Generic Name: Hyoscine Butylbromide
Brand Name: Amucin, Ascopen, Buscin, Buscomed, Buscopan, Busopin, Buston, Fucon, Gascopan, Gastride, Losil, Rotomide, Scolmin, Spasmosan, Xspas
Classification: Antispasmodic, Muscle Relaxant
Indications:
1. Spasms of the stomach, intestines or bile duct (gastro-intestinal tract), including those associated with irritable bowel syndrome
2. This injectable form of hyoscine may also be used before certain medical procedures (e.g., endoscopy) to relax the smooth muscle of the stomach and intestines (gastrointestinal tract).
Buscopan tablets contain the active ingredient hyoscine butylbromide, which is a type of medicine called an antispasmodic. It is used to relieve colicky abdominal pain that is caused by painful spasms in the muscles of the gastro-intestinal (GI) or genito-urinary (GU) tract.
Mechanism of Action
- Hyoscine works by relaxing the muscle that is found in the walls of the stomach, intestines, bowel, bile duct and urinary tract. This type of muscle is called smooth muscle or involuntary muscle. It normally contracts and relaxes in response to natural body chemicals called neurotransmitters. The contractions are caused by a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. These contractions are not under our conscious control and we are not normally aware of them. However, if the muscles go into spasm this can cause pain.
- Hyoscine stops the spasms in the smooth muscle by preventing acetylcholine from acting on the muscle. It does this by blocking the receptors on the muscle cells that the acetylcholine would normally act on.
- By preventing acetylcholine from acting on the muscle in the GI and GU tracts, hyoscine reduces the muscle contractions. This allows the muscle to relax and reduces the painful spasms and cramps.
Contraindications
- Abnormal muscle weakness
- Abnormally large or dilated large intestine (megacolon)
- Rare hereditary problems of fructose intolerance, glucose-galactose malabsorption or sucrase-isomaltase insufficiency (Buscopan tablets contain sucrose).
- Children under 6 years of age
- Narrow-angle glaucoma
- Acute hemorrhage
- Paralytic ileus
- Tachycardia due to cardiac insufficiency
- Myasthenia gravis
Use in Caution in People with
- Elderly people
- People with a very fast heartbeat (tachycardia)
- Heart failure
- Overactive thyroid gland
- People susceptible to blockages in the urinary tract and difficulty passing urine, for example men with an enlarged prostate gland
- People susceptible to blockages in the intestines.
- People with a high temperature (fever).
- Pregnancy. This medicine should be used with caution during pregnancy, and only if the expected benefit to the mother is greater than the possible risk to the foetus, particularly in the first trimester.
- Breastfeeding. It is not known if this medicine passes into breast milk. It should be used with caution in nursing mothers, and only if the benefits to the mother outweigh any risks to the nursing infant.
- Adverse Reactions and Side Effects
- Tachycardia
- Dry mouth
- Reduced ability to sweat
- Allergic reactions
- Difficulty in passing urine (urinary retention)
- Flushing
- Postural hypotension
- Fibrillation
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Memory loss
- Dry skin
- Erythema
- Increased sensitivity to light
- Rash
- Bloatedness
- Constipation
- Dry throat
- Nausea and vomiting
- Xerostamia
- Dysuria
- Urinary retention
- Tremor
- Weakness
- Impaired accommodation
- Blurred vision
- Cyclopegia
- Narrow-angle glaucoma
- Increase intraocular pain
- Itching
- Photophobia
- Pupil dilation
- Heat intolerance
- Increase ibtraocular pressure
- Vascular and respiratory congestion
Potentially Fatal Adverse Effects- CNS depression
- Coma
- Circulatory and respiratory failure
Nursing Responsibilities- Hyoscine may make a patient dizzy or cause vision problems; use caution engaging in activities requiring alertness such as driving or using machinery.
- Instruct the client to avoid or minimize drinking alcoholic beverages.
- Caution is advised when using this drug in the elderly because they may be more sensitive to the effects of the drug.
- Inform the patient to consult the doctor immediately if he or she experiences any of the following while using this medicine: red and painful eye, possibly with headache, loss of vision, or seeing haloes around lights. These symptoms may be caused by an increase in pressure inside the eyeball and require urgent investigation by the doctor.
- If the patient missed a dose, inform him or her to use it as soon as you remember. If it is near the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Remind the patient not double the dose to catch up.
- The medication should be stored at room temperature between 59 and 86 degrees F away from light and moisture.
- Hyoscine should not be placed in the refrigerator.
- Symptoms of overdose may include: irregular heartbeat, reddened skin, drowsiness. Instruct the patient to immediately alert the physician once these are noticed or experienced.
