When, if ever, should one use a laxative?
I'm in my mid-twenties and have never taken a laxative or used prune juice. I've experienced constipation and general discomfort before, but it never occurred to me that a laxative would be useful and I never really have 6 hours to literally flush down the toilet.
When, if ever, should one use a laxative?
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With most off-the-shelf oral laxatives, prune juice, or a couple of Kiwi fruits, they only have a mild laxative effect. They should be used when constipation first becomes painful, and will rarely cause more than one or two irregular bowel motions
Most of these laxatives will require some hours to work, often overnight is the recommended time frame. And they produce a reasonably normal bowel motion when they do work
e..g dulcolax, miralax, phillips etc
They should not require you to sit on the toilet for six hours. If they did, you do need to see a doctor
Constipation is a good sign you need to change your diet to suite your body better, and if frequent, a sign you need to see a doctor
Laxatives can be of multiple types - from simple dietary roughage to some OTC mineral oils to prescription intestinal stimulants, there are simply a wide range of substances that can loosen stools and increase bowel movements.
When should one take a laxative? I would say everyday. Dietary fibres are very good laxatives in normal individuals. Any diet should include plenty of dietary fibres. They also reduce the risk of colorectal carcinomas and reduce cholesterol and are all the more reasons to include in the diet - especially in the western population. For someone who follows a regular food habit and is generally healthy there won't be any reason to take anything else to increase bowel movements. So in short, dietary fibres(roughage) should be your everyday laxative.
If you are acutely constipated for some reason, and is making you miserable, and do not have any other symptoms(such as vomiting, abdominal pain, blood in stool, etc) then you can take an over the counter laxative for one day and see if it resolves the issue. That can be simple mineral oil, castor oil, Isapghula, etc. If a single dose of any of those does not improve your costipation, then you should consult a doctor. The doctor can look at the cause of constipation and prescribe a medicine for you appropriately for a short duration of time. Some people who take certain pills (opiod narcotics for example) are likely to be chronically constipated. In that case one may have to use laxatives for a long duration of time, but that decision is taken by a doctor.
The reason why it is not recommended to take a laxative for a long duration of time without a good reason is that some laxatives reduce cause colonic tissues to wear out over time and make the patient permanently consipated(laxative gut) There is also the risk of reduced nutrient absorption, fluid and electrolyte imbalance, intestinal paralysis, irritable bowel syndrome, factitious diarrhea, etc. So chronic use of stimulant laxatives should be avoided whenever possible.
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