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Drug side effects

dicyclomine Side Effects

The reactions most often reported to the FDA for dicyclomine (also sold as Bentyl), with demographics, serious outcomes, and reporting trends.

Data updated 2026-05-15

13,367
FAERS reports

Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), 2004 to 2025. A FAERS report records a temporal association, not proof of cause. See our methodology for how figures are compiled and de-duplicated.

The most commonly reported side effects of dicyclomine come from 13,367 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.

This page analyzes 13,367 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for dicyclomine (Bentyl): the reactions reported most often, who reported them, serious outcomes such as hospitalization, and year-over-year trends. A FAERS report does not prove the drug caused the effect, and report volume tracks how widely a drug is used, not how likely an effect is for any one person. Educational information, not medical advice.

Total Reports

13,367

Reports Mentioning Death

790

5.9% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death

Hospitalizations

4,021

30.1% of reports

Top Indication

Product Used For Unknown Indication

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

NAUSEA
1,251
DIARRHOEA
1,193
FATIGUE
1,119
PAIN
1,003
HEADACHE
861
CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE
716
DIZZINESS
688
VOMITING
682
ABDOMINAL PAIN
681
DYSPNOEA
618
ANXIETY
586
ABDOMINAL PAIN UPPER
565
FALL
553
ARTHRALGIA
528
ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY
527
WEIGHT DECREASED
502
ASTHENIA
497
MALAISE
485

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 9,529 (75%)
Male 3,141 (25%)
Unknown 14

Age Distribution

0-17 265 (3%)
18-44 1,942 (23%)
45-64 3,356 (40%)
65-74 1,766 (21%)
75+ 1,127 (13%)

Reporting Trend by Year

2004 2025

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 790 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
DEATH 374
COMPLETED SUICIDE 90
ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY 62
CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE 60
TOXICITY TO VARIOUS AGENTS 54
RENAL FAILURE 50
NAUSEA 33
PNEUMONIA 30
DIARRHOEA 29
END STAGE RENAL DISEASE 26
FATIGUE 26
VOMITING 25
BRONCHITIS 24
ABDOMINAL PAIN 23
CARDIAC ARREST 23
DYSPNOEA 23
BACK PAIN 22
ARTHRALGIA 20
SINUSITIS 20

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 4,021 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
NAUSEA 457
DIARRHOEA 433
PAIN 404
FATIGUE 338
VOMITING 330
ABDOMINAL PAIN 326
FALL 310
DYSPNOEA 285
PNEUMONIA 271
HEADACHE 265
ANXIETY 259
DIZZINESS 246
ASTHENIA 231
ABDOMINAL PAIN UPPER 229
WEIGHT DECREASED 227
URINARY TRACT INFECTION 221
ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY 210
DEHYDRATION 194
CONSTIPATION 190

Compare dicyclomine vs alosetron →

What the FAERS Data Reveals About dicyclomine Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 13,367 voluntary reports linked to dicyclomine and its brand equivalents (Bentyl), spanning 2004 through 2025. Of those, 790 (5.9%) listed death as an outcome and 4,021 (30.1%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Product Used For Unknown Indication.

Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 75% were female and 25% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 3,356 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is nausea with 1,251 submissions, followed by diarrhoea and fatigue.

How to read these numbers

FAERS is a signal-detection tool, not a scorecard. Reports are voluntary, and a single case may list multiple suspect drugs, so numbers above should not be read as incidence rates or per-patient risk. Widely prescribed drugs naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies even when individual risk is low. These aggregates are useful for spotting patterns that merit further pharmacovigilance, not for choosing between medications. This page is for educational reference only and is not medical advice, speak with a licensed clinician about any side-effect concerns.

Drugs With a Similar FAERS Report Volume

Other medications with a total FDA adverse-event report count closest to dicyclomine's 13,367.