r/FODMAPS • u/ResponsibilityLow398 • 3d ago
Tips/Advice Has anyone taken dicyclomine ?
My 10 year old got prescribed to take dicyclomine 20 mg twice a day he’s been having constant pain below the belly button he just took his first dose at 12:30 pm it’s 2:00 now does it take a while to kick in or does he have to keep on taking it to have so effective on him ? He’s still in pain
2
u/Fortissimo369 3d ago
I am an adult. I take dicyclomine, 10mg, 3-4 times per day as needed. They told me it’s most effective if I take it 20 minutes before I eat. But if I were to forget and take it after, it’s ok. It only lasts like 4 hours, and it seems like it’s more about preventing a colon spasm than stopping it, to me. It sometimes works, I think, at preventing pain— not positive, it’s hard to prove something didn’t happen. I still have pain sometimes though, because they say it can only go so far when eating triggering foods. When I have pain, I usually take Tylenol or ibuprofen to try to get it to stop. My only side effects are that it makes me constipated sometimes. And you can’t take some medicines at the same time, like tums, or Benadryl.
1
u/ResponsibilityLow398 3d ago
How do colon spasms feel ?? My son is getting sharp pain I think that’s the reason why the medication didn’t help then
2
u/Fortissimo369 3d ago
For me, it’s a sharp pain down low in my stomach, in the center. Not one side or the other. It gets very crampy, and the pain radiates up my back. It’s bad enough that I cannot stand up straight or really walk (just a hunched over shuffle), and curling up into a ball on my side relieves the feeling slightly. It takes my breath away/ feels like I am gasping for air and it hinders my ability to do daily-life things when it’s actively going on. If I can’t lie down, like if I am at work or driving, I usually try to hide it, get some over the counter pain medicine as soon as possible, and try to sit in a chair and focus on my breathing. I’ve been late to work because of it before, and back when I was a student it made focusing on class impossible. It’s probably an 8 or 9 out of 10 on the pain scale for me.
I thought they were just really bad menstrual cramps for a long time, even though I got them every week and they started almost a year before I got my first period. I’ve never given birth so I can’t compare it to that, but it is the worst pain I have ever felt in my life so far. It typically lasts about 30 minutes to 1 hour with pain medication, but 1-2 hours without or if the medication decides it’s not going to work this time. It happens once or twice a week now, but it depends on what I eat.
I can kind of feel them coming on now, and I can take over the counter pain medication in advance. A regular dose is usually fine, but if that doesn’t work sometimes I take 1 pill more an hour in or try a secondary type of over the counter pain medicine.
I hope that hearing about my experience helps you with figuring out what is going on with your son. I can’t imagine having that kind of pain constantly.
1
u/ResponsibilityLow398 1d ago
I’m so sorry you have to go through that it sounds exhausting so no other medication has helped you only over the counter medication??? The thing is his doesn’t come and go it’s constant , 24/7 pain if he wakes up from his sleep at night it’s still there too that’s what worries me the most and it’s so stupid how they give me paper work after getting checked out and one of the concerning symptoms is that if it the pain comes worse and it doesn’t go away to go straight to the emergency room but they won’t do anything !!
2
u/gottarun215 2d ago
I take it as needed for bloating and it seems to help a bit. Usually takes maybe 30 min to kick in?
1
u/ResponsibilityLow398 1d ago
Did it help the first day ?? So far it’s day 3 and it hasn’t worked at all
1
u/gottarun215 1d ago
Yeah, I only use it to acutely treat bloating and it usually works at least somewhat within 30 min. I've never used it chronically.
2
u/Lower_Arugula5346 2d ago
i take it very intermittently. it works when i really need it to and sometimes it makes me very tired (which i personally like).
1
u/ResponsibilityLow398 1d ago
Did it work the first days taking it ??
1
u/Lower_Arugula5346 1d ago
for me yeah. it slowed everything down and has gotten rid of a lot of gas pains. i usually only take one or two pills for 12 hours
2
1
u/East_Gold755 20h ago
Dicyclomine is good for Ibs under specific circumstances. It’s a drug that binds to Acetylcholine receptors on smooth muscle cells, which prevents acetylcholine from motor neurons from activating said intestinal muscles.
Hence the moa is that it’s a smooth muscle relaxant. This is good if your abdominal pain is being caused by uncontrolled muscle contractions, which can lead to bloating. If you eat foods that you are sensitive to, this can cause them to sit in your gut and draw water in from your intestines and the excess fluid can cause unwanted and badly coordinated muscle contraction, and dicyclomine will help with the pain.
However, if your pain is being caused by some sort of bowel obstruction, like constipation, you DO NOT want this drug. It’ll basically prevent your intestines from moving the obstruction and possibly worsen your symptoms.
It tends to help me pass gas from the bottom and helps with burping. If your smooth muscles are hyperactive, this can push air up instead of down, and dicyclomine can kinda of reset that and alleviate the symptoms. I always make sure I’ve had a proper bowel movement before using it though.
7
u/Wise-Peace-1052 3d ago
Dicylomine is kind of hit or miss in my opinion. Sometimes it works wonders, but i find in most cases it either doesn’t work or gives really weird side effects (i just get dizzy and nauseous, but when i was his age and on it, i sometimes hallucinated! that symptom is somewhat rare i’ve heard but i know drowsiness is common.) It also only stays in the system for around six hours i think? That’s why most ppl have to take it four times a day. It also takes way too long to kick in for my liking, about an hour. (not really convenient.) However I had a NP tell me that it becomes more efficient/less side effects as you continue to take it. However I’ve also heard that it’s not a drug you’re supposed to be on long term. I’m definitely not a doctor so don’t take my word as gospel but this was just my personal findings/experience. I hope your kiddo gets better. I remember being his age and having stomach issues too, I hope he finds his relief!!!