Gastroparesis & GLP-1 Medications

Gastroparesis, often called stomach paralysis, is a condition in which the muscles of the stomach stop working properly, preventing food from moving through the digestive system at a normal pace. Patients with gastroparesis experience severe nausea, vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain, and an inability to eat normally.

In serious cases, gastroparesis can lead to dangerous complications including malnutrition, severe dehydration, bowel blockages, and unpredictable blood sugar fluctuations. Some patients require hospitalization, feeding tubes, or surgical intervention. The condition can be chronic and life-altering.

GLP-1 receptor agonist medications work by slowing gastric emptying — the very mechanism that, in some patients, crosses the line from therapeutic benefit to dangerous injury. Lawsuits allege that manufacturers knew the drugs could cause permanent or prolonged gastroparesis and failed to adequately warn patients and prescribers.

Judge Marston, who is overseeing the GLP-1 gastrointestinal MDL (MDL 3094), has ruled that claimants alleging gastroparesis or delayed gastric emptying must provide objective medical evidence to support their claims. Specifically, a gastric emptying study (also known as a gastric emptying scintigraphy) is expected to be required.

This test measures how quickly food leaves your stomach by having you eat a small meal containing a harmless radioactive tracer, then tracking its movement through imaging over a period of several hours. It provides objective, measurable data about your gastric function.

If you have not yet had a gastric emptying study performed, this does not disqualify you from filing a claim. Your attorney can help you coordinate this testing as part of the litigation process. However, having this test completed strengthens your case significantly.