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" What is it used for? Relieving the pain and discomfort of excess stomach acid (hyperacidity), excess gas (flatulence) and painful stomach cramps associated with the following conditions:  indigestion (dyspepsia) peptic ulcers irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) inflammation of the foodpipe (oesophagitis) caused by gastro-oesophageal reflux (acid reflux) inflamed stomach lining (gastritis) hiatus hernia.   How does it work? Kolanticon gel is a suspension that contains four active ingredients, dicycloverine hydrochloride (previously known as dicyclomine in the UK), aluminium hydroxide, light magnesium oxide and simeticone. These medicines work together to relieve the pain and discomfort of excess stomach acid (hyperacidity), excess gas (flatulence) and painful stomach cramps associated with various gut disorders. Dicycloverine is a type of medicine called an antimuscarinic (or anticholinergic). It relieves painful stomach spasms and cramps. Dicycloverine works by relaxing the muscle that is found in the walls of the stomach and intestines. It does this by blocking muscarinic receptors that are found on this muscle, which stops a natural body chemical called acetylcholine from acting on them. Acetylcholine normally causes the muscle in the stomach and intestines to contract. By preventing it from acting on the muscle, dicycloverine reduces the muscle contractions. This allows the muscle in the stomach and intestines to relax and reduces painful spasms and cramps.  Aluminium hydroxide and light magnesium oxide are both medicines called antacids. They are used to reduce the acidity of the stomach&amp;#039;s juices. Stomach acid is produced in the stomach as a normal part of the digestive process. However, too much stomach acid can cause symptoms such as heartburn and indigestion. It can also irritate an inflamed stomach lining or an ulcer in the stomach or intestine (peptic ulcer). Antacids work by binding to and neutralising excess acid. This helps to relieve the symptoms of heartburn and indigestion associated with excess stomach acid.  Simeticone is a type of medicine called an &amp;#039;anti-foaming agent&amp;#039;. It reduces the amount of trapped wind in the gut. Simeticone works by bringing together all the small bubbles of gas that are trapped in the gut to form a large bubble, which can then be expelled. This helps to relieve pain and bloating caused by trapped wind.   Warning!   Shake the bottle well before use.  If symptoms persist consult your doctor.    Use with caution in  Decreased kidney function. Low blood phosphate levels (hypophosphataemia). Hiatus hernia associated with reflux oesophagitis.   Not to be used in  Glaucoma. Enlarged prostate gland (prostatic hypertrophy). Any disease causing obstruction of the urinary tract (urethra). Any disease causing obstruction of the stomach or intestines. Failure of function of part of the gut causing an obstruction (paralytic ileus). A loss in the ability of the gut to contract (intestinal atony). Severe inflammation of the bowel and back passage (ulcerative colitis). Abnormal muscle weakness (myasthenia gravis). Breastfeeding.  This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.  If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.   Pregnancy and breastfeeding Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.  The safety of this medicine for use during pregnancy has not been established. It should be used with caution by pregnant women and only if considered essential by your doctor. If you are pregnant you should seek medical advice from your doctor before taking this medicine. This medicine may pass into breast milk. It should not be used by women who are breastfeeding as it could be harmful to a nursing infant. Seek further medical advice from your doctor.   Side effects Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.  Dry mouth. Blurred vision. Constipation. Difficulty in passing urine (urinary retention).  The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug&amp;#039;s manufacturer.  For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.   How can this medicine affect other medicines? If you are taking any other medicines, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, it is important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking this medicine as well. Similarly, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medicines in combination with this one, to ensure that the combination is safe.  Antacids can reduce the absorption of many other medicines from the gut, which may make the other medicines less effective. In general, any interactions can be avoided by leaving an interval of about two hours between taking this medicine and any other medicine. This is particularly important for the following:   ACE inhibitors, eg captopril, enalapril  amprenavir  bisphosphonates, eg alendronate, risedronate chloroquine  gabapentin hydroxychloroquine  iron preparations  itraconazole  ketoconazole  mycophenolate penicillamine quinolone-type antibiotics, eg ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin  rifampicin rosuvastatin sulpiride  tetracycline-type antibiotics, eg doxycycline, minocycline, tetracycline  thyroxine (levothyroxine) tipranavir.   There may be an increased risk of anticholinergic side effects, such as dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation and difficulty passing urine, if this medicine is taken with other medicines that have anticholinergic effects, such as the following:   other antispasmodics, eg atropine, propantheline, hyoscine  antihistamines, eg promethazine, brompheniramine, chlorphenamine, diphenhydramine, triprolidine (some of these are often found in over-the-counter cough and cold remedies)  antisickness medicines, eg meclozine, cyclizine, hyoscine hydrobromide  antimuscarinic medicines for Parkinson&amp;#039;s symptoms, eg procyclidine, orphenadrine, trihexiphenidyl  antimuscarinic medicines for urinary incontinence, eg oxybutynin, trospium, tolterodine  antiarrhythmic medicines for irregular heartbeats, eg disopyramide, propafenone, quinidine  tricyclic antidepressants, eg amitriptyline, clomipramine  antipsychotics, eg chlorpromazine, clozapine, thioridazine  muscle relaxants, eg baclofen  amantadine.   If you experience a dry mouth as a side effect of this medicine you may find that medicines that are designed to dissolve and be absorbed from under the tongue, eg sublingual glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) tablets, become less effective. This is usually because the tablets do not dissolve properly in a dry mouth. To resolve this, have a drink of water before taking tablets designed to dissolve on or underneath the tongue.    Other medicines containing the same active ingredients  There are currently no other medicines that contain this combination of active ingredients available in the UK.  Last updated 14.02.2008 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/digestive-health/a6969/kolanticon/>