Before taking hyoscine butylbromide

Before taking hyoscine butylbromide make sure your doctor or pharmacist knows:

• If you are under 12 or over 65 years of age.
• If you are pregnant, trying for a baby or breast-feeding.
• If you have digestive system problems such as reflux disease, diarrhoea, or ulcerative colitis.
• If you have glaucoma (raised pressure in your eye).
• If you have high blood pressure or have had a heart attack.
• If you have prostate problems.
• If you have myasthenia gravis (a condition causing muscle weakness).
• If you have been told you have a fast heart rate.
• If you have Down's syndrome.
• If you are taking other medicines, including those available to buy without a prescription, herbal and complementary medicines.
• If you have ever had an allergic reaction to this or to any other medicine.

How to take hyoscine butylbromide

• Before starting this treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. The leaflet will give you more information about the specific brand of medicine you have been given, and any possible side-effects from taking it.
• The usual dose of hyoscine butylbromide for an adult is one or two tablets taken three or four times a day. It is usual to start by taking one tablet three times a day, and then to increase this dose to two tablets up to four times a day if needed. If hyoscine butylbromide has been prescribed by a doctor for you, your doctor will tell you how many tablets you should take and how often to take them. This dose information will also be on the label.
• You can take the tablets before, during or after meals.
• If you forget to take a dose, do not worry, just take the next dose when it is due. Do not take two doses together to make up for a forgotten dose.

Getting the most from your treatment

• Hyoscine butylbromide can be purchased from pharmacies and retail outlets by people who have been told by their doctor that they have irritable bowel syndrome. Do not buy hyoscine butylbromide unless you have previously been diagnosed by a doctor. If you develop any new symptoms, or if your symptoms worsen, or if your symptoms have not improved within two weeks of taking hyoscine butylbromide, you should see your doctor for further advice (even if you have been previously diagnosed by your doctor).
• If you buy any medicines, check with a pharmacist that they are safe to take with hyoscine butylbromide.

Can hyoscine butylbromide cause problems?

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. These usually improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following side-effects continue or become troublesome.

If you experience any other symptoms which you think may be due to this medicine, discuss them with your doctor or pharmacist.

How to store hyoscine butylbromide

• Keep all medicines out of the reach and sight of children.
• Store in a cool, dry place, away from direct heat and light.

Important information about all medicines

References

• Manufacturer's PIL, Buscopan® IBS Relief, Boehringer Ingelheim Limited Consumer Healthcare, electronic Medicines Compendium. Dated March 2009.
• Manufacturer's PIL, Buscopan® Tablets, Boehringer Ingelheim Limited, electronic Medicines Compendium. Dated October 2009.
• British National Formulary; 62nd Edition (Sep 2011) British Medical Association and Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, London (link to current BNF)