Glycopyrrolate (glye-koe-PIR-oh-late)

Treats peptic ulcers when you cannot take medicine by mouth or when treatment needs to be fast. Also used before and during surgery to dry up your mouth, throat, and stomach and to prevent heart rhythm problems.

Brand Name(s):

When This Medicine Should Not Be Used:

How to Use This Medicine:

Injectable

• Your doctor will prescribe your exact dose and tell you how often it should be given. It is given as a shot into a muscle or as a needle placed into a vein.
• This medicine may be given 30 to 60 minutes before receiving anesthesia, a narcotic pain reliever, or sleep medicine, or during surgery.
• A nurse or other health provider will give you this medicine.

Drugs and Foods to Avoid:

Ask your doctor or pharmacist before using any other medicine, including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products.

• Some medicines can affect how glycopyrrolate works. Tell your doctor if you are using any of the following:
  • Atropine, dicyclomine, potassium chloride, scopolamine
  • Medicine to treat depression (including TCAs)
  • Medicine to treat Parkinson's disease
  • Phenothiazine medicine

Warnings While Using This Medicine:

• Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney disease, liver disease, heart disease, heart failure, heart rhythm problems, thyroid problems, high blood pressure, nerve problems, hiatal hernia, heartburn, colitis (swelling of the bowels), or digestion problems. Tell your doctor if you have had a surgery in your bowels (including colostomy or ileostomy).
• If this medicine is being used by your child, make sure the doctor knows if your child has Down's syndrome, muscle spasms, or brain damage.
• This medicine may cause the following problems:
  • Eye or vision problems (including glaucoma)
  • Bowel blockage
  • Heart rhythm problems
• This medicine may make you dizzy, drowsy, or cause blurred vision. Do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you.
• This medicine may keep you from sweating enough, which may cause your body to get too hot. Be careful in hot weather, or while doing activities, including exercising or using a sauna or whirlpool.
• Your doctor will do lab tests at regular visits to check on the effects of this medicine. Keep all appointments.

Possible Side Effects While Using This Medicine:

Call your doctor right away if you notice any of these side effects:

• Allergic reaction: Itching or hives, swelling in your face or hands, swelling or tingling in your mouth or throat, chest tightness, trouble breathing
• Blurred vision or other changes in vision, sensitivity of the eyes to light
• Decrease in how much or how often you urinate
• Diarrhea, severe constipation or stomach pain
• Fast, slow, or uneven heartbeat
• Fever, sweating
• Muscle weakness or stiffness
• Seizures

If you notice these less serious side effects, talk with your doctor:

• Confusion, nervousness, trouble sleeping
• Dry mouth, loss of taste
• Headache
• Nausea, vomiting
• Redness, pain, swelling, or itching where the injection is given
• Unable to have or keep an erection in male patients

If you notice other side effects that you think are caused by this medicine, tell your doctor

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088