Alverine

Alverine is a medication used to relax muscles in the body. It is commonly prescribed for conditions where your gastrointestinal muscles spasm and cramp, for example, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and diverticular disease. By relaxing affected muscles, this medication can relieve symptoms like cramping, pain, bloating and constipation.

Alverine may also be prescribed to treat conditions that affect a woman’s uterus, such as severe period pain (otherwise known as dysmenorrhea).

HealthExpress currently only prescribes Alverine for the treatment of IBS. If you need a prescription for another condition, you should speak to your regular doctor.

Alverine can also be purchased as Audmonal and Audmonal Forte - these are branded equivalents, containing the same ingredients with the same effects.

Alverine belongs to a class of medications called antispasmodics - its active ingredient shares its name, alverine citrate. Unsurprisingly, antispasmodics prevent certain muscles from “spasming”. These are the smooth muscles of the body, located in the intestine, uterus and stomach.

Smooth muscles differ from skeletal muscles in that their movement is completely involuntary. This means if you have a painful condition, such as IBS, contractions in the muscle can be sudden and unexpected. When these contractions result in pain and other symptoms, you need the help of prescription medication to control their frequency and intensity.

Symptoms of IBS include:

• abdominal pain
• diarrhoea
• constipation
• bloating
• bowel incontinence

Alverine works directly on the muscle wall, relaxing it - this means fewer contractions and symptoms.

Alverine is available in two doses - 60mg and 120 mg. The latter will be prescribed in cases where symptoms are more severe. As a branded medication, the 60mg dose is known as Audmonal, and the 120mg, Audmonal Forte.

For full instructions, you can consult the patient information leaflet (PIL) - this is included with all orders.

If you have any doubts about any instructions, always speak to your doctor.

You should take tablets with a glass of water. You should start by taking one 60mg tablet three times a day. If this proves ineffective, with the direction of a healthcare professional, you can increase to one 120mg tablet three times a day. If this still does not work and if you experience no improvement after two weeks, you should ask your doctor about other treatments.

If you forget to take a dose of Alverine, you can take it within the following four hours. If you are more than four hours late in remembering, just take the next dose as normal. Do not take a double dose - this will increase the risk of side effects and will not be more effective.

Most people respond to Alverine very well, however, it is important to know what the possible adverse reactions are in case you experience any.

The following are known side effects:

• dizziness*
• dyspnoea
• headache
• jaundice
• nausea
• skin reactions
• wheezing
• swollen lips and tongue

If you experience any adverse reactions, you should inform your doctor straight away - they may ask you to stop taking this treatment.

You should also stop taking it if you get an allergic reaction. Symptoms of this include skin reactions, difficulty breathing and swelling of the throat and mouth.

*Due to this possible effect, you should pay attention to how you react before you drive or operate machinery.

Everyone has an individual medical history and has suffered from different conditions. Unfortunately, our unique histories mean that some of us cannot use certain medications where others can. If any of the following apply to you, you should ask your doctor for other treatment:

• you are allergic to alverine citrate or any of the ingredients of this medication*
• you have an obstruction in your gut and/or bowels
• you have paralytic ileus (paralysis of the intestinal muscles)
• you are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning to conceive

*A complete list of side effects are detailed in the patient information leaflet (PIL).

What precautions should I take?

To ensure this medication is both effective and safe, you should make sure to inform your doctor before starting treatment if any of the following relate to you:

• are aged over 40
• are passing blood from the bowels
• are nauseous or vomiting
• have lost your appetite
• are losing weight
• are experiencing fatigue
• are experiencing paleness
• have a fever
• are experiencing severe constipation
• have recently been abroad
• might be pregnant
• have abnormal vaginal bleeding and/or discharge
• have difficulty/pain passing urine

You may still be able to use this treatment with supervision. However, many of these indicate more serious underlying conditions that may also be causing your symptoms.

You can buy Alverine online from HealthExpress as our service includes a doctor consultation and prescription - these are medical and legal requirements. Any service selling prescription medication without these safety measures is operating illegally.

Our consultation is relatively quick and involves you answering a few short questions. You will be asked to list the medications you are currently taking and any conditions you might have - this information will not be shared with anyone (unless we are legally obligated to inform your GP).

Our doctors will then decide on the suitability of the treatment. If they approve, a prescription will be issued to our pharmacy. They will then dispatch your order with next-day or nominated-day delivery.