Donnatal
Encyclopedia
Donnatal is a proprietary combination medication for the treatment of intestinal cramping due to various causes, often administered as part of a GI Cocktail
. It is classed as an anticholinergic
antispasmodic drug. Donnatal is marketed by PBM Pharmaceuticals. It is available as tablets, capsules, extended release tablets and elixir. Active ingredients are listed as: phenobarbital
, hyoscyamine
, atropine
and scopolamine
. The latter three ingredients being found in plants of the datura
variety, a deliriant
sometimes used recreationally
, though the experience is often considered unpleasant.
Recent clinical trials showed that Donnatal was no more effective than plain antacid
in relieving the symptoms of dyspepsia
. However, the active ingredients in Donnatal® have been shown to be more effective than placebo in treating moderately severe symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome
.
More information can be found at http://www.donnatal.com
GI Cocktail
A gastrointestinal cocktail, known as a GI cocktail, is a generic term for a mixture of liquid antacid, viscous lidocaine, and an anticholinergic primarily used to treat dyspepsia. The GI cocktail may also deceptively mask pain originating from the heart.There is a wide variety of GI cocktail...
. It is classed as an anticholinergic
Anticholinergic
An anticholinergic agent is a substance that blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the central and the peripheral nervous system. An example of an anticholinergic is dicycloverine, and the classic example is atropine....
antispasmodic drug. Donnatal is marketed by PBM Pharmaceuticals. It is available as tablets, capsules, extended release tablets and elixir. Active ingredients are listed as: phenobarbital
Phenobarbital
Phenobarbital or phenobarbitone is a barbiturate, first marketed as Luminal by Friedr. Bayer et comp. It is the most widely used anticonvulsant worldwide, and the oldest still commonly used. It also has sedative and hypnotic properties but, as with other barbiturates, has been superseded by the...
, hyoscyamine
Hyoscyamine
Hyoscyamine is a tropane alkaloid. It is a secondary metabolite found in certain plants of the Solanaceae family, including henbane , mandrake , jimsonweed , tomato and deadly nightshade...
, atropine
Atropine
Atropine is a naturally occurring tropane alkaloid extracted from deadly nightshade , Jimson weed , mandrake and other plants of the family Solanaceae. It is a secondary metabolite of these plants and serves as a drug with a wide variety of effects...
and scopolamine
Scopolamine
Scopolamine, also known as levo-duboisine, and hyoscine, is a tropane alkaloid drug with muscarinic antagonist effects. It is among the secondary metabolites of plants from Solanaceae family of plants, such as henbane, jimson weed and Angel's Trumpets , and corkwood...
. The latter three ingredients being found in plants of the datura
Datura
Datura is a genus of nine species of vespertine flowering plants belonging to the family Solanaceae. Its precise and natural distribution is uncertain, owing to its extensive cultivation and naturalization throughout the temperate and tropical regions of the globe...
variety, a deliriant
Deliriant
The deliriants are a special class of acetylcholine-inhibitor hallucinogen. The term was introduced by David F. Duncan and Robert S...
sometimes used recreationally
Recreational drug use
Recreational drug use is the use of a drug, usually psychoactive, with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experience. Such use is controversial, however, often being considered to be also drug abuse, and it is often illegal...
, though the experience is often considered unpleasant.
Recent clinical trials showed that Donnatal was no more effective than plain antacid
Antacid
An antacid is a substance which neutralizes stomach acidity.-Mechanism of action:Antacids perform a neutralization reaction, increasing the pH to reduce acidity in the stomach. When gastric hydrochloric acid reaches the nerves in the gastrointestinal mucosa, they signal pain to the central nervous...
in relieving the symptoms of dyspepsia
Dyspepsia
Dyspepsia , also known as upset stomach or indigestion, refers to a condition of impaired digestion. It is a medical condition characterized by chronic or recurrent pain in the upper abdomen, upper abdominal fullness and feeling full earlier than expected when eating...
. However, the active ingredients in Donnatal® have been shown to be more effective than placebo in treating moderately severe symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome is a diagnosis of exclusion. It is a functional bowel disorder characterized by chronic abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, and alteration of bowel habits in the absence of any detectable organic cause. In some cases, the symptoms are relieved by bowel movements...
.
More information can be found at http://www.donnatal.com