Dicyclomine

Dicyclomine relieves painful spasms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It can cause psychotic mental changes such as hallucinations.

Dicyclomine Overview

Reviewed: September 10, 2013
Updated: 

Dicyclomine is a prescription medication used to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This medication belongs to a group of drugs called anticholinergic (or antimuscarinic) agents. It relieves intestinal spasms by blocking muscarinic receptors in the digestive tract.

Dicyclomine comes in capsule, tablet, and in an oral syrup form. It is taken 4 times daily, with or without food.

Dicyclomine is also available as an injectable form to be given directly into a muscle (IM) by a healthcare professional.

Common side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how it affects you.

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Dicyclomine Cautionary Labels

precautionsprecautions

Uses of Dicyclomine

Dicyclomine is a prescription medication used to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Dicyclomine Brand Names

Dicyclomine may be found in some form under the following brand names:

Dicyclomine Drug Class

Side Effects of Dicyclomine

Common side effects of dicyclomine include:

  • dizziness
  • dry mouth
  • blurred vision
  • nausea
  • drowsiness
  • asthenia (weakness)
  • nervousness

This is not a complete list of dicyclomine side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

 

Dicyclomine Interactions

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

  • Antiglaucoma agents
  • Antacids
  • other anticholinergics such as glycopyrrolate (Cuvposa, Robinul), trospium (Sanctura), oxybutynin (Anturol, Gelnique, Oxytrol, Ditropan), solifenacin (Vesicare), propantheline (Pro-Banthine), and atropine (Atropen, Sal-Tropine)

This is not a complete list of dicyclomine drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Dicyclomine Precautions

Serious side effects have been reported with dicyclomine including the following:

  • Psychosis. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms of psychosis:
    • Thoughts and speech are unorganized
    • Experience beliefs that are not based in reality 
    • Hear, see, or feel things that are not there

Dicyclomine can cause drowsiness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how dicyclomine affects you.

Do not take dicyclomine if you:

  • are allergic to dicyclomine or to any of its ingredients 
  • are a nursing mother
  • have acid reflux disease
  • have problems urinating
  • have myasthenia gravis. This is a disease that causes extreme weakness in the muscles that you voluntarily control. If you have this, notify your doctor.
  • have glaucoma. Glaucoma is a disease that damages a major nerve in your eye. Notify your doctor if you have vision problems.
  • have severe Ulcerative Colitis. This is a disease where inflammation or sores are present along the inside of your colon or rectum. Notify your doctor if you have been told that you have this.

Dicyclomine is not for infants younger than 6 months.

 

Dicyclomine Food Interactions

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of dicyclomine there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

 

Inform MD

Before taking dicyclomine, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

  • are allergic to dicyclomine or to any of its ingredients
  • are a nursing mother
  • have acid reflux disease
  • have problems urinating
  • have heart problems
  • have myasthenia gravis
  • have glaucoma
  • have severe ulcerative colitis
  • have an enlarged prostate
  • have liver problems
  • have kidney problems
  • have mental health problems

​Dicyclomine is not for infants younger than 6 months.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Dicyclomine and Pregnancy

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Dicyclomine falls into category B. There are no well-done studies that have been done in humans with dicyclomine. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication, and the babies did not show any medical issues related to this medication.

 

Dicyclomine and Lactation

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Dicyclomine has been detected in human breast milk. Because of the possibility for adverse reactions in nursing infants from dicyclomine, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or to stop use of this medication. The importance of the drug to the mother should be considered.

 

Dicyclomine Usage

Take dicyclomine exactly as prescribed.

Dicyclomine comes in capsule, tablet, and in an oral syrup form. It is taken four times every day.

This medication is also available in an injectable form to be given directly into a muscle (IM) by a healthcare professional.

If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the regular time. Do not take two doses of dicyclomine at the same time.

Dicyclomine Dosage

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on how you respond to this medication and the side effects you may experience.

Injectable:

The recommended dose range of Bentyl (dicyclomine) is 10-20 mg to be given directly into the muscle (IM) four times daily by a healthcare professional. Patients should only use this route of administration for a maximum of 1-2 days when they cannot take the oral version.

Oral:

The recommended dose of Bentyl (dicyclomine) is 20 mg, four times daily.

Dicyclomine Overdose

If you take too much dicyclomine, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

If dicyclomine is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, it is unlikely that an overdose will occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.

Other Requirements

  • Store dicylomine at room temperature.
  • Keep this and all medicines out of the reach of children.