Hyoscine hydrobromide is a travel sickness (motion sickness) medicine that belongs to a group of medicines called anticholinergics or antimuscarinics.
It's thought to work by affecting your inner ear and your brain to control vomiting. It also relaxes the muscles in the walls of your stomach.
Hyoscine hydrobromide comes as patches that you stick to your skin and tablets that you suck, chew or swallow.
It can also be given by injection, but this is usually only done in hospital. It is given to reduce the amount of saliva in your mouth which can help with symptoms if you're having palliative or end of life care.
You can buy the tablets and patches at pharmacies.
Hyoscine hydrobromide is not the same as hyoscine butylbromide, better known as Buscopan.
Key facts
- Hyoscine hydrobromide tablets take 20 to 30 minutes to start working. The patches take up to 6 hours to work fully.
- The most common side effects are a dry mouth, constipation and blurred vision.
- Do not give hyoscine hydrobromide travel sickness tablets to children under the age of 3 years. Do not use the patches on children under the age of 10 years.
- Do not drive a car or ride a bike if hyoscine hydrobromide makes you sleepy, gives you blurred vision, or makes you feel dizzy, clumsy or unable to concentrate.
- It's best not to drink alcohol while taking hyoscine hydrobromide, as it may make you very sleepy.