# Combid helped me.



## Guest (Jan 19, 1999)

Hi Everyone,In the 70's and 80's my Doctor prescribed a drug called "Combid" and it really worked for me. I think it was an antispasmotic along with some other ingredients. I'm the "D" type and Combid worked miracles. I traveled a lot in my job and always had a bottle with me. My new Doctor (30 ish) has never heard of Combid and said it's not listed in his drug book. Does anyone know if Combid still exists? Thank you, Dave


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## Guest (Jan 19, 1999)

Combid isn't listed in any of my drug books either. Do you know the generic name? Maybe it is still made, but has a different brand name.


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## Guest (Jan 20, 1999)

Hi DaveB and K,I just discovered this website last night and I couldn't stop reading! I've been fighting IBS for 6 or 7 months now. About a month ago I had a terrible "attack" of abdominal cramping after eating a large salad for lunch. Didn't know lettuce was a bad thing until then! The cramping lasted for hours. I was considering going to the ER for a pain shot. My mother-in-law came over that night and gave me a little blue pill that stopped the cramping in minutes! The drug is called Bentyl or dicyclomine in generic terms. It relaxes the smooth stomach muscles which prevents spasms. My doctor suggests taking one 30 minutes before a meal. It has worked great for me, but I try not to take it on a regular basis, only when things are full blown. I would suggest reading up on the pros and cons in a good drug book before taking it. Hope this helps you guys! May God bless your tummy with peace!


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## Guest (Jan 20, 1999)

I currently have a prescription for Bentyl. It does help if I can take it before my symptoms start (if I know I'm going to be doing something nerve-wracking), but there are times when nothing helps. It works differently for everyone though, so I would suggest to anyone that they try it. Maybe it will work wonders for you! K


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## Guest (Jan 21, 1999)

Combid was taken off the market in the late 80's or early 90's for reasons I don't remember. Maybe Flux/Maurice can find out why. Combid was an anti-nausea and anti-spasmotic time-released medication. It was a wonderful drug and I wish that they (believe it was Smith-Kline) would bring it back.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 1999)

donnad,Thanks for the info. I called the Smith-Kline Beecham Company today and they said Combid was discontinued but did not give me a reason. I asked if they replaced it with another drug and the technician said it was not replaced.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 1999)

Hey DaveB,I can't believe I've found another combid fan!! I took combid until they discontinued it and it WAS the only drug that helped my IBS so I completely concur. I have asked several doctors why they stopped it and there have been no definitive answers. Suppose we are getting the run-around? I was wondering if it was continued due to a lawsuit or unforeseen terrible long-term effects. If there is anything I can do to help you on your search, let me know. For all of the rest of you, it was a WONDERFUL drug for IBS and I've tried all of them since - Bentyl, you name it and the only one that has helped me at all has been valium. Anyway, DaveB - good luck, let me know what I can do!


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## Guest (Jan 22, 1999)

Bentyl seems to work for me too. Sometimes I combine it with an over-the-counter chewable called Equalactin that says extra water in the bowel is a possible cause of probs. It has helped when I've had a really bad bout of D. RE: salads/lettuce, I've found that even tho I can't eat iceberg I can tolerate spinach. Give it a try lisab in small amts to see if you can tolerate it.


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## flux (Dec 13, 1998)

The generic name is isopropamide. From what I can tell it appears to be available in Europe. Most IBS drugs are distributed in Europe, so that is not surprising.


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## Guest (Jan 23, 1999)

I talked to a Pharmacist yesterday about Combid and he said the FDA has gotten tougher about companies proving that their products really work. Some of the drug manufacturers just don't want to spend the research money to come up with new information on an old drug that isn't a big seller any more, such as Combid. He said Combid just wasn't being prescribed enough to warrant spending the research money on it. (I guess the bottom line here is profit) He suggested I ask my Doctor about Librax. He said it is an old drug with a tranquilizer and anti-spasmodic like Combid. Does anyone have any experience with Librax???


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## Guest (Jan 23, 1999)

Librax did NOT work for me - only made me dizzy. For me, it was nothing like Combid. Sorry.


