Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Bentyl Dosage

The usual recommended Bentyl dosage is 20 mg taken by mouth four times daily. Your healthcare provider may increase your dose to 40 mg four times daily if your symptoms do not improve. For people who cannot take medications by mouth, an injectable form of the drug is available. The recommended dose of Bentyl in this case is 20 mg injected into a muscle four times daily.

 

An Introduction to Bentyl Dosages

The dose of Bentyl® (dicyclomine hydrochloride) your healthcare provider recommends will vary, depending on a number of factors, including:
 
  • Other medications you may be taking
  • How you respond to Bentyl
  • Your age
  • Other medical conditions you may have.
     
As is always the case, do not adjust your dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
 

Oral Bentyl Dose

The recommended starting dosage of Bentyl for irritable bowel syndrome treatment is 20 mg taken by mouth four times daily. It is necessary to start at a low dose in order to help decrease your chance of experiencing bothersome Bentyl side effects. Within a week, your healthcare provider may increase your dose to 40 mg four times daily. If your symptoms have not improved within two weeks, it is recommended that you speak to your healthcare provider about stopping Bentyl.
 
Elderly people may be especially susceptible to the side effects of medications like Bentyl. Lower doses may be recommended for elderly individuals.
 

Injected Bentyl Dose

Sometimes, people may temporarily not be able to take medications by mouth. This may occur due to surgery, illness, or other situations. In such cases, an injectable form of Bentyl may be used. The recommended dose is 20 mg injected into a muscle four times daily. This medication cannot be given by IV, as it could cause blood clots if injected into a vein.
 
Bentyl injection should be used only temporarily (for one or two days).
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;