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IBS Tales Home > Treatment Reviews > IBS Medications > Buscopan

Buscopan (hyoscine butylbromide) is an anti-spasmodic, which works by relaxing the muscles in the gut wall. Buscopan Plus is also available, containing butylscopolamine plus the painkiller paracetamol, although Buscopan Plus is targeted more at women with painful periods.

This medication is widely available in the UK and Canada but Buscopan is not available in the United States of America (USA).

Buscopan is used to treat intestinal spasms, stomach cramps and associated IBS symptoms. It is also used to treat painful periods, and Buscopan Plus is made specifically for painful periods. Buscopan comes in tablet form and is swallowed with water.

Buscopan side effects

The most common side effects of Buscopan are a dry mouth, a faster heart rate and skin reactions.

REVIEWS OF BUSCOPAN

Review by Carol

I was recently diagnosed with IBS after many trips to the doctor and a blood test, colonoscopy and endoscopy. I suffer really, really badly with stomach cramps and bloating. I also get constipated very badly but I can't take ibuprofen for pain anymore as I produce too much acid in my stomach and ibuprofen makes it worse.

I’m on Buscopan and paracetamol together which eases the pain but doesn’t take it away completely. I’ve cut out all food that triggers the symptoms and stress plays a huge role in my IBS at the moment. Being a worrier does not help my poor stomach.

I find a hot water bottle on my stomach with two Buscopan and paracetamol takes the edge off the pain but it’s getting to the stage that the pain is every day. Some weeks I would have a good two or three days of no pain and no bloating but some weeks it’s every day! I will soldier on.

Review by Anaaba

I have suffered from IBS for about four years now. For the first two years I always used Buscopan and it will just stopped it and made my life so lovely, but now it's different. Since I moved I have had two attacks, often triggered by spicy food so I manage to avoid that but the symptoms still persist making my life so shameful and really stupid. I can't go out again.

For now it's not painful but I have cramps and the urge to go to the washroom all the time. In fact, I don't know how to even describe it. I'm kind of confused. I strain every time I feel a bowel movement and have a lot of air trapped in the colon which can't pass out, sometimes giving me severe pelvic pain.

I have done all the tests, CT scan, endoscopy, colonoscopy, blood test upon test, but nothing diagnostic is seen. In Asia I try to buy Buscopan but I can't find in it in any pharmacy. It's now given me some spastic bladder symptoms because I can feel it, an urgent need to urinate and increased frequency especially if I take in more fluids.

Recently I ordered Buscopan from Australia and I am now waiting for the delivery. I'm so happy to read a lot of reviews about IBS. It's really a terrible thing.

Review by Geraldine

I take Buscopan tablets but they don't seem to be working now. Today I took two and the doctor gave me an injection of Buscopan as well. That was almost an hour ago and I'm still in pain. It's scary now as my doctor asked me to give a stool sample just in case it's something else. I've had IBS for 28 years now.

Review by Patricia

I have had IBS now for a year. I thought I had cancer. The attacks were so bad. I had spasms start in my stomach, then a throbbing pulse in my stomach. This then went into an urgent need to use the toilet and a few times I passed out with the pain. The diarrhea was atrocious and after each attack I was bedridden for four days as it took so much out of me. Unless you have this you do not appreciate the disabling effects this has on life.

My doctor did several blood tests on me and diagnosed IBS last October. He put me on Buscopan and I can say it has not cured me but it has made life bearable as the attacks are now not so severe. To any IBS sufferer I would say, don't worry you're not alone, but I also will add I do not think enough people realize just how badly this can affect people's lives.

Review by Dan

I get, between five and 10 times a year, days-long stomach cramps which are all I can think about. I find it very hard to work whilst I have them. I tried an anti-spasmodic for the first time last night (Buscopan) and it completely got rid of the pain. I could dance I'm so happy.

Review by Emma

My doctor recommended Buscopan after months of no relief from mebeverine. He actually just said to buy the OTC version because at the time it was cheaper than the prescription charge. After months of severe attacks and using Buscopan to try to alleviate the symptoms I started developing a resistance to the effects - now, this may only be from the OTC version, I'm not sure if some sufferers are being prescribed a higher dose product referred to as Buscopan. I now use Buscopan for only the most severe cramping attacks whilst using Colpermin for the diarrhea-type symptoms. I'm happier with this as Colpermin is a more natural product and I think I'm therefore less likely to develop a resistance.

