# Antisposmatics, how long do they take to work?



## volatile (Jun 20, 2005)

I am on dicyclomine, an anti sposmatic. I started it on Friday, and yesterday I felt better, less bloated. Today I have had a diffcult time. I also felt drowsy and had blurred vision, two side effects. I did not have those today, I wanted to know how long it takes for this to work, as I will be on it for 3 weeks before going on to an antibiotic next.


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## 14416 (Jun 21, 2005)

It should be a pretty instantaneous thing... As in, this medicine doesn't need to build up in your system to see affect.


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## 16069 (Jul 27, 2005)

According to MDAdvice.com it takes 15 to 30 mins to work, which I guess it dependant on how quickly you absorb it.


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## 16412 (Jul 4, 2005)

I take Donnatal which takes about 10 min to kick in.


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## 13728 (Jul 13, 2005)

Volatile, I started Donnatol last Thursday. I felt the effects of the antispasmodic quickly, but it took two days for my bloating to go down a little bit and for my diarrhea to stop. I asked the nurse and she said that because of the transit time of 24-72 hours of food in the GI tract, that waste that is already near the rectum would have to come out first... the antispasmodic would relieve any pain, but the diarrhea still had to live out its course. It seemed the third day that the donnatol really kicked in.But my cramping (and spasms,shh) stopped almost immediately. My side effects are dry eyes, dry skin, a little bit of dizziness immediately. But now I'm starting to get used to it. Hang in there for a few days while your body adjusts to the new medication.


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## 13853 (May 2, 2005)

I've been taking Donnatal for just over a month. It takes about 30 minutes for it to work. Side effects are dry mouth and being able to fall asleep real fast.


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## 13728 (Jul 13, 2005)

Thanks Zig. Forgot about the state of relaxation it gives.... It's relaxed me some and does assist with my sleep! Falling asleep really easy is a great side effect in my book. The way we all worry and deal with anxiety, falling asleep quickly is a blessing.How addictive do you think this stuff is?Roo


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## 17079 (May 18, 2005)

As soon as I was diagnosed with IBS, my doctor prescribed Bentyl for me. It worked great for a few weeks. I noticed results the same day I first started taking it. But I was taking it 4 times a day, and after a while, it just knocked me out. I couldn't fight sleep anymore, and everytime I took it, I'd have to nap......Having to drive an hour back and forth to college everyday, plus sit through classes...didn't really agree with the sleep schedule lol...So, I quit taking it.Anyway, I'm rambling... Long story short, Bentyl worked immediately, but I eventually couldn't fight the intense drowsiness anymore.


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## 13853 (May 2, 2005)

Roo - it contains very little pheno. I've taken anywhere from one to three a day depending upon my diet that day. The label says I can take up to 3 at a time, 3 times a day. I don't crave them but I imagine you could become addicted if you ate them like candy.


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## volatile (Jun 20, 2005)

> quote:Originally posted by ZigZag:I've been taking Donnatal for just over a month. It takes about 30 minutes for it to work. Side effects are dry mouth and being able to fall asleep real fast.


What do you mean, it took you 30 minutes your first time to get it to work or it works after 30 minutes, but after awhile, it wears off. In other words, did it change you the first time within 30 minutes and have you not looked back, or if you miss a dose do you see problems?


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## volatile (Jun 20, 2005)

I have been on this for 5 days, and after what I thought was change in the first day, it all seems to have gone back, I feel no change.I guess this means it isn't and won't work?Maybe I should diet and take this at the same time?


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## 13853 (May 2, 2005)

> quote:Originally posted by volatile:What do you mean, it took you 30 minutes your first time to get it to work or it works after 30 minutes, but after awhile, it wears off. In other words, did it change you the first time within 30 minutes and have you not looked back, or if you miss a dose do you see problems?


I can take one to three up to three times a day per the script. I usually take one around 30 minutes before a meal. If it's a light meal with no trigger foods, I may skip the medication. It's an immediate reacting drug that wears off in hours. If I miss a dose and start having pains then it's pretty much too late to take one.


