Antispasmodic (Smooth Muscle Relaxant) Pregnancy: Use during pregnancy or lactation is not recommended - although no teratogenic effects have been reported, evidence of safety in preclinical studies is limited and data are insufficient. There are no data on the effects of alverine citrate on human fertility.

Alverine Citrate

Brand names: Spasmonal

Alverine citrate is an antispasmodic used to relieve smooth-muscle spasm in irritable bowel syndrome and other functional gastrointestinal disorders.

Auto-extracted from the source labelling — not yet independently clinician-verified. These values were distilled from the UK SPC (or the US label where noted) but have not had a clinician sign-off. Confirm against the current SmPC before prescribing.

Adult dose

Dose: Adults (including the elderly): 1 capsule one to three times daily. The SPC fetched is for Alverine Citrate 120 mg Hard Capsules, i.e. 120 mg per capsule.

Route: Oral (capsules swallowed whole)

Frequency: One to three times daily

Max: Up to three times daily (upper end of the SPC dose range; no separate maximum daily dose is stated)

Consult a doctor if new symptoms develop, if symptoms worsen, or if they do not improve after 2 weeks of treatment. The SPC carries additional patient-leaflet warnings that the product may not be suitable for people aged 40 years or over, or with rectal bleeding, nausea or vomiting, appetite or weight loss, pallor and tiredness, severe constipation, fever, recent foreign travel, possible pregnancy, abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge, or difficulty/pain passing urine. PAEDIATRIC: not recommended in children below the age of 12 years - verify any paediatric use against a children's formulary.

Dose auto-extracted from UK Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) via the eMC — not yet clinician-verified. Always confirm against the product SmPC and your local formulary before prescribing.

Contraindications

Paralytic ileus
Intestinal obstruction
Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients

Side effects

Nausea (frequency not known)
Dizziness and headache (frequency not known)
Rash and itching (frequency not known)
Dyspnoea and/or wheezing (frequency not known)
Jaundice due to hepatitis (typically resolves on cessation of alverine) and abnormal liver function tests (frequency not known)
Anaphylaxis and allergic reaction (frequency not known)

Interactions

None stated (SPC section 4.5: 'None stated')

Clinical monograph

How it works

It acts directly on intestinal smooth muscle to produce relaxation, relieving the colic and spasm that contribute to abdominal pain in irritable bowel syndrome.

Prescribing in practice

It is contraindicated in paralytic ileus, where reducing gut motility could be harmful, and a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome should be confirmed before long-term use.
Reconsider the diagnosis and investigate if there are alarm features such as rectal bleeding, weight loss, anaemia or new symptoms in an older patient.
Take before meals so that the antispasmodic effect coincides with post-prandial gut activity.

Monitoring

No routine laboratory monitoring is required; review symptomatic benefit periodically and stop if there is no improvement.

Counselling the patient

Take before meals to help prevent cramping pain.
This relieves cramps but does not treat the underlying bowel condition.
Report any rectal bleeding, weight loss or persistent change in bowel habit.

Evidence & guidelines

Antispasmodics such as alverine are recommended in NICE guidance as an option for abdominal pain and cramping in irritable bowel syndrome.

Reference: NICE NG12 (Irritable bowel syndrome in adults, 2008, updated 2022); Drug verified in RxNorm (NLM); confirm dosing against the manufacturer SPC (eMC). Verify against your local formulary and current prescribing references before prescribing. The structured dose values shown have been reviewed by a clinician. Monograph status: clinician-reviewed (2026-07-04).

Curated clinical cross-links plus same-class fallbacks.

Pathways