Prucalopride is a selective serotonin receptor agonist that can be used to treat chronic
constipation. This article reviews the clinical efficacy side effects of
prucalopride, assessing its role in
constipation and
gastroparesis. Relevant published medical literature was identified by using the search terms "
constipation," "
gastroparesis," and "
prucalopride" from 2010 and onwards. The databases included PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE. Bibliographies from published literature and websites were also reviewed. Results were filtered for English language and randomized controlled trials. Out of the 18 results, abstracts were manually reviewed for studies with similar statistical methodology; eight studies were selected for
constipation and two studies for
gastroparesis. In two four-week trials,
prucalopride showed improvement in gastric emptying and the
gastroparesis cardinal symptom index over placebo, with a 1-4 mg/day dosage. In seven 12-week trials in patients with chronic
constipation, oral
prucalopride 2-4 mg/day was more significant than placebo to improve the number of bowel movements and symptoms. One study showed no significant bowel function differences when
prucalopride was compared to placebo over 12 or 24 weeks.
Prucalopride was generally well-tolerated, and the most common adverse events reported were
headache,
nausea,
diarrhea, and
abdominal pain. Further long-term and comparative data would be beneficial to show that
prucalopride can be an advantageous treatment option for patients with chronic idiopathic
constipation (CIC) or
gastroparesis. Additionally, it would be interesting to see its effect on
irritable bowel syndrome-
constipation predominant, as it has some overlap with idiopathic
constipation.