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## volatile (Jun 20, 2005)

What symptoms was this drug created to alliviate? It doesn't sound like this drug is curing, only helping you to avoid symptoms.


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## 17176 (Mar 31, 2005)

im on buscopan and i find it works very quickly and it does help the "spasms"


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## MJ (Aug 29, 2004)

I take Levsin, sublingual. It works within 5 minutes...as soon as it is dissolved under my tongue. It prevents/stops any cramping, bloating, and, urgency and D. When I first started almost a year ago, I was taking 3 to 4 tablets a day. Now, I am down to just a half of a pill before breakfast and supper. Once in a great while, I may take a half pill in the middle of the day and/or at bedtime. MJ


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## 13922 (Jul 12, 2005)

HI all - great discussion - was wondering though.... sounds like you all take these antizpasmodics on a regular basis. I was prescibed Bently and never used it because of the warnings about drowsiness. I teach school so I can't be drowsy during the day. And I don't have pain all the time, but once in a while I will have such horrible stabbing pain that I want to die - will this medication work fast on these occasions or need I take it all the time?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

It can work on an as needed basis (I currently use Levsin that way).Sometimes it is more effective if you can have it in place before the pain hits...so if you know you get pain after meals (for me it was EVERY SINGLE MEAL) then you can take it before the meal rather than just wait for the pain to hit. And for some people that is more effective than waiting for the pain.For people who don't have pain every day, they don't need to take it every day or on a schedule.A lot depends on your frequency of symptoms.I use sublingual Levsin which gets in the blood stream pretty fast and seems to hit fairly quickly after I take it. When I was in pain all the time I took a time-released version and that worked better for them then. Currently I only need it like 2-5 times a year so taking it daily is silly, but I have a current script just in case.K.


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## MJ (Aug 29, 2004)

Piper,I have never taken Bentyl. But, Levsin sublingual hits really quickly...like within 5 minutes, and it does prevent/stop the pain. The only problem I had with the Levsin in the beginning was a dry mouth and dry eyes, which played havoc with my contacts. But that all went away after being on it for a couple of weeks. I was never drowsy. You might ask your doc about switching to Levsin, and get the sublingual form...it works much faster than Bentyl. I don't think Bentyl comes in a sublingual form.Like Kath, my problem hits whenever I eat. I have cut down my dose, so I am not taking mear as much as I used to. I have tried skipping one of the doses, but, I get the pain and cramping...so, I would rather just take it before I eat, to avoid it altogher.MJ


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## 13922 (Jul 12, 2005)

Thank you MJ and Kath. Now I am actually looking forward to seeing my doctor whereas I usually dread it. This board ( meaning the people on it ) have made my life more manageable. This IBS can really get you down. How sad is that I am a health teacher and never knew anything about this condition. No wonder "normals" have such a hard time grasping the concept - they think you should just "go on with your life". Easier said than done. But thank you again and again!


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## 20327 (Jun 5, 2005)

> quote:Originally posted by volatile:What symptoms was this drug created to alliviate? It doesn't sound like this drug is curing, only helping you to avoid symptoms.


All anti-spasmodic drugs (and I have a bathroom shelf with ALL OF THEM) work immediately. Unlike anti-depressants that need a cumulative effect, the anti-spasmodics work right away and then wear off, until you take another one. THink of it like aspirin. Aspirin dissolves in the blood stream and stops pain, but it doesnt accumulate over time to have a greater effect. So, if you take one of the anti-spasmodics and get no relief, the doctor needs to try another one because there is no use in waiting for an imaginary cumulative effect. There is none. I take Bentyl because the side effects are less strong, although Levsin is probably the most powerful to stop pain. But Levsin always leaves me nervous as a cat in a room full of ravenous dogs.Volative, to my knowledge there are no curing drugs for IBS, only symptom suppressors.


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