Scopex contains hyoscine butylbromide 10 mg, an antispasmodic. It relieves cramping, colicky pain caused by spasm of the gut, bladder or bile ducts — stomach cramps, irritable bowel syndrome and period pain. It relaxes the muscle producing the spasm. It does not treat nausea, infection, or the cause of the pain.

What is Scopex?

Scopex tablets contain hyoscine butylbromide, 10 mg per film-coated tablet. They are white, round, biconvex and odourless. It is available over the counter in South Africa, and a related product, Scopex Co, combines hyoscine butylbromide with paracetamol for cramping accompanied by pain.

Hyoscine butylbromide is an antispasmodic, specifically an antimuscarinic. Smooth muscle in the gut, bladder and bile ducts contracts in waves to move contents along. When those contractions become intense and uncoordinated, the result is the gripping, wave-like pain people describe as colic or cramping. Hyoscine butylbromide blocks the nerve signal driving the contraction, so the muscle relaxes.

A useful property: it acts mainly within the gut and does not readily cross into the brain, so it does not cause the drowsiness associated with related medicines used for travel sickness. Hyoscine hydrobromide, used for motion sickness, is a different salt that does reach the brain. Similar name, different medicine, different purpose.

The same active ingredient is sold in South Africa as Hyospasmol and Buscopan.

What is Scopex commonly used for?

Scopex is used for cramping and colicky pain:

Stomach and abdominal cramps, including those accompanying gastroenteritis.
Irritable bowel syndrome, where cramping is a main symptom.
Period pain involving uterine cramping.
Renal and biliary colic, alongside other treatment.
Before certain procedures, to relax the gut.

The word that matters is cramping. If the pain builds in gripping waves and eases between them, an antispasmodic targets it directly. If the main complaint is burning, or constant pain, or nausea, a different medicine is the right one — an antiemetic such as Contromet for nausea, or an acid-reducing medicine for reflux.

It relieves the symptom. In gastroenteritis it eases cramps while the infection runs its course; it does not shorten the illness, and it is no substitute for rehydration, which is the treatment that actually changes outcomes in diarrhoea — particularly in children.

How Scopex fits into this medicine category

Scopex is in the antispasmodic group. The category sorts cleanly by what each group targets:

Group	Examples	Targets
Antispasmodics	Scopex, Hyospasmol, Buscopan, mebeverine	Cramping and spasm
Antiemetics	Metoclopramide, Contromet	Nausea and vomiting
Acid-reducing	Antacids, H2 blockers, PPIs	Reflux and heartburn
Bowel medicines	Laxatives, anti-diarrhoeals	Constipation, diarrhoea
Rehydration	Oral rehydration solution	Fluid loss in diarrhoea

Matching the group to the symptom is most of the work, and it is where people most often go wrong — buying an antispasmodic for nausea, or an anti-diarrhoeal when fluid replacement was the priority. See the digestive, stomach and nausea medicines hub.

What to check before using Scopex

Check whether you have plain Scopex or Scopex Co, which also contains paracetamol. If it is the combination, do not take a separate paracetamol product alongside it.

Speak to a pharmacist or doctor before use if:

You have glaucoma, particularly narrow-angle glaucoma. Antimuscarinics can raise pressure in the eye.
You have an enlarged prostate or difficulty passing urine.
You have myasthenia gravis, or a condition affecting gut motility such as paralytic ileus or megacolon.
You have a fast heart rate or a heart condition.
You are pregnant or breastfeeding.
The medicine is for a child — dosing differs by age.
You take other antimuscarinic medicines, including some antidepressants, antihistamines and bladder medicines. The effects add together.

Be clear about the nature of the pain. Antispasmodics relieve cramping; they are not for undiagnosed severe abdominal pain, and using them can mask something that needs assessment.

Follow the pack or dispensing label. This page does not set doses.

Possible cautions and when to ask a pharmacist or doctor

Expect dry mouth, and possibly blurred vision or constipation. These are ordinary antimuscarinic effects, usually mild.

Do not use it to push through severe or persistent pain. Cramping that is severe, that does not settle, or that comes with other symptoms needs a diagnosis, not a stronger antispasmodic.

In diarrhoea, fluid comes first. Oral rehydration matters more than symptom relief, especially for children and older adults.

Do not exceed the stated amount, and if it is a combination product, account for the paracetamol.

Seek medical attention promptly for:

Severe abdominal pain, or a rigid, tender abdomen.
Blood in vomit or stool, or black tarry stools.
Persistent vomiting preventing fluids being kept down.
Fever with abdominal pain.
Signs of dehydration in a child — fewer wet nappies, no tears, unusual drowsiness.
Unexplained weight loss, or a change in bowel habit lasting beyond a couple of weeks.
Eye pain with blurred vision or halos around lights, which needs urgent attention.

Related medicine guides

Frequently asked questions

What is Scopex used for? Cramping and colicky pain from spasm in the gut, bladder or bile ducts — stomach cramps, IBS and period pain among them.

Will Scopex help nausea? Not directly. It targets cramping. Nausea needs an antiemetic — a pharmacist can point you to the right one.

Is Scopex the same as Buscopan? Both contain hyoscine butylbromide. The brand and manufacturer differ; the active ingredient is the same.

What is the difference between Scopex and Scopex Co? Scopex Co also contains paracetamol, for cramping with pain. Do not take extra paracetamol alongside it.

Can children take it? Dosing differs by age, and a pharmacist should advise rather than you estimating from an adult pack.

Does it stop diarrhoea? No. It eases the cramping that comes with it. Fluid and salt replacement is the priority in diarrhoea.

What Is Scopex Used For?