Review by Neata

It's so refreshing to come on here and read about other people's problems with IBS because this disorder can make you feel like no-one can understand...for a start, let's face it, it controls your life!

I mainly suffer with my upper gastro track and I was reading someone else's review and she mentioned a pain under the breastbone...well that's what brought this illness to light for me. I suffered from severe heartburn for about two weeks solid which isn't unusual for me, but then I tried to go to sleep and the most awful excruciating pain appeared under my breastbone. This kept carrying on and I was losing my hair a lot and being a hairdresser myself I thought "Eeeek" time to see the doctor...

After months of this pain appearing during the night and sitting awake for sometimes three hours a night crying in agony, and the being sick and the sore gullet, I finally had an endoscopy. I was sure I had cancer because I felt so ill, I couldn't believe how ill a functional disorder can make you feel...it sounds so simple!

After the spells of nausea and sickness kept attacking me I couldn't take anymore. It got to the point that I was leaving my clients while I was doing their hair to go be sick! Then my doctor gave me Buscopan. OK admittedly it isn't a cure by any means but thank God we have it! It doesn't always stop the pain or stop me being sick but it definitely helps!

Review by Priscilla

I have been taking Buscopan for a few months now when I get a bad attack of swelling in my stomach and severe pain. I find it does not help the swelling much, but it definitely takes the edge off the pain, and sometimes I have no pain at all. The pain is the worst bit of the swelling for me, so without the pain I am happy and the swelling I can deal with. I would definitely recommend it, but get it on prescription because you can get more than what you get over the counter in the pharmacy.

Review by Liz

I have dreadful IBS, especially the minute I get in a car, on a train, or on a plane. I had the worst experience of my life last year on a boat with my little girl who wanted to see dolphins off the coast of Scotland - you can guess the rest I'm sure....

Buscopan isn't a miracle - it hasn't cured me - but I know that when I take it the stomach griping will calm down and as a result the diarrhea sometimes doesn't arise. Or it at least gives me time. It does give me a dry mouth, but I can live with that!

Review by Joyce

I have suffered from IBS for many years now. My main symptom is stomach spasms which occur about every two to three months. I also experience the usual symptoms of IBS, but none of them are more distressing than the stomach spasms which I had last night. I can't figure out what causes them, they always occur when I have been asleep for an hour or two and seem to come in waves of two or three. I experience pain just under my breasts and around my back and sides.

I take two Buscopan tablets and then just have to wait about 15 minutes for them to work. The effects last about five to 10 minutes and then I get the second wave, but it's more excruciating the second time. I then take two more tablets and wait for them to work, which can take up to 20 minutes to half an hour. I usually end up vomiting which helps to relieve the pain. If I touch under my breast it feels very hard and swollen.

Review by John

I was diagnosed with IBS about nine years ago. Prior to that, I'd had fairly severe bouts of lower abdominal spasming, frequent bathroom visits, and significant abdominal pain that left me weak, light-headed, and visibly pasty. Stress was and continues to be my primary trigger, although alcohol plus certain foods (eg: nachos!) or eating bulky foods prior to sleeping can also trigger a response. Before I started used Buscopan attacks would often leave me not only house-bound, but in bed for a full day or so.

Upon trying Buscopan, immediate results were seen. I can take it when a trigger food is present, instead of avoiding a lot of things, or I can use it to stop attacks - usually within an hour or so. Results have remained consistent over the six years I've been using Buscopan.

Now the downside: there's not a lot, and I'm quite willing to put up with it if it means ending an IBS bout, but I get a number of side effects from Buscopan. I get significant dry mouth that lasts for hours, I often feel warm or flushed, and I can sometimes get a fatigued or slightly disoriented feeling. The intensity of the side effects varies, but generally I get all of them to some degree.

Overall, my discovery of Buscopan has meant the ability to much more easily go to work, care for my family, and manage my IBS events. I've suggested it to anyone I know with IBS or IBS-like issues, but it's often not well-known by physicians, it seems.

Review by Andreas

I've used Buscopan Plus for several years now under stressful conditions that my stomach suffers from. Although these tablets are not originally designed for people with IBS, it does aid with muscle spasm and other pains that occur when stress worsens the IBS. This is truly a lifesaver during stressful moments when IBS gets unbearable.

