Hyoscine N-Butyl Bromide is the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) present in anti-spasmodic treatments for abdominal pain. It brings fast pain relief for stomach cramps caused by diarrhoea , irritable bowel syndrome, and other gastrointestinal diseases, especially lower abdominal pain. It can also help ease bladder cramps and period pain.
What is a chronic gastrointestinal disease? Is it preventable?
Most gastrointestinal disorders (Cleveland Clinic) can be prevented by making a few lifestyle changes. Eat healthy, cook in a hygienic environment, and drink plenty of clean water. To minimise the risks, exercise at least thrice weekly, eat your greens for fibre to regularise your bowel movements and undergo a colonoscopy or cancer screening.
Is Hyoscine N-Butyl Bromide (HBB) a tablet or injection?
Hyoscine N-Butyl Bromide is available in solid dose as well as in the liquid form. However, the application of HBB in oral form has been gaining traction for the past six years, due to an increase in sales of the brand name, Buscopan. Worldwide sales of Hyoscine-N-Butyl Bromide in solid dosage is steadily increasing at 4% CAGR since 2013 and expected to reach 4.6% by 2027 (Fact.MR).
What is Buscopan and its uses?
Buscopan contains the API, Hyoscine N-Butyl Bromide. Many Europeans use the over the counter version of Buscopan for soothing period cramps, as well as to treat IBS, or bladder problems. Buscopan is available as Buscopan IBS Relief and Buscopan Cramps from a pharmacy.
What is Hyoscine N-Butyl Bromide dosage?
Adults and Children over 12 years:
For stomach cramps and period pain:
2 tablets, four times a day.
Note: Contact your doctor to get a prescription:
- if you need to take it for more than 2 weeks, or if
- you need to take more than 40 tablets
Children between 6 and 11 years:
1 tablet, three times a day.
How to take Buscopan tablets (NHS)
- Swallow the whole tablets with water. Avoid breaking, crushing or chewing them.
- Take them with or without food because the drug does not usually upset the stomach.
- Take the oral dose as and when you get stomach cramps or period pain.
- Take Buscopan IBS Relief only if a doctor has confirmed that you suffer from IBS.
Generally, adults and children over the age of 6 years can take Buscopan.
Important:
- Do not give Buscopan Cramps tablets to children below 6 years.
- Do not give Buscopan IBS Relief tablets to children aged below 12.
How does Hyoscine N-Butyl Bromide work?
HBB is a common active ingredient found in antispasmodics. It works similar to other oral analgesic drugs by:
- Helping your gut to relax: It reduces spasms by smoothing muscles within the stomach, intestines, bladder, and urethra.
- Acting quickly: It is fast-acting and eases cramps usually within 15 minutes.
Other uses of Hyoscine N-Butyl Bromide include (NHS):
- Reduces bowel spasms during colonoscopy.
- Provides pain relief during gynaecological procedures.
- Acts as an anti-spasmodic drug to treat genito-urinary spasms.
- Treats children suffering from acute abdominal pain.
When is the best time for a colonoscopy?
People with an average risk should get a colonoscopy done by age 50. If you have a family history of colorectal cancer or polyps, it is wise to get a colonoscopy at a younger age. Generally, colonoscopy is best 10 years younger than the affected family member’s age.
Are there any Hyoscine N-Butyl Bromide side effects?
HBB, also known as scopolamine, belongs to a group of medicines called “antispasmodics”. It is in the same class of drugs as atropine, ipratropium, and diphenhydramine. The butyl-bromide attachment stops movement across the blood-brain barrier, which minimises any neurologic side effects.
Few people have reported side effects of using this medicine. The following Hyoscine N-Butyl Bromide side effects affect fewer than 1 in 100 people (Drugs.com):
- dry mouth
- constipation
- blurred vision
- increased heart rate
- rash, redness, or itching skin
- small blisters on hands and feet
- difficulty in passing urine (affects fewer than 1 in 1,000 people)
Read about more side effects of this API here.
Chemical structure of Hyoscine N-Butyl Bromide (Research Gate) is:
What are Buscopan users saying online?
Over 75 per cent of Buscopan customers voted positively with five-star ratings online. You can read the reviews online here.
When do you have to seek medical help?
Check with your doctor before taking the medicine in if you have:
- An allergy to the API or any of the listed inactive ingredients
- Arrhythmia or a heart problem
- Glaucoma
- Megacolon
- Myasthenia gravis
- Thyroid problems
- Prostate problems
- Down’s syndrome
- Autonomic neuropathy
- Fever
- Constipation
If you use Hyoscine N-Butyl Bromide, here are some points worth considering:
- Do not take HBB if you are pregnant, planning to get pregnant or, breastfeeding.
- You may be concerned about drug interactions of HBB. Certain medicines increase the risk of side effects if you take them at the same time as HBB. Find out which medications here (NHS).
- This drug or API is not to be confused with hyoscine hydrobromide, which prevents travel sickness.
- If you buy OTC drugs without prescription, do not use it longer than 2 weeks without checking with a doctor.
- In general, avoid taking the drug with:
- Other IBS remedies (Mayo Clinic) because they work in the same way.
- Some travel sickness medicines as they work in opposite ways.
You can leave a comment about this active pharmaceutical ingredient and blog post below. For more information about this medicine Hyoscine N-Butyl Bromide, other APIs or finished products, contact Anzen Exports.
Disclaimer:
Anzen Exports’ blog posts are based just on our research from cited websites. To be best informed, we advise consulting a doctor about an ingredient or medicine prior to taking it.
References
Cleveland Clinic. Gastrointestinal Disorders. 26 Oct 2016. <https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/7040-gastrointestinal-disorders>.
Drugs.com. Hyoscine Butylbromide 10 mg Tablets. n.d. <https://www.drugs.com/uk/hyoscine-butylbromide-10-mg-tablets-leaflet.html>.
Fact.MR. Hyoscine-N-Butyl Bromide Global Market Insights 2018-2027. Mar 2019. Web. <https://www.factmr.com/report/3269/hyoscine-n-butyl-bromide-market>.
Mayo Clinic. Home Remedies: Irritable bowel syndrome. 14 Oct 2016. <https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/home-remedies-irritable-bowel-syndrome/>.
NHS. Buscopan (hyoscine butylbromide). 8 Nov 2018. <https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/buscopan-hyoscine-butylbromide/>.
Research Gate. Chemical structure of hyoscine butylbromide (HBB). Jan 2010. <https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Chemical-structure-of-hyoscine-butylbromide-HBB_fig6_250781474>.