How fast ex lax work

Like any medication, laxatives can have side effects. Exactly what side effects a person will experience will depend on what type they are taking. There are some common side effects , which include:. Most side effects will disappear once a patient stops taking the medication; they can mostly be avoided by starting on a low dose and increasing the dose gradually.

Serious side effects are rare. However, excessive or prolonged use of laxatives can cause diarrhea or intestinal obstruction, where stools become large and dry.

Long-term use can also cause levels of salts and minerals in the body to become unbalanced. Some laxatives react with other medications, so if a patient is taking other drugs, it is best to check with a doctor before taking laxatives. Laxatives can be taken for the wrong reasons and misuse is relatively common ; for instance, some people attempt to lose weight by the frequent and repeated use of laxatives.

Often, this occurs after eating binges under the mistaken belief that food and calories will be rushed through the body before they are absorbed. This is not the case, and laxative abuse can lead to a number of health complications.

People with anorexia and bulimia sometimes use large amounts of laxatives as part of their harmful food behavior.

While those misusing laxatives may notice weight loss, this is usually because of the loss of fluids; they do not reduce body mass, fat, or calories. Health complications associated with laxative misuse include:. Colon infection, IBS, and liver damage are also associated with overuse. Chronic laxative misuse can also contribute to colon cancer. Laxative misuse often requires medical help for both physical and mental treatment.

A doctor will be able to give advice on this. However, here are some basic tips for giving up laxatives :. How someone takes laxatives, and how often they take them, will vary depending on the form they come in. The active ingredients of laxatives can have different half-lives. For example, the half-life of lactulose is about 2 hours while the half-life of bisacodyl is 16 hours. Emollient laxatives are also referred to as stool softeners.

Emollients take 12 to 72 hours to work. They work to soften your stool by adding moisture to it. Softer stools are easier to pass. Purchase stool softeners here. Bulk-forming laxatives function similarly to the fiber that you obtain from your diet.

They promote the absorption of water into your bowels. This makes stools larger and softer which in turn makes them easier to pass. The active ingredients of bulk-forming laxatives can include psyllium, methylcellulose, and sterculia. Here are options for purchasing bulk-forming laxatives.

Lubricant laxatives promote the passage of stool through the bowel by coating the stool in a waterproof film. This allows the stool to both hold on to its moisture and to move more easily through the bowel.

Mineral oil is an example of a lubricant laxative. You can purchase mineral oil here. This increase in fluid can help soften stool and promote its passage through the bowel.

The active ingredient in lactulose laxatives is a sugar-like compound. Lactulose laxatives are often used for treatment of long-term or chronic constipation. This type takes 48 to 72 hours. These laxatives are made up of salts in liquid. Saline takes 30 minutes to 3 hours to work. Polymer laxatives are made up of large molecules such as polyethylene glycol. Like saline laxatives, polymer laxatives are used for the short-term treatment of constipation.

Polymers take 6 hours or longer to work. See your options for hyperosmotic laxatives. Stimulant laxatives cause the muscles of your bowels to contract. This allows stool to pass more readily through your bowels. The active ingredients of stimulant laxatives can include senna, bisacodyl, and sodium picosulphate.

Find a stimulant laxative for purchase here. Once inserted, the medication dissolves and enters the bloodstream. Depending on the active ingredient, suppositories can work to either soften the stool or to stimulate the muscles of your bowels in order to better ease movement of stool.

The active ingredients bisacodyl and glycerol can be given as suppositories to treat constipation. Buy suppositories here. Stimulant laxatives usually work within hours. A bedtime dose is recommended so you are likely to feel the urge to go to the toilet sometime the following morning. However, you may try taking it at different times in the day to find the best time of day for you. Some people naturally have their bowel movements later in the day rather than in the morning.

Laxatives that are given via the back passage rectum - suppositories or enemas - usually work within minutes. Stronger osmotic laxatives such as phosphate enemas can be used to clear the bowel quickly, in just a few minutes. This depends on what type of constipation you have. Most people only need to take a laxative for a short time, to get over a bout of constipation.

Once the constipation eases, you can normally stop the laxative. Some people get into the habit of taking a laxative each day 'to keep the bowels regular' or to prevent constipation. This is not advised, especially for laxatives which are not bulk-forming. Some people have persistent chronic constipation and this can be more difficult to treat.

In some situations, laxatives are needed for longer periods sometimes even indefinitely and they should not be stopped suddenly. Chronic constipation is sometimes complicated by a backlog of hard stools faeces building up in the bowel faecal loading or even partially blocking it impaction. If loading and impaction occur they need to be treated first, often with much higher doses of laxatives.

Then a normal maintenance dose of laxatives is used to keep the bowels moving. It is not possible to list all the possible side-effects of each laxative in this leaflet. However, as with all medicines, there are a number of side-effects that have been reported with each of the different laxatives.

If you want more information specific to your laxative then you should read the information leaflet that comes with the medicine. Laxatives very rarely cause serious side-effects. Common side-effects include wind flatulence , cramps, diarrhoea, feeling sick, and bloating.

Most of the side-effects can be avoided or reduced by starting off on a low dose and increasing the dose of oral laxatives gradually. If you are taking bulk-forming laxatives, you may notice an increase in flatulence and tummy abdominal bloating. This is normal and tends to settle down after a few weeks as the gut becomes used to the increase in fibre or bulk-forming laxative.

Occasionally, bulk-forming laxatives can make symptoms worse if you have very severe constipation. This is because they may cause abdominal bloating and discomfort without doing much to clear a lot of stools faeces which are stuck further down the gut. See a doctor if you feel that bulk-forming laxatives are making your symptoms worse.

These medicines sometimes react with other medicines that you may take. So, make sure your doctor knows of any other medicines that you are taking, including ones that you have bought over the counter. See the leaflet that comes with your particular brand for a full list of possible side-effects and cautions.

It is important that you drink plenty of fluid when taking any laxative. This means drinking at least two litres per day cups. An osmotic laxative can make you dry dehydrated.

If you take a bulk-forming laxative and you do not drink enough fluid this can cause a blockage in the gut. The stools faeces may become dry and difficult to pass. Taking too much of some laxatives can lead to diarrhoea and losing too much salt from the body. Taking too much of a bulk-forming laxative, or not drinking enough fluid with a bulk-forming laxative, causes a blockage in the gut rather than diarrhoea. If you take bran, it is best to build up the amount gradually.

Start with two teaspoons a day, and double the amount every five days until you reach about tablespoons per day. You can sprinkle bran on breakfast cereals, or mix it with fruit juices, milk, stews, soups, crumbles, pastries, scones, etc. The information above is about laxatives that are commonly prescribed. However, it is well known that certain foods have laxative properties and some people prefer to try natural remedies.

Foods that have laxative properties mainly work because they are high in fibre but some foods may also have some stimulant or osmotic properties. The following are two examples of natural laxatives. Prunes dried plums have long been thought of as effective for constipation. Up until recently, there had been little scientific proof of this. However, a small research trial published in see 'Further Reading and References' at the end of this leaflet lends support to the belief that prunes are good for treating constipation.

In the trial, 40 adults with persistent chronic constipation were studied as to the effect of prunes versus ispaghula psyllium - a commonly used treatment for constipation. Briefly, on average, 50 g of prunes about six prunes twice daily seemed to be better at easing constipation than 11 g ispaghula taken twice daily.

This is just one small trial, but does seem to confirm the common belief that prunes are good for easing constipation. This recipe detailed below was studied in a research trial that involved older people in a care home. A treatment group was compared to a non-treatment group.

The conclusion of the study stated that: 'The Beverley-Travis Natural Laxative Mixture, given at a dosage of two tablespoons twice daily, is easy to use, cost-effective, and more effective than daily prescribed laxatives at producing normal bowel movements.

If you think you have had a side-effect to one of your medicines you can report this on the Yellow Card Scheme. You can do this online at www.