Pricing
Prices are indicative MRP and may vary by pharmacy. Trend compares against the last recorded price.
All price changes →Indications & Uses
Bethanechol Chloride is used to treat acute urinary retention after surgery or after childbirth, when nothing is physically blocking the flow of urine (this is called nonobstructive, or functional, retention). It is also used for neurogenic atony of the urinary bladder with retention.
Pharmacology
Bethanechol works mainly by producing the effects of parasympathetic nervous system stimulation. It raises the tone of the detrusor urinae muscle, and the contraction is usually strong enough to start micturition and empty the bladder. It also stimulates gastric motility, increases gastric tone, and often brings back rhythmic peristalsis.
When the parasympathetic nervous system is stimulated, acetylcholine is released at the nerve endings. If spontaneous stimulation falls and treatment is needed, acetylcholine can be given, but cholinesterase hydrolyzes it rapidly, so its effects are short-lived. Bethanechol isn't broken down by cholinesterase, which makes its effects longer-lasting and more predictable than those of acetylcholine.
Its action is mainly muscarinic, with only a feeble nicotinic action. The doses that stimulate micturition and defecation and increase peristalsis don't ordinarily stimulate ganglia or voluntary muscles. In normal human subjects, therapeutic test doses have little effect on heart rate, blood pressure or peripheral circulation.
Dosage Reference
Reference Information Only
Dosages shown are general references from official sources. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized dosing.
Adults:
Bethanechol Chloride doses have to be set for each patient, depending on the type and severity of the condition being treated. It is best to give the medicine on an empty stomach, because nausea and vomiting may occur if it is taken soon after eating.
The usual adult oral dose is 10 to 50 mg, taken three or four times a day. To find the minimum effective dose, start with 5 to 10 mg and repeat the same amount at hourly intervals until the response is satisfactory, or until a total of 50 mg has been given.
The effects sometimes begin within 30 minutes and are usually at their strongest within 60 to 90 minutes. They last for about one hour.
Pediatric Use: Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established.
Side Effects
Bethanechol chloride can cause abdominal discomfort, more saliva in the mouth, a hot feeling with flushing of the skin, and sweating. These effects become more common with large doses, when the signs of parasympathetic stimulation appear. They include malaise, headache, a sensation of heat about the face, flushing, colicky pain, diarrhea, nausea and belching. Abdominal cramps, borborygmi (rumbling sounds from the bowel), asthmatic attacks and a fall in blood pressure can also occur.
Cautions & Contraindications
Warnings & Precautions
Take extra care when giving bethanechol to patients who are also taking other medicines that can interact with it. Quinidine and procainamide may work against its cholinergic effects. Other cholinergic medicines, especially cholinesterase inhibitors, may add to its effects. If bethanechol is given to patients who are on ganglionic blocking compounds, blood pressure can fall to a critical level, and severe abdominal symptoms usually come before this. In urinary retention, bethanechol makes the bladder contract. If the sphincter doesn't relax at the same time, urine may be forced up the ureter into the kidney pelvis. If there is bacteriuria, this may cause reflux infection.
Contraindications
Bethanechol Chloride should not be used in hyperthyroidism, pregnancy, lactation, peptic ulcer, latent or active bronchial asthma, pronounced bradycardia or hypotension, vasomotor instability, coronary artery disease, epilepsy or parkinsonism. It should also not be used when the strength or integrity of the gastrointestinal or bladder wall is in question, or when there is mechanical obstruction. The same applies when increased muscular activity of the gastrointestinal tract or urinary bladder might prove harmful, for example after recent urinary bladder surgery or gastrointestinal resection and anastomosis, or when gastrointestinal obstruction is possible. Bethanechol Chloride is also not to be used in bladder neck obstruction, spastic gastrointestinal disturbances, acute inflammatory lesions of the gastrointestinal tract, peritonitis, or marked vagotonia.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Pregnancy
Animal reproduction studies haven't been done with bethanechol chloride. It's also not known whether bethanechol chloride can harm the baby when given to a pregnant woman, or whether it can affect the ability to reproduce. A pregnant woman should be given it only if it is clearly needed.
Nursing mothers
Nobody knows whether this medicine passes into human milk. Many drugs do pass into milk, and bethanechol chloride could cause serious adverse reactions in a nursing infant. So a decision has to be made whether to stop nursing or to stop the medicine, taking into account how important the medicine is to the mother.
⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Storage
Store Bethanechol Chloride below 30°C, and keep it away from light and moisture. Keep it out of the reach of children.
Common questions about Bethacol 25 mg
What is Bethacol 25 mg Tablet?
Bethacol 25 mg Tablet is a medicine that contains Bethanechol Chloride. It is made by Unimed Unihealth Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
What is Bethacol used for?
Bethanechol Chloride is used to treat acute urinary retention after surgery or after childbirth, when nothing is physically blocking the flow of urine (this is called nonobstructive, or functional, retention). It is also used for neurogenic atony of the urinary bladder with retention.
What are the side effects of Bethacol?
Bethanechol chloride can cause abdominal discomfort, more saliva in the mouth, a hot feeling with flushing of the skin, and sweating. These effects become more common with large doses, when the signs of parasympathetic stimulation appear.
Can I take Bethacol during pregnancy or while breastfeeding?
Pregnancy Animal reproduction studies haven't been done with bethanechol chloride. It's also not known whether bethanechol chloride can harm the baby when given to a pregnant woman, or whether it can affect the ability to reproduce. Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
How should I store Bethacol?
Store Bethanechol Chloride below 30°C, and keep it away from light and moisture. Keep it out of the reach of children.
Is there a cheaper medicine with the same ingredient?
Bethacol is already among the lowest-priced brands of Bethanechol Chloride at this strength.
Do I need a prescription for Bethacol?
Bethacol is a prescription (Rx) medicine. Take it as your doctor advises.