​​​Miriam E.Tucker

Pulling Propulsid
(Letter to the Editor, The Washington Post, April 10, 2000)

The March 24 news story about Propulsid's being pulled from the market incorrectly said that it is used to treat "older people with certain types of diabetes."  Propulsid was one of only two drugs available in the United States for treating diabetic gastropathy, a complication believed to affect more than half of all diabetics--young and old and those with Type I and Type II diabetes.
   
Diabetic gastropathy slows the stomach's ability to empty food. After eating, patients often feel excessively full, bloated, cramped, and sometimes nauseated. My doctor recently prescribed Propulsid for me because the only other drug available, Reglan, made me too sleepy. 
   
With the removal of the diabetes drug Rezulin two days earlier, it has been a rough time for those with diabetes. ###Type your paragraph here.