Conventional Laxatives.
- Author:
Bong Eun LEE
1
;
Tae Hee LEE
;
Seong Eun KIM
;
Kyung Sik PARK
;
Seon Young PARK
;
Jeong Eun SHIN
;
Kee Wook JUNG
;
Suck Chei CHOI
;
Kyoung Sup HONG
;
Sung Noh HONG
Author Information
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords: Constipation; Laxatives
- MeSH: Bisacodyl; Cellulose; Constipation; Dietary Fiber; Humans; Laxatives*; Polyethylene Glycols; Psyllium; Quality of Life; Sodium
- From:Korean Journal of Medicine 2015;88(1):1-8
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
- Abstract: Based on published guidelines on the management of chronic constipation, secondary causes should be excluded and then patients should be told to increase their dietary fiber intake to 20-25 g per day. If these measures do not improve the symptoms, conventional laxatives are generally the next choice. Although there is limited evidence for the efficacy of these older laxatives due to a lack of well-designed clinical trials, most clinicians agree that they are effective at relieving the symptoms of constipation. Conventional laxatives include bulk-forming, osmotic, and stimulant laxatives. Bulking laxatives consist of fiber such as psyllium, cellulose, and bran. Osmotic laxatives are classified into sugar-based laxatives and polyethylene glycol. Bisacodyl and sodium picosulfate are stimulant laxatives. Understanding their mechanisms of action, efficacy, and side effects might improve the quality of life of patients suffering from chronic constipation.
