Mebeverine

What it is

Mebeverine is an antispasmodic that acts directly on the smooth muscle of the gut wall, relaxing it without the systemic anticholinergic effects of older agents. Because it does not block acetylcholine receptors elsewhere in the body, it leaves gut motility broadly intact while easing painful contraction. It is used for cramping abdominal pain, spasm and the digestive discomfort that accompanies it, and is available without a prescription.

Used for

• Spasm
• Digestion

What to know while taking it

The drug is taken without food, ahead of a meal, so that it is already acting when the gut starts to work; taking it with a meal blunts that timing. It is a symptomatic treatment, not a cure for the underlying cause, so persistent need for it is itself information worth acting on. It has no known effect on vitamin or mineral status and does not require routine blood monitoring.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor if the pain is severe, unrelenting or accompanied by fever, vomiting, bleeding, black stools or unexplained weight loss, or if spasm keeps returning despite treatment.