General:
Use with caution in patients with: autonomic neuropathy, hyperthyroidism, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, hypertension, and renal disease. Investigate any tachycardia before giving any anticholinergic drug since they may increase the heart rate. Use with caution in patients with hiatal hernia associated with reflux esophagitis.
Prolonged use of anticholinergics may decrease or inhibit salivary flow, thus contributing to the development of caries, periodontal disease, oral candidiasis, and discomfort.
Information for Patients:
Like other anticholinergic agents, Hyoscyamine sulfate Injection, USP may cause drowsiness, dizziness or blurred vision; patients should observe caution before driving, using machinery or performing other tasks requiring mental alertness.
Use of Hyoscyamine sulfate Injection, USP may decrease sweating resulting in heat prostration, fever or heat stroke; febrile patients or those who may be exposed to elevated environmental temperatures should use caution.
Drug Interactions:
Additive adverse effects resulting from cholinergic blockade may occur when Hyoscyamine sulfate Injection, USP is administered concomitantly with other anticholinergics, antimyasthenics, amantadine, cyclopropane, haloperidol, ketoconazole, metoclopramide, monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, opiod (narcotic) analgesics, phenothiazines, potassium chloride, tricyclic antidepressants and some antihistamines.
Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility:
No long-term studies in animals have been performed to determine the carcinogenic, mutagenic or impairment of fertility potential of Hyoscyamine sulfate Injection, USP.
Pregnancy - Pregnancy Category C:
Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Hyoscyamine sulfate Injection, USP. It is also not known whether Hyoscyamine sulfate Injection, USP can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity. Hyoscyamine sulfate injection should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.
Nursing Mothers:
Hyoscyamine sulfate Injection, USP is excreted in human milk. Caution should be exercised when Hyoscyamine sulfate Injection, USP is administered to a nursing woman.
Pediatric Use:
Infants and young children are especially susceptible to the toxic effects of anticholinergics. Close supervision is recommended for infants and children with spastic paralysis or brain damage since an increased response to anticholinergics has been reported in these patients and dosage adjustments are often required.
When anticholinergics are given to children where the environmental temperature is high, there is a risk of a rapid increase in body temperature because of these medications’ suppression of sweat gland activity.
A paradoxical reaction characterized by hyperexcitability may occur in children taking large doses of anticholinergics.
Geriatric Use:
Dose selection for an elderly patient should be cautious, usually starting at the low end of the dosing range, reflecting the greater frequency of decreased hepatic, renal, or cardiac function, and of concomitant disease or other drug therapy.
This drug is known to be substantially excreted by the kidney, and the risk of toxic reactions to this drug may be greater in patients with impaired renal function. Because elderly patients are more likely to have decreased renal function, care should be taken in dose selection, and it may be useful to monitor renal function.
Geriatric patients may respond to usual doses of anticholinergics with excitement, agitation, drowsiness or confusion.
Geriatric patients are especially susceptible to the anticholinergic side effects, such as constipation, dryness of mouth, and urinary retention (especially in males). Caution is also recommended when anticholinergics are given to geriatric patients, because of the danger of precipitating undiagnosed glaucoma.
Memory may become severely impaired in geriatric patients, especially those who already have memory problems, with the continued use of anticholinergics since these drugs block the actions of acetylcholine, which is responsible for many functions in the brain, including memory functions.