# Am I the only person that can't take Bentyl during the day?



## MsJanB (Jan 26, 2000)

Hi,I have been dx as with IBS for about the last 5 yrs,but I feel like I've delt with this in one way or another all my life. My doctor prescribed Bentyl, and it affects me really strangely. At night when I have those terrible abdominal cramps,the Bentyl is just great,helping me to sleep. But I have never been able to take it while at work, or even any time I need to be able to drive or function remotely normal! It's really frustrating, and the doctor doesnt really seem to understand my frustration with this. Does anyone else have this trouble while taking Bentyl or am I just being wierd?Thanks,Jan


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## kate-tn (Jun 14, 1999)

Jan- A lot of people on this board have mentioned having trouble with bentyl- blurred vision, tired, out-of-it feeling- while I was taking it a few years ago, I always felt horrible. I used it off and on over several years, and the side effects became worse with time. I finally told my doc that I simply wouldn't take it anymore. Librax does much better for me. I just take it occasionally. It cuts down on the spasms for me better than bentyl did.kate


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## Homebound (Jan 27, 2000)

I got lucky in the respect that I didn't get any of the side effects with the Bentyl. My problem is that it doesn't do a thing for me!







I'd feel ok and then after awhile I'd be in the bathroom with horrible cramps and more D then ever!!! It's such a shame because most people I've talked to say the side effects are horrible, and most people expeirence them!Jennifer


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Hi All:I've been taking bentyl for about a week and haven't noticed those side effects yet, but we are all different and some may have them and some may not.I was taking belladonna before and noticed the blurred vision and tiredness to a great extent. Maybe that's why the bentyl doesn't bother me.If you can't take it ask for something else. There are other things out there that you can try.







Jean------------------"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way." Babe Ruth. And I'm also Praying with Bettie for a cure for this NASTY IBS! Jean


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

I forgot to ask, how much is everyone taking? They told me to take 10 mg 3 times a day.







Jean------------------"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way." Babe Ruth. And I'm also Praying with Bettie for a cure for this NASTY IBS! Jean


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2000)

I was given Bentyl once and had to quit taking it for all the above reasons. The worst part was when I was driving. I would find that I had a terrible time staying awake and alert if I was behind the wheel more than 5 or 10 minutes! Really scared the devil out of myself a couple of times before I realized what was causing it.


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Hi Odealo you remember how much you were taking? I don't know if the reason I don't get that much of the side effects is that I may be taking less than everyone else.The literature does say be careful driving or operating heavy machinery as it may cause drowsiness.Jean------------------"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way." Babe Ruth. And I'm also Praying with Bettie for a cure for this NASTY IBS! Jean


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## Patty (Mar 18, 1999)

The last dr told me to take 20mg a day and it made me too drowsy and what's more it caused my heart to flutter and really made me feel light-headed and weird. It relieved the cramping though, but I had to give it up!


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2000)

Hi Jean!No, can't remember the dosage, but as I remember I only took it on an "as need" basis. So therefore when I was going on a trip or was going to be in a stressful situation I would take it. By the way, as I remember you are a C and I am a D. Anyway, I guess it may be that I never got use to taking it on a continual basis so the side effects really bothered me. I do know that my son had an episode when he was younger, when we had just moved to a new neighborhood, when he had a terrible time with stomach pains. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong and I finally asked if I could give him some of my Bentyl and it cleared it up like magic. From then on he took it fairly regularly throughout high school when the problem would raise it's ugly head. And he never complained of the same side effects I had.


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Hi Odeal and Patty:Odeal, I am mainly C but over the past 2-1/2 weeks it swung to D with cramping all day. The doc put me on Bentyl last Thursday and that reduced the cramping to 1/2 hour after each meal, which is much better than all day.I think I'm moving back to more normal bowel movements so don't know what will happen now. Plus, I starting taking a muscle relaxant for my back yesterday so won't know till that eases up some more and I quit taking it what I am. Sheesh, this is a pain in the you know what.







Patty, I can see where 20 mg a time could cause extreme drowsiness. And if it caused your heart to flutter I wouldn't blame you for not taking it. Do you take anything now?







Jean------------------"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way." Babe Ruth. And I'm also Praying with Bettie for a cure for this NASTY IBS! Jean[This message has been edited by JeanG (edited 02-03-2000).]


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## MsJanB (Jan 26, 2000)

Hi all,It's been great to hear that I am not the only person experiencing these side effects from Bentyl. At first my doctor prescribed benytl in 20 mg, but after I explained that I am just not able to function or drive while taking it, he prescribed 10 mg,which is a little better,but still you get a sort of "fuzzy headed" feeling.I am primarily a D sufferer, and I still need the imodium AD.I've taken so much of that that occaisionally I wonder if there are any long term damage caused by taking Immodium AD on long term,2-days a week basis?Jan


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## Guest (Feb 4, 2000)

Hi Everyone!! I too have been on Bentyl for my IBS--however I also have Crohn's disease. My doctor has raised the dosage to 2 20mg tabs with every meal--but I only take it with lunch and supper. I do feel the "fuzzyhead" and the kind of "high" like from marijuana (But I didn't inhale!Ha Ha Ha)I work as a phlebotomist at a hospital and I do hate when that feeling happens after lunch. I tend to talk faster and jumble my words alot too. Is there anything else out there that is as good for removing the pain without this "high"? After work I have to drive on the highway because I take college courses at night and it makes me a little nervous. When I took only 1 20mg tab with meals it didn't do anything for the pain.PS---I no longer experiment with marijuana. It was just a thing when I was single and irresponsible!!TTFN-----Nikki


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Maybe I don't notice the fuzzy headedness because I'm normally fuzzyheaded!





















Jean------------------"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way." Babe Ruth. And I'm also Praying with Bettie for a cure for this NASTY IBS! Jean


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## MsJanB (Jan 26, 2000)

This makes me feel so much better to know Im not alone in this! I am just hoping and praying that new meds will be coming out soon that might not have the bad side effects of Bentyl. Why should we have to suffer in silence? It's nice to know that some people are helping to raise awareness of this condition. Thanks,friends.Jan


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## Guest (Feb 4, 2000)

Jean: As to your fuzzyheadedness (that's some word, huh), I wasn't going to mention it, bbbbbbuuuuuuuuutttttttttt . . . _just kidding here!_Talk about a fuzzy head--I just got up from the 'puter to "go pee-pee" and when I came back 1 minute later I couldn't find my computer glasses--it took me 5 minutes to find them!Hey, I just remembered that we use to call the Bentyl "the blue pills" when my son was young. As I remember they were actually capsules. Does that mean anything as far as the dosage is concerned?


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Hi Odeal:I can never find my glasses!





















The Bentyl I take is in blue capsules and is 10mg per capsule, so maybe that's what your son was taking.Jean------------------"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way." Babe Ruth. And I'm also Praying with Bettie for a cure for this NASTY IBS! Jean


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## Homebound (Jan 27, 2000)

Mine is also 10mg, 4 times a day as needed. Like I said I didn't have any side effects. And I hate having the cramping but my main problem is controling the D!!! And if it doesn't do that then it doesn't do anything for me.







I mean if the D is controlled for me then I won't have any cramps in the first place! LOL So untill I get back to the doctor it's back to the ole caltrate and Immodium rutine!Jennifer


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