Hyoscyamine

Hyoscyamine Overview

Updated: June 16, 2014

Hyoscyamine is a prescription medication used to used to control symptoms associated with disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Hyoscyamine is also used in the treatment of bladder spasms, peptic ulcer disease, diverticulitis, colic, and irritable bowel syndrome. Hyoscyamine may also be used to treat rhinitis.

Hyoscyamine belongs to a group of drugs called Belladonna alkaloids. Hyoscyamine help by decreasing the motion of the stomach and intestines and the secretion of stomach fluids, including acid.

Hyoscyamine comes as a tablet, an orally disintegrating tablet, an extended-release (long-acting) capsule, an elixir, and a solution to take by mouth.

The tablets and liquid are usually taken three or four times a day.

The extended-release capsules are usually taken twice a day.

Do not chew, divide, or break hyoscyamine extended-release capsules. Swallow hyoscyamine capsules whole.

Common side effects of hyoscyamine include drowsiness, dizziness, dryness of the mouth, urinary retention, and blurred vision.

Hyoscyamine can also cause blurred vision, drowsiness, and dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how hyoscyamine affects you.

How was your experience with Hyoscyamine?

First, a little about yourself

Male Female

Age:

Tell us about yourself in a few words?

What tips would you provide a friend before taking Hyoscyamine?

What are you taking Hyoscyamine for?

Choose one

Other
Abnormalities, Drug-induced
Colic
Hyperhidrosis
Intraoperative Complications
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Muscle Rigidity
Peptic Ulcer
Rhinitis
Sialorrhea
Spasm
Tremor
Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic

How long have you been taking it?

Choose one

Less than a week
A couple weeks
A month or so
A few months
A year or so
Two years or more

How well did Hyoscyamine work for you?

Did you experience many side effects while taking this drug?

How likely would you be to recommend Hyoscyamine to a friend?

Pill Images

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Hyoscyamine Cautionary Labels

Uses of Hyoscyamine

Hyoscyamine is a prescription medication used to used to control symptoms associated with disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Hyoscyamine is also used in the treatment of bladder spasms, peptic ulcer disease, diverticulitis, colic, and irritable bowel syndrome. Hyoscyamine may also be used to treat rhinitis.

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

Hyoscyamine Brand Names

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

Hyoscyamine Drug Class

Hyoscyamine is part of the drug class:

Belladonna alkaloids, tertiary amines

Side Effects of Hyoscyamine

Serious side effects have been reported with hyoscyamine. See the “Hyoscyamine Precautions” section.

Common side effects of hyoscyamine include the following:

drowsiness
dizziness or lightheadedness
headache
blurred vision
flushing (feeling of warmth)
dry mouth
constipation
difficulty urinating
increased sensitivity to light

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

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

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

Hyoscyamine 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:

Amantadine (Symadine, Symmetrel), chlorpromazine (Thorazine), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), fluphenazine (Prolixin), haloperidol (Haldol), imipramine (Tofranil) mesoridazine (Serentil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), perphenazine (Trilafon), phenelzine (Nardil), prochlorperazine (Compazine), promazine (Sparine), promethazine (Phenergan), protriptyline (Vivactil), thioridazine (Mellaril), tranylcypromine (Parnate), trifluoperazine (Stelazine), triflupromazine (Vesprin), trimeprazine (Temaril), trimipramine (Surmontil), amitriptyline (Elavil), nortriptyline (Pamelor, Aventyl), protriptyline (Vivactil), and clomipramine (Anafranil)
Medications containing belladonna (Donnatal),
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), selegiline (Emsam, Eldepryl, Zelapar), rasagiline (Azilect)

Certain antihistamines
Antacids

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

Hyoscyamine Precautions

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

Diarrhea
Skin rash
Eye pain
Fast or irregular heartbeat
Psychosis has been reported in sensitive individuals given hyoscyamine sulfate. Tell your doctor if you notice any of these signs or symptoms:
- confusion, disorientation, short-term memory loss, hallucinations, dysarthria, ataxia, coma, euphoria, anxiety, decreased anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, and/or agitation
Hyoscyamine sulfate may decrease sweating and result fever or heat stroke. Patients with a fever or those who may be exposed to elevated environmental temperatures should use caution.

If you experience any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

Hyoscyamine can also cause blurred vision, drowsiness, and dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how hyoscyamine affects you.

Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking hyoscyamine if you are 65 years of age or older. Older adults should not usually take hyoscyamine because it is not as safe and may not be as effective as other medications that can be used to treat the same condition.

Do not take hyoscyamine if you:

are allergic to hyoscyamine or to any of its ingredients
have glaucoma
have obstructive uropathy (for example, bladder neck obstruction due to prostatic hypertrophy)
have obstructive disease of the gastrointestinal tract (as in achalasia, pyloroduodenal stenosis)
have paralytic ileus
intestinal issues
unstable cardiovascular status in acute hemorrhage
have severe ulcerative colitis
have toxic megacolon complicating ulcerative colitis
have myasthenia gravis

Hyoscyamine 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 hyoscyamine, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Inform MD

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

are allergic to hyoscyamine or to any of its ingredients
have or had glaucoma
have or had heart, lung, liver, or kidney disease
have congestive heart failure or cardiac arrhythmias
have a urinary tract or intestinal obstruction
have an enlarged prostate
have ulcerative colitis (a condition which causes swelling and sores in the lining of the colon [large intestine] and rectum)
have myasthenia gravis.
have hyperthyroidism
have hypertension
are having surgery, including dental surgery. Tell your doctor or dentist that you take hyoscyamine.
are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking hyoscyamine, call your doctor.

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

Hyoscyamine 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.

Hyoscyamine falls into category C. No studies have been done in animals, and no well-controlled studies have been done in pregnant women. Hyoscyamine should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.

Hyoscyamine and Lactation

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Hyoscyamine has been detected in human breast milk. Because of the possibility for adverse reactions in nursing infants from hyoscyamine, should not be administered to a nursing mother.

Hyoscyamine Usage

Take hyoscyamine exactly as prescribed.

Hyoscyamine comes as a tablet, an orally disintegrating tablet, an extended-release (long-acting) capsule, an elixir, and a solution to take by mouth.

Do not chew, divide, or break extended-release (long-acting) capsule. Swallow extended-release (long-acting) capsule whole.

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 hyoscyamine at the same time.