About Gastroparesis
Gastroparesis means the stomach moves food into the small intestine too slowly, without any blockage to explain it. The standard test is gastric emptying scintigraphy, in which a person eats a small meal containing a tiny amount of radioactive tracer and a scanner tracks how fast it leaves the stomach, ideally over 4 hours. A breath test is another reliable option, according to the 2022 American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) guideline.
Treatment starts with diet, including small meals of easy-to-digest, small-particle foods. Metoclopramide is the only FDA-approved drug, approved for diabetic gastroparesis and sold as Reglan tablets, generics and Gimoti nasal spray, and it carries a boxed warning for tardive dyskinesia that limits use to 12 weeks. The ACG suggests domperidone where it is approved, but in the U.S. it has been available only through FDA expanded access, and the FDA said that program's supplier would stop distributing it after September 2025. Anti-nausea medicines can ease symptoms without speeding emptying.
For symptoms that do not respond to medicine, options include gastric electrical stimulation, a device the FDA allows under a humanitarian device exemption, and procedures on the pylorus, the valve at the bottom of the stomach, such as G-POEM.
Common Symptoms of Gastroparesis
Recognizing the signs of Gastroparesis early can lead to faster diagnosis and better outcomes. Symptoms may vary in severity from person to person. If you or a loved one are experiencing any of the following, consider speaking with a specialist.
- Feeling full soon after starting a meal
- Feeling full long after eating
- Nausea and vomiting
- Bloating
- Pain in the upper belly
- Poor appetite
Who Gastroparesis Affects
Diagnosed gastroparesis is about 4 times as common in women as in men. Diabetes is the most common known cause, but most cases have no known cause and are called idiopathic gastroparesis. Surgery that injures the vagus nerve can cause it, and the NIDDK lists other causes including hypothyroidism, scleroderma, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis. Opioid pain medicines can slow stomach emptying and worsen symptoms, though the NIDDK says they do not cause gastroparesis.
Find Your Next Step
FDA-Approved Treatments for Gastroparesis
There is currently 1 FDA-approved medication for Gastroparesis. These therapies represent the current standard of care and may be used alongside or compared against investigational treatments in active clinical trials.
Source: openFDA drug labeling data. This list may not include all treatments. Always consult your doctor.
Gastroparesis Medicines Not Approved in the U.S.
Prescribed in other countries but not FDA-approved, with how U.S. patients have been able to get them.
Side Effect Explorer
Real-world side effect reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Includes both FDA-approved drugs and investigational therapies from active clinical trials. Click any drug to see what patients reported.
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Diagnosis and Testing
Trusted Gastroparesis Resources
Reputable organizations and medical references for learning more about Gastroparesis, including disease registries, foundation resources, and clinical guidelines.
- NIDDK - Definition and Facts for Gastroparesis
- NIDDK - Symptoms and Causes of Gastroparesis
- ACG Clinical Guideline: Gastroparesis (2022)
- NIDDK Central Repository - Gastroparesis Clinical Research Consortium
- ClinicalTrials.gov - Growth Hormone for the Treatment of Gastroparesis (NCT06803589)
- ClinicalTrials.gov - Gastroparesis Registry 4 (NCT05846802)
- FDA - How to Request Domperidone for Expanded Access Use