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From: CKP
Date: 11/01/01
Time: 15:29:03 -0600
Wow, big question!
One thing to keep in mind is that another technical term for this is "gastroparesis." So if you go to do a PubMed search or something, look for that term as well as the 3-word version.
About half of cases are associated with another illness such as diabetes or lupus. Another percentage are caused by an unknown virus, where the person gets sick, and gets better, but not the stomach. And about half are simply of unknown origin.
There are several websites out there with information, but there is no real cure. In the U.S., only Reglan and Erythromycin are used. They may or may not work (they actually tried them out for me while I was having a gastric emptying study, so they could see what effect each drug had on my stomach contractions.) In Canada, Domperidone is also available, and some folks in the U.S. get it from cooperative pharmacies north of the border.
There is a fair amount of research going on currently. There are clinical trials to see if Viagara is effective. And a group in California has a grant to work with Erythromycin, hoping to pull out a version that works for this purpose, without having the antibiotic effect as well.
My personal opinion is that Propulsid worked so well, there was less incentive for research in this area. It wasn't until Propulsid was pulled off the market due to heart problems that research got really geared up again. So I think that five years from now, the answers will be happier.