Can You Take Mebeverine Long Term? Exploring Mebeverine In Greater Detail

Mebeverine can be one of the most effective IBS treatment options available to sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome. This antispasmodic medicine alleviates the painful and distressing symptoms associated with IBS as well as other stomach-intestinal conditions, but can you take Mebeverine long-term?

If you’ve been diagnosed with IBS and you’re thinking about using Mebeverine tablets to help control the condition, you probably want to find out more about this popular prescription medication.

We’ve created this short Mebeverine guide to help you find out more about Mebeverine, what it is used for, and how it works. We’ll also be covering important questions such as ‘can you take Mebeverine long term?’ and ‘does Mebeverine make you go to the toilet?’.

If you can’t find the answers you’re looking for on this page, you can always visit our Mebeverine dosage page to read up on how to take Mebeverine, the correct Mebeverine dose to use, treatment ingredients, and any Mebeverine contraindications you need to know about.

You can also discover more about any potential side effects from this medicine over on our Mebeverine side effects page, where we look at common side effects, whether you can use Mebeverine during pregnancy, and whether Mebeverine causes bloating or constipation.

And, if you’re struggling to decide between IBS treatments, read our Mebeverine vs Buscopan guide for a comparison of the two medicines.

What is Mebeverine?

Mebeverine is a prescription-only IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) treatment that is used to relieve IBS symptoms.

Mebeverine usually comes as tablets or slow-release capsules (these are also called ‘modified release’). It is also available as a liquid medicine (which is more unusual) or as a powder sachet (combined with another ingredient, ispaghula husk).

Here at The Independent Pharmacy, we offer Mebeverine 135mg tablets for the treatment of IBS and other stomach or intestinal conditions.

Mebeverine is a generic, unbranded version of the IBS treatment Colofac — Colofac is the brand name of this medicine. Other brand names for Mebeverine include Colofac IBS and Aurobeverine. All contain the same active ingredient: mebeverine hydrochloride, which works in the same way to tackle IBS symptoms.

Because Mebeverine is a prescription-only treatment, you will need to see a doctor or pharmacist to get prescribed this treatment once you have been diagnosed with IBS.

Mebeverine 135 mg TabletsMebeverine IBS Tablets are available to buy online at The Independent Pharmacy. Get IBS related abdominal cramps and spasms under control. Fill out your free health consultation today and get your medication delivered from as soon as the next day.

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Can you take Mebeverine long-term?

Mebeverine shouldn’t really be taken for long periods of time.

Your doctor will usually suggest only taking Mebeverine when you have a flare-up of IBS symptoms. When you do, you can take Mebeverine three times a day to ease your symptoms.

You should stop taking Mebeverine tablets when you feel better and your IBS symptoms subside. This may take up to two weeks. If you do not feel any better after two weeks of taking Mebeverine for your IBS, or your condition gets worse at any time, you should speak to your doctor or pharmacist for further guidance.

Never take more than the recommended dosage of Mebeverine (more than three 135mg tablets a day) and do not extend your course of treatment any longer than prescribed by a GP or pharmacist. This could result in adverse Mebeverine side effects and may be harmful.

If you aren’t sure how to take Mebeverine, either check with your doctor or our team of pharmacists and medical experts, who will be happy to advise you further.

What is Mebeverine used for?

Mebeverine is used to treat the symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndromes (IBS), such as muscle spasms and cramps in the stomach and intestines.

As a result, the following related IBS symptoms are also reduced:

• Abdominal pain
• Cramps
• Bloating
• Wind (flatulence)
• Diarrhoea
• Suddenly needing to use the toilet
• Constipation

Mebeverine can also be used to treat other stomach and intestinal conditions which cause your abdominal muscles to spasm, such as:

• Chronic irritable colon
• Spastic constipation
• Mucous colitis
• Spastic colitis

If you have been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or any of the other conditions above, speak to your doctor or pharmacist about the use of Mebeverine to treat your symptoms. You can buy Mebeverine tablets for IBS symptoms online following a short online consultation.

What does Mebeverine do?

Mebeverine helps to relax the muscles in the walls of the intestines and gut.

This helps to control spasms and cramping from IBS and other stomach or intestinal conditions, providing relief from painful or distressing symptoms.

We will go into how Mebeverine works in more detail in the section below.

How does Mebeverine work?

The active ingredient in Mebeverine 135mg tablets is mebeverine hydrochloride.

Mebeverine hydrochloride is a type of medicine known as an antispasmodic. Antispasmodics can be divided into two main classifications: antimuscarinics and smooth muscle relaxants.

Mebeverine hydrochloride is a direct-acting smooth muscle relaxant, which means that it helps with muscle spasms and relaxes the muscles in the wall of the gut and intestines.

By relaxing these wall muscles, Mebeverine helps to control spasms, which relieves the pain and cramping associated with irritable bowel syndrome. As a result, IBS symptoms such as bloating, wind, diarrhoea and constipation are also alleviated.

This makes Mebeverine a fast and effective treatment for IBS sufferers.

How long does Mebeverine take to work?

Mebeverine starts to work after one hour. You should feel better one to three hours after taking this treatment.

Ideally, you should take your Mebeverine tablet around 20 minutes before your main meals per day. This is because IBS sufferers normally find that their symptoms are strongest after they have eaten. Swallow the tablet or capsule whole with a drink of water; do not chew the tablet.

Taking a stronger Mebeverine dosage will not make Mebeverine work any faster and could be harmful to your health, causing negative side effects.

Summary

Mebeverine is a prescription-only irritable bowel syndrome medical treatment used to relieve IBS symptoms, including stomach spasms and intestinal cramps.

Mebeverine is available in a few different forms, including tablets, slow-release capsules, liquids and combination powder sachets (in which it is mixed with ispaghula husk).

Here at The Independent Pharmacy, we offer Mebeverine 135mg tablets to treat IBS.

Mebeverine shouldn’t be taken for long periods of time — you should only take Mebeverine tablets when your IBS symptoms flare-up.

When using Mebeverine to reduce these symptoms, take a tablet three times a day until your condition has eased. Generally speaking, this should be for around two weeks at a time. If your symptoms don’t decrease during this time, you should speak to your doctor.

Mebeverine is a generic, unbranded version of Colofac (which is the brand name). Both treatments contain the same active ingredient, mebeverine hydrochloride — an antispasmodic that tackles IBS symptoms by relaxing the muscles in the gut and intestine walls.

If you want to buy Mebeverine 135mg tablets from The Independent Pharmacy, head to our Mebeverine treatment page.

There, you can fill in our free online consultation form — you’ll just need to answer a few questions about your condition so that our team of prescribers can review your symptoms and establish whether this treatment is suitable for you.

Once you do, we can process your order and have your treatment delivered to you discreetly the very next day.

Sources

• Mebeverine Tablets Patient Information Leaflet: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/files/pil.2315.pdf
• https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/mebeverine/
• https://bnf.nice.org.uk/treatment-summary/antispasmodics.html
• https://www.theibsnetwork.org/medical/medicines/
• https://www.news-medical.net/drugs/Colofac.aspx