Librax vs. Donnatal

• Are Donnatal and Librax the Same Thing?
• What Are Possible Side Effects of Librax?
• What Are Possible Side Effects of Donnatal?
• What is Librax?
• What is Donnatal?
• What Drugs Interact with Librax?
• What Drugs Interact with Donnatal?
• How Should Librax Be Taken?
• How Should Donnatal Be Taken?

Librax (chlordiazepoxide and clidinium bromide) and Donnatal (belladonna alkaloids, phenobarbital) are used to treat ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome.

Librax is also used to treat intestinal infections.

Donnatal is also used to treat acute inflammation of the stomach and intestines (gastroenteritis).

Librax and Donnatal are different drug combinations. Librax is a combination of a benzodiazepine and an anticholinergic/spasmolytic and Donnatal is a combination of an anticholinergic/antispasmodic drug and a barbiturate sedative.

The brand name Librax is no longer available in the U.S. Generic versions may be available.

Side effects of Librax and Donnatal that are similar include dizziness, drowsiness, weakness, blurred vision, dry eyes, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, constipation, or abdominal bloating.

Side effects of Librax that are different from Donnatal include tiredness, swelling, skin rash, and irregular menstrual periods.

Side effects of Donnatal that are different from Librax include increased sensitivity to light, decreased taste sensation, decreased sweating or urination, headache, sleep problems (insomnia), restlessness, excitability, impotence, loss of interest in sex, or trouble having an orgasm.

Both Librax and Donnatal may interact with alcohol, blood thinners, or MAO inhibitors.

Librax may also interact with barbiturates, medicines to treat psychiatric disorders, narcotics, or antidepressants.

Donnatal may also interact with ketoconazole, atropine, benztropine, dimenhydrinate, methscopolamine, scopolamine, glycopyrrolate, mepenzolate, bronchodilators, bladder or urinary medications, irritable bowel medications, or hormonal birth control.

Do not stop using Librax suddenly after long-term use, or you could have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

• dizziness,
• drowsiness,
• tiredness,
• weakness,
• blurred vision,
• dry eyes,
• dry mouth,
• nausea,
• vomiting,
• constipation,
• abdominal bloating,
• swelling,
• skin rash, and
• irregular menstrual periods.

Tell your doctor if you have unlikely but serious side effects of Librax (chlordiazepoxide and clidinium bromide) including:

• decreased sweating,
• dry/hot/flushed skin,
• fast or irregular heartbeat,
• loss of coordination,
• slurred speech,
• fainting,
• uncontrollable or unusual muscle movements,
• mental/mood changes (such as confusion, agitation, unusual excitement, depression, or strange thoughts),
• difficulty urinating,
• decreased sexual ability, or
• slow or shallow breathing.

Common side effects of Donnatal include:

• dizziness,
• drowsiness,
• weakness,
• blurred vision,
• dry eyes,
• dry mouth,
• nausea,
• vomiting,
• constipation,
• abdominal bloating,
• increased sensitivity to light,
• decreased taste sensation,
• decreased sweating or urination,
• headache,
• sleep problems (insomnia),
• restlessness,
• excitability,
• impotence,
• loss of interest in sex, or
• trouble having an orgasm.

Tell your doctor if you have unlikely but serious side effects of Donnatal including:

• dry/hot/flushed skin,
• fast or irregular heartbeat,
• loss of coordination,
• slurred speech,
• fainting,
• mental/mood changes (such as confusion, agitation, unusual excitement, depression, rare thoughts of suicide),
• difficulty urinating, or
• slow or shallow breathing.

Librax (chlordiazepoxide and clidinium bromide) is a combination of a benzodiazepine and an anticholinergic/spasmolytic used to treat stomach ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, and intestinal infections.

Donnatal (belladonna alkaloids, phenobarbital) is a combination of an anticholinergic/antispasmodic drug and a barbiturate sedative used to treat abdominal pain, bloating and cramps in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Donnatal is also used to treat acute inflammation of the stomach and intestines (gastroenteritis) to reduce pain and diarrhea, and in patients with duodenal ulcer. Donnatal is available in generic form.

Librax may interact with other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold or allergy medicine, sedatives, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety), or MAO inhibitors.

Librax may also interact with alcohol, barbiturates, or medicines to treat psychiatric disorders.

Products that may interact with Donnatal include blood thinners, ketoconazole, MAO inhibitors, bronchodilators, bladder or urinary medications or irritable bowel medications. Hormonal birth control products (pills, patch, ring) may not be effective if taken with Donnatal. Discuss all medications you are taking with your doctor. Donnatal is not recommended for use during pregnancy. It may harm a fetus. Consult your doctor. This medication passes into breast milk and may have undesirable effects on a nursing infant. Consult your doctor before breastfeeding. Donnatal may cause withdrawal symptoms (anxiety, muscle twitching, shakiness, dizziness, worsening weakness, nausea, vomiting) if you suddenly stop using it. Withdrawal from phenobarbital can be severe and include seizures or death.

Librax (lorazepam) is administered orally. For optimal results, dose, frequency of administration, and duration of therapy should be individualized according to patient response. To facilitate this, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, and 2 mg tablets are available.

The usual range is 2 to 6 mg/day given in divided doses, the largest dose being taken before bedtime, but the daily dosage may vary from 1 to 10 mg/day.

For anxiety, most patients require an initial dose of 2 to 3 mg/day given two or three times a day.

For insomnia due to anxiety or transient situational stress, a single daily dose of 2 to 4 mg may be given, usually at bedtime.

For elderly or debilitated patients, an initial dosage of 1 to 2 mg/day in divided doses is recommended, to be adjusted as needed and tolerated.

The dosage of Librax (lorazepam) should be increased gradually when needed to help avoid adverse effects. When higher dosage is indicated, the evening dose should be increased before the daytime doses.

The dosage of Donnatal is adjusted to individual patients for symptomatic control with minimum adverse reactions. The usual dose is one tablet every 8 or 12 hours as prescribed.