Hyoscyamine

Brand Names

Anaspaz, Cystospaz, Ed Spaz, HyoMax, HyoMax DT, HyoMax FT, HyoMax SL, HyoMax SR, Hyospaz, Hyosyne, IB-Stat, Levbid, Levsin, Levsin SL, Levsinex SR, NuLev, Nulev, Symax Duotab, Symax FasTab, Symax SL, Symax SR

What is Hyoscyamine

Hyoscyamine is a medication that produces many effects in the body, including relief from muscle spasms. This medication is intended to treat many different stomach and intestinal disorders, including peptic ulcer and irritable bowel syndrome. It is also used to control muscle spasms in the bladder, kidneys, or digestive tract, and to reduce stomach acid. Hyoscyamine is also used as a drying agent to control excessive salivation, runny nose or excessive sweating.

Side effects of Hyoscyamine

Hyoscyamine common side effects can include:

• drowsiness
• dizziness or lightheadedness
• headache
• blurred vision
• flushing (feeling of warmth)
• dry mouth
• constipation
• difficulty urinating
• increased sensitivity to light

In some cases, hyoscyamine can cause serious side effects such as:

• diarrhea
• skin rash
• eye pain
• fast or irregular heartbeat

Indication

Hyoscyamine is intended to control symptoms linked to disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It works by decreasing the motion of the stomach and intestines and the secretion of stomach fluids, including acid. Hyoscyamine is also effective in the treatment of bladder spasms, peptic ulcer disease, diverticulitis, colic, irritable bowel syndrome, cystitis and pancreatitis. In some cases, Hyoscyamine can be helpful for treating certain heart conditions, for controlling the symptoms of Parkinson's disease and rhinitis (runny nose) and for reducing excess saliva production.

Precautions

Stop taking hyoscyamine if you:

• are allergic to hyoscyamine, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in hyoscyamine tablets, capsules or liquid. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a list of the ingredients.
• take any other prescription and non-prescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking pr plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: amantadine (Symadine, Symmetrel), amitriptyline (Elavil), chlorpromazine (Thorazine), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), fluphenazine (Prolixin), haloperidol (Haldol), imipramine (Tofranil), medications containing belladonna (Donnatal), mesoridazine (Serentil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), perphenazine (Trilafon), phenelzine (Nardil), prochlorperazine (Compazine), promazine (Sparine), promethazine (Phenergan), protriptyline (Vivactil), thioridazine (Mellaril), tranylcypromine (Parnate), trifluoperazine (Stelazine), triflupromazine (Vesprin), trimeprazine (Temaril), and trimipramine (Surmontil). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
• take antacids that may interfere with hyoscyamine, making it less effective. Take hyoscyamine 1 hour before or 2 hours after antacids.
• have or have ever had glaucoma; heart, lung, liver, or kidney disease; a urinary tract or intestinal obstruction; an enlarged prostate; ulcerative colitis; or myasthenia gravis.
• are pregnant, plan to become pregnant or are breastfeeding. If you become pregnant while taking hyoscyamine, call your doctor.
• have the risks and benefits of taking hyoscyamine if you are 65 years of age or older. Older adults should not usually take hyoscyamine because it is not as safe and may not be as effective as other medications that can be used to treat the same condition.
• are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell your doctor or dentist that you take hyoscyamine.

Dosage forms

Hyoscyamine tablets are generally taken for 3-4 times a day. However, you should exactly follow your doctor’s prescriptions. An overdose of this drug may give rise to several complications. A high dose of this drug may impact the breathing of a patient severely, making him or her collapse. Do not chew or crush the tablets as it may make them dissolve faster into your bloodstream causing complications.