Buscogast Tablet: Uses, Composition, Side Effects & FAQs

Buscogast is a small tablet for stomach and gut cramps, the tight gripping pain that comes in waves. It contains a single medicine, hyoscine butylbromide 10 mg, which relaxes the muscle that is squeezing. Take it only on a doctor's advice, because cramps have many causes and this tablet treats none of them. It eases the spasm while your doctor works out why it happened.

Buscogast is an antispasmodic, which means it relaxes muscle that has tightened instead of killing germs or numbing pain. It is a sugar-coated tablet sold in strips of 10, and each tablet holds 10 mg of hyoscine butylbromide. The name carries no suffix, but Buscogast Plus is a different tablet that adds paracetamol 325 mg for painful cramps.

Check the name on your strip. Buscogast Plus is a different tablet: it adds paracetamol 325 mg, and it is licensed only from 10 years of age. The two are not interchangeable.

Your stomach, bowel and bladder are wrapped in muscle that squeezes in gentle waves. A cramp happens when that muscle squeezes too hard and too long. Buscogast blocks the docking points that a chemical called acetylcholine uses to tell the muscle to squeeze. With those points blocked, the muscle lets go and the pain eases - and because it does not enter the brain, it rarely makes you sleepy.

Doctors use Buscogast for:

• Stomach and gut cramps, gripping belly pain that comes and goes in waves
• Biliary spasm, cramping from the tube that carries bile away from your liver
• Urinary tract spasm, cramping pain low in the belly near the bladder
• Period pain, the cramping that comes with your monthly cycle
• Cramps linked to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), where the bowel is easily irritated

Buscogast does not kill bacteria or viruses, and it does not bring down a fever. If an infection is behind your pain, you will need a different medicine for it.

Taking Buscogast for an infection can hide the pain and delay the treatment you actually need.

1. Swallow the tablet whole with a glass of water.
2. Do not chew, crush or split it.
3. Take it with or without food; it rarely upsets the stomach.
4. Take it when the cramps start, at the times your doctor advises.
5. Do not keep taking it for weeks without checking what is causing the pain.

The label dose for adults and children over 6 years is 1 to 2 tablets, three times a day. Your doctor may adjust this for your age, your other health conditions and how bad the cramps are.

Never increase the dose on your own. A higher dose will not settle the cramp any faster.

Children under 6 years should not take this tablet at all. For older children, use it only on a paediatrician's advice.

If someone takes too many tablets, go to the nearest hospital emergency department straight away and carry the strip with you. A very dry mouth, a fast heart rate, blurred vision and being unable to pass urine are the signs to report.

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If your next dose is close, skip the one you missed and carry on as usual. Never take two doses together to make up for it.

Most people feel the cramp loosen within about 15 minutes. If the pain has not improved after a few days, or it keeps coming back, see a doctor rather than taking more tablets.

Store Buscogast below 30°C, away from light and moisture. Keep the strip out of reach of children and check the expiry date before you use it.

Most people take Buscogast without any trouble. When side effects happen, they are usually mild and settle on their own.

Common and mild:

• Dry mouth
• Blurred vision
• Constipation
• Unusual sweating

Less common: skin rash, itching or hives. Stop and see a doctor if it spreads, blisters, or you also swell or feel breathless.

Rare but serious (stop the medicine and see a doctor right away):

• Swelling of the lips, face or throat, or trouble breathing
• A painful red eye with loss of vision
• Being unable to pass urine at all
• A fast, pounding or irregular heartbeat - stop and get medical advice the same day
• Belly pain that gets worse with fever, vomiting or blood in your stool

The dry mouth and blurred vision come from the medicine's drying action. They are more likely if you take more than the label dose, or if you use another medicine with a similar effect.

• Allergy to hyoscine butylbromide or any ingredient in the tablet
• Myasthenia gravis, where muscles tire easily
• A narrowed or blocked bowel
• Paralytic ileus, where the bowel has stopped working
• Megacolon, a very enlarged bowel

Tell your doctor before taking Buscogast if you have:

• Glaucoma, because the tablet can raise the pressure inside the eye
• Trouble passing urine or an enlarged prostate
• A fast or irregular heartbeat
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding, because safety information is limited
• Heartburn, reflux or long-standing constipation
• New stomach pain after the age of 40, since the cause needs checking
• A fever along with the pain

Always tell your doctor about every medicine, supplement or home remedy you are using. Alcohol is usually fine in moderation, but skip it on days you feel dizzy.

A cramp usually settles on its own. See a doctor quickly if you have:

• Pain that is severe, unexplained or getting worse
• Fever, vomiting or blood in your stool along with the pain
• A hard, swollen belly, or you cannot pass stool or gas
• You cannot pass urine at all
• A painful red eye, or your vision suddenly drops
• Weight loss or loss of appetite you cannot explain

Buscogast eases cramping pain in the gut, bile ducts and urinary tract by relaxing tight muscle. It is a short-term helper, not a treatment for the cause, so do not keep taking it for weeks without getting the pain checked. Dry mouth and blurred vision are the usual side effects, and they ease once the tablet wears off.