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## Guest (Jan 25, 1999)

Librax made me very dried out, thirsty, sleepy. Not a good choice if you need to function.


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## patt (Oct 12, 2002)

Librax DOES work for me. I also have fibromyalgia and it relaxes me and helps me rest better. When I first began taking it, it did cause dry mouth and a slight "tired" feeling. But after taking it a while those side effects went away. It's the only thing I've found to help relieve the pain I have with my IBS (I have the C type). I also take Citrucel which I increased since the Librax has a tendency to cause constipation.Pat


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## Guest (Apr 18, 1999)

I too was a combid user. It was the only drug that helped me. I have tried everything else and nothing works. I just wish they would bring it back. Its just a shame that something that would help people had to be taken off the market. Maybe if all of us Combid users e-mailed Smith-Kline Beecham it might help.


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## Guest (Apr 18, 1999)

I'd forgotten all about it! I took it during the 70's along with everything else I could get my hands on. I also took Librax back then but haven't taken it in ages. I thought at the time that Combid was some sort of Compazine combination but maybe not. I just remember it was a time-release capsule. Now the only anit-spas thing I take is Bentyl, which works if I take it when I should instead of two minutes before I eat.


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## Guest (Apr 18, 1999)

I also took Combid in the 80's and it worked great to combat IBS. Unfortunately, they did take it off the market as many of you here have said. I have tried many other meds through the years, some of which worked for awhile and then seemed to quit. I am currently taking Librax which seems to help some and am also taking the Caltrate Plus. I have been felt alot better than I have in a long time. I, too, wish they would bring Combid back - I had forgotten all about it!LinD


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## Guest (Apr 19, 1999)

A pharmacist friend of mine said Combid is still available in Europe and possibly Mexico. Anyone want to take a U-haul truck to Mexico with me ???


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## annette (Feb 8, 2005)

DaveB,Does your pharmacist friend know of any legal way to get medicine from another country?How did combid work for you? Did you take it just when you had an attack or did you take it before you ate to prevent an attack? How exactly did it work?


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## Guest (Apr 19, 1999)

Glad to see this thread come back and get the added info. I think the FDA is probably to blame here as much as Smith-Kline - I wonder why Bentyl is still available - you'd think the same thing would apply to it!DaveB - let me know if you decide to get a U-haul - I'll stand guard! It was a wonderful drug and helped me more than any subsequent drugs have - I'd really like to be able to get ahold of it again.Kathy


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## Ty (Mar 8, 1999)

DaveB,I'm just a hop, skip and a jump away from Mexico - let's go!! To get an Rx down there, you need your doc to write you a prescip.Ty


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## Guest (Apr 20, 1999)

And here my hubby and I are planning our 20th wedding anniversary trip this fall - I think I'll suggest Mexico, hmmmmm? Ty, go get it and set up shop - I'll be your first customer, OK? (Imagine getting busted for holding Combid - they'd make mincemeat of us in prison!)Kathy


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## Guest (Jun 25, 2000)

I just found this site. I got a prescription for metoclopramide and was reading the side effects: uncontrollable movements of the face, eyes, arms, legs, tongue, mouth, or jaw. These symptoms, in addition to restricted breathing, were the result of taking Combid in the early 70's. My pharmacist was also not familiar with combid and I wanted to make sure it doesn't have the same or similar composition. I almost died and don't want to go through that again. I was told years ago that a lot of people had similar side effects causing it to be pulled off the market.


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## Sue Too (Jun 24, 2015)

The ingredients in Combid were linked to developing early onset Parkinson's disease and certain types,of leukemia . The only country that still prescribes it currently, in the original formulation, is Thailand. This was the original formulation: Lamivudine

Lamivudine is reported as an ingredient of Combid in the following countries:

Thailand
Zidovudine

Zidovudine is reported as an ingredient of Combid in the following countries:

Thailand

It is currently prescribed in suppository form and capsule form as a preamesthesia medication to prevent nausea from anesthesia post-op.


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