt Accession
ACM1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:3023
GenAtlas
DRD2
GeneCards
DRD2
GenBank Gene Database
M30625
GenBank Protein Database
181432
Guide to Pharmacology
215
UniProt Accession
DRD2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2637
GenAtlas
CYP3A4
GeneCards
CYP3A4
GenBank Gene Database
M18907
Guide to Pharmacology
1337
UniProt Accession
CP3A4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2596
GenAtlas
CYP1A2
GeneCards
CYP1A2
GenBank Gene Database
Z00036
Guide to Pharmacology
1319
UniProt Accession
CP1A2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2625
GenAtlas
CYP2D6
GeneCards
CYP2D6
GenBank Gene Database
M20403
GenBank Protein Database
181350
Guide to Pharmacology
1329
UniProt Accession
CP2D6_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:8498
GenAtlas
ORM1
GeneCards
ORM1
GenBank Gene Database
X02544
GenBank Protein Database
757907
UniProt Accession
A1AG1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:40
GenAtlas
ABCB1
GeneCards
ABCB1
GenBank Gene Database
M14758
GenBank Protein Database
307180
Guide to Pharmacology
768
UniProt Accession
MDR1_HUMAN
International reference pricing
Reference pricing from DrugBank. Prices are indicative and may not reflect current UK costs.
Source: DrugBank. Used under CC BY-NC 4.0 academic licence for non-commercial purposes.
Patent information
7 active patents, 4 expired
Source: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0. Patent data sourced from national patent offices. Expiry dates may not reflect extensions, regulatory exclusivity periods, or legal challenges.
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications: