Gastrointestinal tract colic

Meperidine has replaced morphine to a large extent in medical practice because of the physician s reluctance to use an opiate and the belief that meperidine manifests less undesirable side effects than does morphine. However, both of these assumptions are ill founded. Addiction to meperidine is much less amenable to treatment than is addiction to morphine. Meperidine, similar to morphine and codeine, causes spasm of the upper gastrointestinal tract and typical attacks of biliary colic in biliary tract disease. Meperidine, in doses giving an equal analgesic effect, induces as much respiratory depression as does morphine. Similar to morphine, it also crosses the placental barrier and must therefore be used cautiously in the latter stages of labor. 

Fresh blue flag may cause irritation of the gastrointestinal tract that can lead to vomiting, watery diarrhea, intestinal burning, and colic (Felter and Lloyd 1898). 

Regulatory Status. Leaves and roots, calculated to specified levels of tropaue alkaloids, are the subject of a Germau therapeutic monograph, indicated for treatment of spasms and colic pains in the gastrointestinal tract and bile ducts (blumenthal 1). 

Traditional Medicine. Both in domestic Western and Chinese medicine, dill seed and dill seed oil are used as aromatic carminative and stimulant in the treatment of flatulence, especially in children. Reported to have carminative, antispasmodic, sedative, lactago-gue, and diuretic properties. Used in India, Africa, and elsewhere for hemorrhoids, bronchial asthma, neuralgias, renal colic, dysuria, genital ulcers, dysmenorrhea, and others. In European tradition, dill herb is reportedly used as an antispasmodic for conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, kidney and urinary tract also for sleep disorders. ... 

An early symptom of lead poisoning is colic, warning that more serious effects may occur with continued and prolonged exposure. Colic is commonly noticed in industrial exposure cases and in lead poisoning of infants and young children. Although there is extensive documentation in the literature, data are insufficient to establish a dose-response relationship for the effect of lead on the gastrointestinal tract [73]. 

All smooth muscle activity which is physiologically under a strong parasympathetic influence is effectively inhibited by atropine, for example in the gastrointestinal, genitourinary and respiratory tract. Parasympatholytics are very useful drugs in the treatment of spastic conditions (colic) in these regions. 

Gastrointestinal colic (as antispas-modic) Belladonna alkaloids relax the spasm of smooth muscles of intestinal, urinary and biliary tract. They are also effective in functional and drug induced diarrhoea, to relieve urinary urgency and frequency and enuresis in children. They are also used to reduce gastric secretion in peptic ulcer patients. Also, used to reduce the excessive sweating in tuberculosis and sweating and salivation in parkinsonian patients. 

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