Stimulates the bowel muscles to move stool faster.

Use for temporary relief of occasional constipation and irregularity

Bisacodyl 5 mg / tablet
10, 25 tablets in a pack

6 to 8 hours. Take at night to produce bowel movement in the morning when you wake up.

Once bowel movement starts, expect to keep going for next 30 to 60 minutes.

Stimulant laxative. Unpredictable side effect profile for first time users.

Prepare for cold sweats, nausea and/or stomach cramps if this is your first time taking it. It may or may not happen, but be prepared just in case.

Do not crush or chew tablets.

Do not take within an hour after milk or antacids.

Drink with a full glass of water.

Dulcolax®

Stimulates the bowel muscles to move stool faster.

Expect bowel movement in 15 minutes to 1 hour.

Bisacodyl 10 mg in a suppository

15 to 60 minutes

30 to 60 minutes on and off.

Prefer the suppository to the tablets for a lesser side effect profile and quicker onset.

May cause stomach cramps

May cause faintness and rectal burning.

Need to lie down for about 20 mins. for best results.

Keep in a cool place.

Dulcolax®, Store brands.

It draws water into the bowel, making the stool softer and easier to get out.

Docusate sodium 50 mg, 100 mg.

1 to 3 days

Average 24 hours

Gentle stool softening.

Need to drink more water to be effective.

1. Do not take with mineral oil - It can increase its absorption.

2. Liquid is bitter, so take with fruit juice or milk to mask the taste.

3. It does not cause a bowel movement, just softens stool.

4. May take daily if your stool is hard or after surgery to reduce straining.

Colace®, Dulcolax®

Hyper-osmotically draws water from surrounding intestinal tissues back to the intestine. This loosens hard, dried out and stuck to the intestinal wall fecal material.

 Stimulates the intestinal muscles to move things along.

Magnesium Citrate 1.745g per fl oz

30 mins to 6 hours.

Expect on and off action for 30 minutes when it starts working.

May not be as cramping as a stimulant laxative. But cramping is still possible.

Range for time of onset is too wide and varies widely among individuals. In other words, it could work in 30 minutes for some and take 6 hours for someone else.

Overdose can cause slow heartbeat, low blood pressure, muscle weakness.

1. Works best on an empty stomach.

2. Always follow it with a full (8oz) glass of water or juice.

3. Discard unused product after 24 hours of opening the bottle.

Buy at drug store. 

Store brands

Poorly absorbed Magnesium draws water from the body into the intestine by osmosis, softening the stool in the process.

Stimulates the nerves in the bowel to keep things moving.

Magnesium hydroxide 1200 mg / 15 ml (tablespoonful), capsules

Each tablespoonful contains 500 mg of magnesium.

30 mins. to 6 hours

30 to 60 minutes minutes after onset

Not a stimulant laxative, and as such may be gentler than stimulant laxatives.

May need potassium supplementation to prevent muscle cramping if using often.

Not for use if on a magnesium restricted diet or kidney problems.

Follow each dosage with a full glass (8 oz) of liquid.

Buy at drug store. 

Phillips milk of magnesia®

Produce bowel movement by drawing and retaining water in the colon.

Monobasic Sodium Phosphate 19 g, Dibasic Sodium Phosphate 7 g in 118 ml bottle.

Average 1 to 5 minutes. 

You should be able to expel feces along with the enema liquid after the average holding time of less than 10 minutes. Try holding for at least 5 minutes for a good result.

Expect bowel movement to last 30 minutes on and off.

Fastest of them all

Possible cramping and bloating due to the volume of enema in the intestine.

1. To avoid injury, do not force enema tip into the rectum. Use slight side to side movement to proceed.

2. Squeeze bottle until nearly empty. Don't worry about emptying the bottle or any left-over, it contains more liquid than you need.

3. Remain in position after removing the enema tip until you feel a strong urge to evacuate. But no more than 10 minutes.

4. Drink water or juice by mouth to prevent dehydration.

5. Do not use if you have abdominal pain and do not know what is causing it. The movement of the bowel can cause an appendix to rupture if that is the origin of the pain.

Buy at drug store. 

Fleet Enema®

Senna is transformed by colon bacteria  producing a series of wave-like contractions. 

The senna is inactive until it gets to the colon. So, this process might take about 6 to 12 hours before bowel movement occurs.

Sennosides 8.6 mg in each tablet. S (includes docusate sodium 50 mg, a stool softener)

6 to 12 hours.

After onset, expect a duration of 1 hour on and off.

Natural vegetable. If not transformed by the bacteria in the colon, it will remain inactive. So the action stays within the large intestine.

Prefer the one with a stool softener for less cramping action.

Wave like movement can cause abdominal pain and stomach cramps.

1. Take preferably at bedtime for next morning bowel movement.

Senokot®, Senokot S®

Osmotic laxative. It activates water to soften and ease stool through the colon.

Polyethylene Glycol 3350, 17 g (cap filled to line)

Use once a day and expect bowel movement in 1 to 3 days.

1 hour.

Should not cause bloating, cramping or gas.

Prefer this if taking medications that cause constipation.

Cost

Be weary of prolonged use in children.

To have it dissolve completely, put the powder in the glass first, stir while adding the liquid of choice.

Start off by taking at night to avoid possible headaches if nothing else.

Retail Pharmacy Price:
26.9 Oz $27.99

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Miralax®

Coats the digestive tract allowing trapped water in the area to soften the stool.

 Facilitates a slick removal of the stool with reduced straining.

Mineral oil 100%

Rectally:
2 to 15 minutes

Oral:
6 to 8 hours

From onset, about 1 hour on and off.

Not a stimulant.

Continued use may interfere with the body's absorption of important nutrients and vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Taking within 2 hours of eating may block the absorption of nutrients.

Leakage especially if used rectally may soil clothing and sitting areas.

Do not take within 2 hours of a stool softener like docusate. The stool softener may increase the amount of mineral oil absorbed by the body. Absorbed mineral oil droplets can cause inflammation of the liver, spleen and lymph glands.

Take mineral oil liquid on an empty stomach at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after eating. Or take at least 2 hours before bedtime. Bedtime Preferred.

Take chilled in juice to make it easier to swallow.

Buy at drug store. 

Store Brands

Pulls water from the intestines into the stool.

Lubricates the bowel.

Glycerin, USP 2 g in each suppository.

15 to 60 mins.

30 minutes on and off bowel movement.

-- Possible mucus in stool.

-- Possible burning sensation.

Retain for 15 mins in the rectum. It does not have to melt to produce laxative action.

Cheap. Buy at drug store. 

Mainly store brands.

Bulking forming laxative. They add bulk and water to the stool so they can pass more easily through the intestines.

Psyllium husk approximately 3.4 g

12 to 72 hours

Longer term use for regularity

--- One of the gentlest of laxatives.

--- Causes less gas or bloating.

--- Works naturally

--- Must take with a full glass of water to prevent choking hazard.

Take with plenty of water since they absorb water from the body.

Taking this product without adequate fluid may cause it to swell and block your throat or esophagus and may cause choking.

Do not take this product if you have difficulty in swallowing. If you experience chest pain, vomiting, or difficulty in swallowing or breathing after taking this product, seek immediate medical attention.

Retail Pharmacy Price:
114 Doses 23.3 OZ $25.99

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Fibercon®

A lubricant laxative. It is digested by pancreatic lipase enzymes to ricinoleic acid, which produces laxative action by an unknown mechanism.

Ricinoleic acid

2 to 6 hours

Average 30 minutes

Taste on ingestion

Long term use may cause loss of nutrients.

Inexpensive. Buy at drug store.