Review by Brittany

I have had three separate severe IBS attacks which included excruciating back pain, mostly on the right side and shooting up into my shoulder blade, as well as stomach bloating and outrageous stomach cramps which leave me completely disabled. The first time I was hospitalized after three days of suffering, and that lasted for over three weeks.

I have discovered one main trigger to avoid at all costs, which is lying down within four hours of eating. One Buscopan tablet before dinner, only once per day for several weeks, also helped a great deal. An electric heating pad is also a definite help, plus pure apple juice before and after dinner. It seems that the Buscopan took three days to register in my body with my once a day dose.

Review by Darlene

I was diagnosed with IBS over two years ago. It was very overwhelming. I went from being very active to being housebound. I missed many weeks of work and family events. I was first given Dicetel which I took for about six months, but it did not help. I have been taking Buscopan three times a day since December and I have my life back.

Review by Gina

I have suffered a lot over the past year with my IBS. I tried Dicetel but I found it didn't work for me, I just felt worse. I got sicker as time went on. I was pretty much a prisoner in my own home. Now I am Buscopan, what a relief. There is a God. It's nice to feel back to myself. When I feel an attack coming on I take a tablet or two, then in about 30 minutes it has all gone away.

Review by Stuart

I've 39 and I have suffered from IBS all my life. As a child I had many attacks of stomach cramps and diarrhea which really ruined my life at times. In my teens I was prescribed Colofac but it didn't help one bit.

Ten years ago I started suffering from serious depression and anxiety and my IBS became ridiculous. Painful cramps and housebound diarrhea most days, sometimes visiting the toilet up to 15 times a day. Two years ago I was given Buscopan...joy! I take up to five a day. I still have mild symptoms but IBS no longer blights my life.

Review by Tracey

After suffering from perineal hematomas as a side effect of my IBS I've tried several treatments. I took mebeverine for just over a year but found I had to adjust the dose from three a day to one a day as I was suffering from constipation. It initially helped with the diarrhea and stomach cramps but after one year's use I found that it became increasingly ineffective.

I have recently changed to Buscopan which has so far helped immensely. I have normal bowel movements almost every day. I also have endometriosis and after years of trying various treatments I am finally having a hysterectomy which I'm told by my gynecologist will help my IBS as female hormones (estrogen and particularly progesterone) have an effect on the bowels, so hopefully after my op my bowel problems should be significantly better especially as I suffer from rectal bleeding during my periods.

Review by Lindsey

I have been taking Buscopan for over a year now. I started off taking one tablet three times a day, but now I take two tablets four times a day as discussed with my doctor. I find that this helps relax my stomach. They are quite good for diarrhea.

Review by Louise

I have been prescribed Buscopan and it has been really effective. I suffer with diarrhea, wind and cramps. When I take a tablet, within 30 minute the cramps begin to subside. Even the next day, the tablet taken previously seems to sort out the diarrhea. You can take more than one tablet a day, but I only need one. I have tried many other things like mebeverine, Fybogel, Mintec etc but to no avail.

Review by Diane

I suffer from a severe case of IBS, and when I say that I mean no matter what I eat I get diarrhea and sickness. My bowel goes into a lot of spasms, and I've ended up in hospital on many occasions, plus I have a constant feeling of bloating.

I found that whenever my bowel feels very tight or just uncomfortable that taking two Buscopan tablets along with an anti-sickness tablet (any kind) helps me to feel that wee bit better. My friend who also suffers from a mild case of IBS has taken the same tablets everyday since she was diagnosed and has never really had that much bother with her bowels since.

Review by Connie

I am now taking Buscopan, with great relief. It was prescribed to me for a peptic ulcer and severe stomach spasms. To my amazement this little pill has done wonders for my stomach.

Review by Heather

I have had bowel problems since I was a child, but in the last year I was diagnosed with alternating diarrhea/constipation IBS. I tried Colofac, but like most people found it only worked for a short time. I was then put on Buscopan.

I found I had a whole month of almost total relief! But, that said, how they work has started to wear off a bit now. I have had gripes, but I haven't had diarrhea since I've been taking them. I have also really changed my diet, cutting out almost all greasy food which I found was making things worse. So, perhaps that and the Buscopan has helped me.

Do you suffer from IBS? Have you tried Buscopan? Please contact Sophie to send in your review.

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