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What is the most important information I should know about dicyclomine?

Dicyclomine can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Avoid drinking alcohol. It can increase some of the side effects of dicyclomine.

Avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated during exercise and in hot weather. Dicyclomine can decrease your sweating, which can lead to heat stroke in a hot environment.

Stop using dicyclomine and call your doctor right away if you have serious side effects such as confusion, hallucinations, unusual thoughts or behavior, fast or uneven heart rate, or if you urinate less than usual or not at all.

There are many other medicines that can interact with dicyclomine. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor. Keep a list with you of all the medicines you use and show this list to any doctor or other healthcare provider who treats you.

Warning

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

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What is dicyclomine?

Dicyclomine relieves spasms of the muscles in the stomach and intestines by blocking the actions of certain chemicals in the body.

Dicyclomine is used to treat functional bowel or irritable bowel syndrome.

Dicyclomine may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.


Precautions

Do not take this medication if you are allergic to dicyclomine, or if you have:

  • problems with urination;
  • a blockage in your digestive tract;
  • an intestinal disorder such as ulcerative colitis;
  • gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD);
  • a serious heart condition or active bleeding;
  • glaucoma;
  • myasthenia gravis; or
  • if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

  • an ileostomy or colostomy;
  • a nerve problem (such as numbness or tingling);
  • liver disease;
  • kidney disease;
  • ulcerative colitis;
  • thyroid disorder;
  • heart disease, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, or a heart rhythm disorder;
  • hiatal hernia; or
  • an enlarged prostate.

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustments or special tests to safely take dicyclomine.

FDA pregnancy category B. This medication is not expected to be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

Dicyclomine can pass into breast milk and can cause breathing problems or death in infants younger than 6 months of age. Do not take dicyclomine if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Avoid using antacids while taking dicyclomine. Antacids can make it harder for your body to absorb dicyclomine.

Dicyclomine can cause side effects that may impair your vision or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert and able to see clearly.

Avoid drinking alcohol. It can increase some of the side effects of dicyclomine.

Avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated during exercise and in hot weather. Dicyclomine can cause decreased sweating, which can lead to heat stroke in a hot environment.

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Instructions

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Overdose symptoms may include numbness or tingly feeling, muscle weakness or paralysis, headache, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, trouble swallowing, feeling restless or anxious, ringing in the ears, tremors, feeling light-headed, fainting, or seizure (convulsions).

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, wait until then to take the medicine and skip the missed dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

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Side-effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using dicyclomine and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

  • confusion, hallucinations, unusual thoughts or behavior;
  • fast, pounding, or uneven heart rate; or
  • urinating less than usual or not at all.

Less serious side effects may include:

  • drowsiness, dizziness, headache;
  • blurred vision;
  • nausea, vomiting, constipation, bloating, stomach pain;
  • loss of appetite;
  • mild itching or skin rash; or
  • stuffy nose, dry mouth.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

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Interactions

Before taking dicyclomine, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

  • amantadine (Symmetrel);
  • quinidine (Quinaglute, Cardioquin, Quinidex);
  • digoxin (digitalis, Lanoxin);
  • cold or allergy medicines;
  • narcotic pain medicine;
  • steroids (prednisone and others);
  • phenothiazines such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine), mesoridazine (Serentil), prochlorperazine (Compazine), thioridazine (Mellaril), and others
  • a sedative such as Valium, Xanax, Librium, Tranxene, ProSom, Dalmane, Ativan, Versed, Restoril, or Halcion;
  • an MAO inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or tranylcypromine (Parnate);
  • diet pills, caffeine pills, or other stimulants (such as ADHD medications); or
  • antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil, Etrafon), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), imipramine (Janimine, Tofranil), and others.

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with dicyclomine. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

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Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2004 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version 2.05. Revision date 8/23/04

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