Never take more than the recommended dose of laxatives as this can be harmful and cause side effects. If your constipation has not improved after taking laxatives for a week, speak to a GP.
After taking a laxative, you can make certain lifestyle changes to help stop getting constipated again, such as:. Do not take laxatives every day to ease your constipation as this can be harmful. Speak to a GP if you're still constipated after making lifestyle changes. In some cases, you may be prescribed a laxative to use regularly, but this should always be supervised by a GP or gastroenterologist a specialist in gut problems. Like most medicines, laxatives can cause side effects.
They're usually mild and should pass once you stop taking the laxative. The side effects you may get will depend on the type of laxative you're taking, but common side effects of most laxatives include:. Ask a GP for advice if you get any particularly troublesome or persistent side effects while taking laxatives. Using laxatives too often or for too long can also cause diarrhoea , the bowel becoming blocked by large, dry poo intestinal obstruction , and unbalanced salts and minerals in your body.
Find out more about preventing constipation. Page last reviewed: 10 June Next review due: 10 June Overview - Laxatives Contents Overview Considerations. Types of laxatives There are 4 main types of laxatives. Bulk-forming laxatives Bulk-forming laxatives work by increasing the "bulk" or weight of poo, which in turn stimulates your bowel. They take 2 or 3 days to work. Bulk-forming laxatives include: Fybogel ispaghula husk methylcellulose Osmotic laxatives Osmotic laxatives draw water from the rest of the body into your bowel to soften poo and make it easier to pass.
There are also some less common types of laxatives :. 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 :. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information and to understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your e-mail and website usage information with other information we have about you. If we combine this information with your PHI, we will treat all of that information as PHI, and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices.
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