Metoclopramide. Management of gastrointestinal intolerance in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Ten patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were unable to tolerate anti-inflammatory doses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were admitted to the study. After endoscopy three patients were taken out of the study because of frank gastric ulceration. Seven patients entered the six-week study during which anti-inflammatory doses of NSAIDs were preceded by 30 minutes by a 10-mg dose of oral metoclopramide. The insults of this pilot study suggest that pretreatment with metoclopramide enables patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have non-ulcer dyspepsia to tolerate full dosage of NSAIDs.