Benztropine

Benztropine is a prescription medication used to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and tremors caused by other medical conditions or drugs.

Benztropine has anticholinergic and antihistamine effects, though only the anticholinergic properties are therapeutically significant in treating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Anticholinergic agents block the binding of a neurotransmitter to nerve cells that are responsible for involuntary movements of smooth muscle cells.

This medication comes in tablet form and is taken up to 3 times a day. Take benztropine with food or milk.

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

Common side effects of benztropine include dry mouth, difficulty urinating, and constipation.

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

Benztropine is a prescription medication used to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and tremors caused by other medical conditions or drugs.

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

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

• Cogentin

Serious side effects have been reported with benztropine. See the “Benztropine Precautions” section.

Common side effects of benztropine include the following:

• fast heartbeat
• constipation
• vomiting
• nausea
• dry mouth
• confusion or disorientation
• impaired memory
• visual hallucinations
• nervousness
• depression
• numbness in fingers
• difficulty urinating or pain when urinating
• dilated pupils
• skin rash
• heat stroke
• elevated body temperature (hyperthermia) or fever

This is not a complete list of benztropine 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.

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 (Symmetrel)
• digoxin (Lanoxin)
• haloperidol (Haldol)
• levodopa (Larodopa, Sinemet)
• tranquilizers such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine) or thioridazine (Mellaril)

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

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

• Cardiovascular effects. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have a fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat.
• Digestive effects. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you experience dry mouth that is so severe that is causes difficulty speaking or swallowing or loss of appetite or weight.
• Nervous system changes. Symptoms of mental disorders may worsen with benztropine treatment. Patients should be closely observed for mental status changes, especially at the beginning of treatment and when doses are increased.

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

Do not take benztropine if you:

• are allergic to benztropine or to any of its ingredients
• are under 3 years of age

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

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

• are allergic to benztropine or to any of its ingredients
• have or have had kidney disease
• have or have had liver problems
• have heart or blood pressure problems
• have glaucoma
• have myasthenia gravis
• have problems with the urinary or digestive system
• have prostate problems
• are pregnant or breastfeeding

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

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

Safe use of benztropine during pregnancy has not been established.

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

It is not known if benztropine crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using benztropine.

Take benztropine exactly as prescribed.

This medication comes in tablet form and is taken up to 3 times a day. Take benztropine with food or milk.

This medication is also available in an injectable form to be given directly into a vein (IV) or 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 benztropine at the same time.

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 the following:

• the condition being treated
• other medical conditions you have
• other medications you are taking
• how you respond to this medication

The recommended dose range of oral and injectable benztropine for the treatment of symptoms of Parkinson’s disease is 0.5 to 6 mg daily. The dose may be increased until optimal symptom relief occurs without the onset of adverse reactions.

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

If benztropine 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.

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