The list of treatments mentioned in various sources for Gastroparesis includes the following list. Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment or change in treatment plans.
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Note:You must always seek professional medical advice about any prescription drug, OTC drug, medication, treatment or change in treatment plans.
Some of the different medications used in the treatment of Gastroparesis include:
Unlabelled alternative drug treatments for Gastroparesis include:
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It is important to note that in most cases treatment does not cure gastroparesis--it is usually a chronic condition. Treatment helps you manage the condition so that you can be as healthy and comfortable as possible.
Insulin for blood glucose control in people with diabetes
If you have gastroparesis, your food is being absorbed more slowly and at unpredictable times. To control blood glucose, you may need to
Some doctors recommend taking two injections of intermediate insulin every day and as many injections of a fast-acting insulin as needed according to blood glucose monitoring. The newest insulin, lispro insulin (Humalog), is a quick-acting insulin that might be advantageous for people with gastroparesis. It starts working within 5 to 15 minutes after injection and peaks after 1 to 2 hours, lowering blood glucose levels after a meal about twice as fast as the slower-acting regular insulin. Your doctor will give you specific instructions based on your particular needs.
Medication
Several drugs are used to treat gastroparesis. Your doctor may try different drugs or combinations of drugs to find the most effective treatment.
Changing your eating habits can help control gastroparesis. Your doctor or dietitian will give you specific instructions, but you may be asked to eat six small meals a day instead of three large ones. If less food enters the stomach each time you eat, it may not become overly full. Or the doctor or dietitian may suggest that you try several liquid meals a day until your blood glucose levels are stable and the gastroparesis is corrected. Liquid meals provide all the nutrients found in solid foods, but can pass through the stomach more easily and quickly.
The doctor may also recommend that you avoid fatty and high-fiber foods. Fat naturally slows digestion--a problem you do not need if you have gastroparesis--and fiber is difficult to digest. Some high-fiber foods like oranges and broccoli contain material that cannot be digested. Avoid these foods because the indigestible part will remain in the stomach too long and possibly form bezoars.
Feeding tube
If other approaches do not work, you may need surgery to insert a feeding tube. The tube, called a jejunostomy tube, is inserted through the skin on your abdomen into the small intestine. The feeding tube allows you to put nutrients directly into the small intestine, bypassing the stomach altogether. You will receive special liquid food to use with the tube. A jejunostomy is particularly useful when gastroparesis prevents the nutrients and medication necessary to regulate blood glucose levels from reaching the bloodstream. By avoiding the source of the problem--the stomach--and putting nutrients and medication directly into the small intestine, you ensure that these products are digested and delivered to your bloodstream quickly. A jejunostomy tube can be temporary and is used only if necessary when gastroparesis is severe.
Parenteral nutrition
Parenteral nutrition refers to delivering nutrients directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the digestive system. The doctor places a thin tube called a catheter in a chest vein, leaving an opening to it outside the skin. For feeding, you attach a bag containing liquid nutrients or medication to the catheter. The fluid enters your bloodstream through the vein. Your doctor will tell you what type of liquid nutrition to use.
This approach is an alternative to the jejunostomy tube and is usually a temporary method to get you through a difficult spell of gastroparesis. Parenteral nutrition is used only when gastroparesis is severe and is not helped by other methods. (Source: excerpt from Gastroparesis and Diabetes: NIDDK)
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