I went to the GI yesterday, she prescribed Bentyl, 10 mgs, 4 times a day (after each meal, and bedtime). I looked it up, and was surprised to see that it is an anticholinergic. I previously took Artane (trihexylphenidyl)--a related anticholinergic--for almost a year for an entirely different condition (pre-IBS). I looked up on the board different people's experiences with Bentyl and found that the side effects mentioned here (and on drug databases) were almost identical to the ones I experienced with Artane.
Artane was a really scary drug for me, I experienced some of the "typical" side effects (Artane is an old-school type drug), like dry mouth, blurred vision, drowziness, etc. But, I also experiences some crazy drug reactions. My eyes changed chemically somehow, so that they were dissolving soft contact lenses, and horizontal lines (like the floor, wall, etc.) appeared quite wavy. It took months for this to go away, even after discontinuing the drug. Also, a side-effect that was no mentioned for either drug, but the whole time I was takening Artane I felt very "subdued". Like I was dying, or wanted to die, or expected to die. Not suicidal, more the idea being ninety years old and just closing your eyes, "giving up", and dying. But I'm *way* too young for that to make *any* sense. The scary thing was that I didn't realize it until after I stopped taking it, and realized that there was actual emotion in life.
I guess I'm hesitant to try the Bentyl, if it is likely that much (or any) of that could happen again. I mean, yes, I'm sick and tired of spending hours in the morning dashing back to the potty, but hey--at least I am frustrated by it, and care about my life. Somehow, that seems better than being too drugged to "feel". But, I don't want to write off something that could help, if the drugs are not too closely related.
Has anyone taken other anticholinergics (Cogentin, Detrol (the one with the "gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now" commercials  ), Di-Spaz, Anaspaz, Antispas, Pamine, etc.) and also Benyl? Were your reactions similar? Or, has anyone tried multiple drugs in the same drug family (even a different drug family) and had terrible side effects with one, and not with another? Does anyone know how long Bentyl has been on the market?
Also...has anyone taken Bentyl and experienced that deadness associated with it? Or even during that time in your life, even if you didn't think it was related to the medication?
Thanks so much....
--------------------
~~~Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.~~~
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Posts
Anticholinergic Side-effects (Bentyl)
