Bisacodyl works by encouraging the muscles in your bowel to move stools through your body. This helps you to go to the toilet. Tablets usually have an effect within hours. Suppositories will take between minutes to work, but usually have their effect within 30 minutes. Bisacodyl preparations are available to buy without a prescription at pharmacies and other retail outlets. Bisacodyl is sometimes used to clear the bowel before a medical examination which requires the bowel to be empty.
When it is used like this, you will be provided with a small supply of bisacodyl by your hospital or clinic. To make sure this is the right treatment for you, ask for advice from a doctor or pharmacist before you start using bisacodyl if any of the following apply to you:.
Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. These usually improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following side-effects continue or become troublesome.
If you experience any other symptoms which you think may be due to this medicine, speak with your doctor or pharmacist. Never take more than the recommended dose. If you suspect that you or someone else might have taken an overdose of this medicine, go to the accident and emergency department of your local hospital at once.
Take the container with you, even if it is empty. This medicine is for you. Never give it to other people even if their condition appears to be the same as yours. Stimulant laxatives, like senna , stimulate the muscles that line your gut, helping them to move poo along your gut to your anus bottom. Senna takes about 8 hours to work. There's no evidence to suggest that taking bisacodyl will reduce fertility in either men or women.
But if you have severe diarrhoea for more than 24 hours, your contraceptive pills may not protect you from pregnancy. Look on the pill packet to find out what to do. Do not take bisacodyl at the same time as dairy products like milk, cheese or yoghurt.
The small amount of milk in coffee and tea will not affect your bisacodyl tablets. If you're constipated it's a good idea to stop eating pastries, cakes, puddings and cheese for a while, as foods high in fat can make constipation worse. It's quite common to have constipation after surgery. Using a laxative may help.
If you have constipation after an operation, it's better to use lactulose because it is gentler than bisacodyl. You can get it on prescription or buy it from pharmacies. You can often improve constipation without having to use laxatives. Before trying bisacodyl, or to stop your constipation coming back, it may help to:.
Page last reviewed: 14 June Next review due: 14 June Bisacodyl - Brand name: Dulcolax On this page About bisacodyl Key facts Who can and cannot take bisacodyl How and when to take or use bisacodyl Side effects How to cope with side effects of bisacodyl Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions about bisacodyl. About bisacodyl Bisacodyl is a laxative. Before trying bisacodyl, it's better to try other ways to help your constipation by: having more fibre in your diet and drinking more water exercising Only use bisacodyl if you have tried other types of laxatives first such as: bulk-forming laxatives like Fybogel ispaghula husk and methylcellulose osmotic laxatives like lactulose and polyethylene glycol.
Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today? Bisacodyl tablets take 6 to 12 hours to work.
The suppositories take 10 to 45 minutes to work, so it's best to stay close to a toilet after you've used them. The most common side effects are feeling sick nausea , diarrhoea, stomach pain or cramps. Only give bisacodyl to children and young people if a doctor or pharmacist recommends it. Do not take bisacodyl tablets or use bisacodyl suppositories every day for more than 5 days. Bisacodyl can be used by most adults aged 18 years and over.
Important Only give bisacodyl to someone under the age of 18 if a doctor or pharmacist recommends it. To make sure it's safe for you, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have: ever had an allergic reaction to bisacodyl or any other medicine signs of dehydration — these include peeing less than usual or having dark, strong-smelling pee severe stomach pain and you are feeling or being sick nausea or vomiting a serious problem in your stomach abdomen such as appendicitis a blockage in your bowel intestinal obstruction , ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease a problem with the muscles in your bowel not being able to move food and liquid along For suppositories, also tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have: ever had an allergic reaction to suppositories tears or open sores anal fissures or cracked skin around your anus.
Dosage for tablets Bisacodyl tablets you buy self-treatment The usual dose for adults and young people aged 12 years and over is 5mg to 10mg, taken once a day at bedtime. Important: Information for ages 12 to 17 Only give bisacodyl tablets that you buy to someone aged 12 to 17 years if a doctor or pharmacist recommends it.
Bisacodyl tablets prescribed by a doctor The usual starting dose for adults, and children aged 4 years and over, is 5mg, taken once a day at bedtime. Dosage for suppositories The usual dose for: adults — one 10mg suppository, used once a day in the morning children aged 2 to 17 years — one 5mg or 10mg suppository, used once a day in the morning on doctor's advice only How to take tablets Take the medicine once a day just before bedtime. Do not take bisacodyl tablets at the same time as: dairy products like milk, cheese or yoghurt indigestion remedies antacids medicines to reduce stomach acid like proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole or pantoprazole Leave a gap of 1 hour between taking any of these and taking your bisacodyl tablets.
How to use suppositories Read the instructions in the leaflet inside the package. What if I forget to take it? What if I take too much? If you're worried, talk to your doctor or pharmacist for advice. Common side effects Common side effects, which happen in more than 1 in people, are: feeling sick nausea diarrhoea stomach pain or cramps These side effects are mild and usually go away after a couple of days.
Serious side effects Call your doctor straight away if these rare side effects happen to you: feeling dizzy blood in your poo being sick vomiting Serious allergic reaction In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to bisacodyl.
Information: You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme. Visit Yellow Card for further information. What to do about: feeling sick — try taking bisacodyl with some food. It may also help if you avoid rich or spicy food. Speak to a pharmacist if you have signs of dehydration , such as peeing less than usual or having dark, strong-smelling pee. Do not take any other medicines to treat diarrhoea without speaking to a pharmacist or doctor.
Bisacodyl and pregnancy Bisacodyl tablets or suppositories are not generally recommended if you are pregnant. Bisacodyl and breastfeeding If your doctor or midwife recommends bisacodyl, rather than lactulose or Fybogel, it's OK to use it while you're breastfeeding. Non-urgent advice: Tell your doctor if you're:. Some medicines, and some foods, affect the way bisacodyl works.
They include: medicines that make you pee more diuretics , steroids like prednisolone or digoxin a heart medicine — these can upset the balance of salts and minerals in your body if you have too much bisacodyl. If you are taking digoxin, this imbalance makes it more likely you will have the serious side effects of digoxin. Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to medicines in this group or any other medicines.
Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully. Laxatives should not be given to young children up to 6 years of age unless prescribed by their doctor. Since children cannot usually describe their symptoms very well, they should be checked by a doctor before being given a laxative.
The child may have a condition that needs other treatment. If so, laxatives will not help and may even cause unwanted effects or make the condition worse. Also, weakness, increased sweating, and convulsions seizures may be especially likely to occur in children receiving enemas or rectal solutions, since they may be more sensitive than adults to their effects.
Weakness, increased sweating, and convulsions seizures may be especially likely to occur in elderly patients, since they may be more sensitive than younger adults to the effects of rectal laxatives.
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking any of these medicines, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below.
The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Using medicines in this class with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases.
If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines. Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.
The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of medicines in this class.
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