‘I felt like a zombie’: Health Canada launches domperidone review as patients come forward

Canadian women are speaking out about their experience taking domperidone, a drug Health Canada has officially approved for gastrointestinal disorders, but also sometimes prescribed postpartum to help increase the supply of breastmilk. Jennifer Ferger, 38, was prescribed the drug after giving birth to her son in April 2021. She tells Global News she started to have digestion issues and her mental health suffered while on the drug. “I’ve never felt that hopeless in connecting with my baby. I felt like a complete zombie— I wasn’t a human being,” she said. Health Canada has now said it will conduct a safety review of domperidone’s off-label uses based on reports of withdrawal symptoms for those who have reduced their dosage or stopped using the drug. Rosanna Hempel explains.