What is Dicyclomine?

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Dicyclomine is a medicine that belongs to a group of medicines called as anticholinergics. Dicyclomine is used to treat patients who are suffering from irritable bowel syndrome since anticholinergics stop the effect of acetylcholine or the chemical transmission from the nerves that causes contraction of muscles.

Dicyclomine also relaxes the muscles and as such, it can lessen the contraction taking place in the intestines’ muscles.

Effects

A patient is advised against taking dicyclomine with other anticholinergic medicines like promethazine (Phenergan), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), triflupromazine (Stelazine) thioridazine (Mellaril), , amitriptyline (Elavil, Endep), clomipramine (Anafranil), clozapine (Clozaril), amoxapine (Asendin) and protriptyline (Vivactil) to name some.

Patients who take dicyclomine with other anticholinergic drugs might experience blurred vision, agitation, faster heart rate, dry mouth, constipation and palpitations.

There are no studies that show that dicyclomine has negative effects on pregnant women. But nursing mothers should not take any dicyclomine as there are reported cases of apnea or the stopping of breathing among children who have taken dicyclomine.

Patients who suspect that they have taken more dicyclomine than they should or overdose should contact a poison center or go to the nearest hospital. Patients who have overdosed on this drug can experience fever, extreme dizziness, extreme thirst, mood changes like excessive excitement or confusion, irregular heartbeats, fainting, seizures and palpitations, among others.

Sometimes overdosing occurs when patients forget to take the medicine at the prescribed time as some patients take the medicine after missing a dose and taking another dose shortly after.

The dicyclomine should not be taken by anyone who is experiencing some discomforts with their bowels as this is a prescribed medicine. It should also not be mixed with other medicines that cause the patients to feel sleepy all the time.

As with any drugs or medicines, patients must take the doctor’s advice in the use of this drug.

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