Butylscopolamine

Butylscopolamine, also known as scopolamine butylbromide and hyoscine butylbromide is an abdominal-specific antispasmodic. It is marketed under the trade name Buscopan by Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Germany, who also offer a combination of butylscopolamine and acetaminophen, marketed under the name Buscopan Plus.

Butylscopolamine is used to treat pain and discomfort caused by abdominal cramps or other spasmodic activity in the digestive system. When taken orally, it cannot enter the bloodstream or otherwise leave the digestive tract, so that it is only able to affect the smooth muscles of the digestive system as it passes through. It is not an analgesic in the normal sense, since it doesn’t ‘mask’ or ‘cover over’ the pain, but rather works to prevent painful cramps and spasms from occurring in the first place.