What are Kwells used for?
- Preventing travel sickness in adults and children over 10 years of age.
How do Kwells work?
Kwells tablets contain the active ingredient hyoscine hydrobromide, which is a type of medicine called an antimuscarinic. It is sometimes known as scopolamine.
In the inner ear are three fluid filled canals called the vestibular system. These detect changes in the body's position. Motion sickness is thought to occur when the vestibular system sends messages to the brain telling it that the body is being moved around, while the eyes send conflicting messages that the body is stationary.
Hyoscine hydrobromide prevents motion sickness by stopping the messages being sent from the vestibular system to an area of the brain called the vomiting centre. This area of the brain co-ordinates the vomiting reflex.
Hyoscine also stops the vomiting centre from sending nerve messages to the stomach that would normally cause vomiting.
Hyoscine needs to be taken before travel to be most effective, as once feeling sick or vomiting has started it is more difficult to control, particularly with tablets that need to be kept down.
How do I take Kwells?
Kwells tablets should be taken around 30 minutes before travel to be most effective at preventing sickness, however they can also be taken once a journey has started if you begin to feel sick.
- Kwells tablets can be sucked, chewed or swallowed whole. They can be taken either with or without food.
- Adults should take one tablet up to 30 minutes before travelling. For long journeys the dose can be repeated every six hours, however do not take more than three tablets in 24 hours.
- Children over ten years of age should take half to one tablet up to 30 minutes before travelling. For long journeys the dose can be repeated every six hours, however do not take more than three tablets in 24 hours.
What should I know before taking Kwells?
- Kwells tablets may cause drowsiness, dizziness, confusion and blurred vision. These side effects may affect your ability to drive or perform other activities that require concentration. You should not drive or operate machinery if you experience these symptoms. If your child is affected in this way they should avoid potentially hazardous activities such as riding bikes. You should not leave your child unattended after giving them this medicine.
- Do not drink alcohol while taking Kwells, as it is likely to make the above side effects worse.
- If you experience persistent vomiting that is not due to travel sickness, it is important to see a doctor. You should not continue to take Kwells, because vomiting is a symptom of various conditions and the tablets could delay early diagnosis.
Who shouldn't take Kwells?
- Children aged 10 years and under (Kwells kids should be used for younger children).
- People with glaucoma.
- People with any blockage, obstruction or lack of muscular movement in the stomach or intestines.
- People with a narrowing of the outlet of the stomach that makes it difficult for food to pass into the intestines (pyloric stenosis).
- Men with an enlarged prostate gland (prostatic hypertrophy).
- People with a condition called myasthenia gravis, in which there is abnormal muscle weakness.
- People who are allergic to any ingredients of the tablets. If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
Who should get medical advice before taking Kwells?
- Elderly people. (Elderly people may be more likely to experience side effects from this medicine).
- People with Down's syndrome.
- People with heart disease or high blood pressure.
- People with kidney or liver problems.
- People with epilepsy.
- People who are very constipated or are suffering from diarrhoea.
- People with ulcerative colitis.
- People with a fever. (This medicine may reduce sweating).
Can I take Kwells while pregnant or breastfeeding?
- Get medical advice from your doctor before using Kwells if you are or think you could be pregnant. The safety of this medicine for use during pregnancy has not been established. It should only be used during pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester, if the expected benefit to the mother outweighs any potential risk to the developing baby.
- Hyoscine hydrobromide may pass into breast milk, but only in small amounts that are unlikely to be harmful to a nursing infant with occasional use of the medicine. Get medical advice from your doctor before using Kwells if you are breastfeeding.
What are the possible side effects of Kwells?
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with hyoscine hydrobromide. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people using Kwells will experience that or any side effect.
- Dry mouth.
- Blurred vision or difficulty focusing.
- Dilated pupils.
- Reduced sweating.
- Difficulty passing urine.
Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist or read the leaflet provided with the medicine if you want any more information about the possible side effects of Kwells. If you think you have experienced a side effect, did you know you can report this using the yellow card website?
Can I take Kwells with other medicines?
If you are taking any other medicines, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, it is important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking this medicine as well, to make sure that the combination is safe.
You are more likely to feel drowsy if you take Kwells with any of the following (which can also cause drowsiness):
- antipsychotic medicines, eg chlorpromazine, haloperidol
- barbiturates, eg phenobarbital
- benzodiazepines, eg diazepam, temazepam
- sedating antihistamines, eg chlorphenamine, brompheniramine, hydroxyzine, promethazine
- sleeping tablets, eg zopiclone
- strong opioid painkillers, eg morphine, codeine, dihydrocodeine, tramadol
- tricyclic antidepressants, eg amitriptyline.
There may be an increased risk of antimuscarinic side effects, such as dry mouth, blurred vision or difficulty passing urine, if you take Kwells with other medicines that have antimuscarinic effects, such as the following:
- antiarrhythmic medicines for irregular heartbeats, eg disopyramide, propafenone, quinidine
- antihistamines, eg promethazine, brompheniramine, chlorphenamine, diphenhydramine, triprolidine (some of these are often found in over-the-counter cough and cold remedies)
- antimuscarinic medicines for Parkinson's symptoms, eg procyclidine, orphenadrine, trihexiphenidyl
- antimuscarinic medicines for urinary incontinence, eg oxybutynin, trospium, tolterodine
- antipsychotics, eg chlorpromazine, clozapine, thioridazine
- antisickness medicines, eg meclozine, cyclizine
- antispasmodics, eg atropine, propantheline, hyoscine butylbromide
- MAOI antidepressants, eg phenelzine
- muscle relaxants, eg baclofen
- tricyclic antidepressants, eg amitriptyline, clomipramine.
If you get a dry mouth when taking Kwells you may find that medicines that are designed to dissolve and be absorbed from under the tongue, eg sublingual glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) tablets, become less effective. This is because the tablets do not dissolve properly in a dry mouth. To resolve this, drink a mouthful of water before taking sublingual tablets.
This medicine may oppose the effect of domperidone or metoclopramide. This is because metoclopramide and domperidone increase the motility of the gut, whereas hyoscine may reduce it.
Other medicines containing the same active ingredient