The most common side effects of docusate are listed below. Tell your health care provider if you have any of these side effects that bother you. Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.
What Are Dosages of Docusate?
Never begin taking, suddenly discontinue, or change the dosage of any medication without your doctor’s recommendation. Docusate may be administered orally or rectally. Rectal administration takes effect within 15 minutes while it may take 12 to 72 hours for a bowel movement to occur after oral dosing. Rectal administration has local effects, while oral docusate is systemically absorbed and is metabolized by the liver and excreted in the feces.
Who should not use docusate?
Docusate, also known as dioctyl sulfosuccinate, is of 2 types that can be administered orally. They come in the form of either docusate sodium or docusate calcium salts. Docusate is classified as an over-the-counter (OTC) medication and has the marketing status of « OTC monograph not final, » according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, DailyMed resource. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not determined the safety and efficacy of docusate for managing constipation in individuals.
One is a stool softener, and one is a bowel stimulant. Together, they can produce a bowel movement in six to twelve hours. Stop using this medication and contact your care team if you experience any rectal bleeding or do not have a bowel movement after use. This medicine may be used for other purposes; ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have questions. The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor’s orders or the directions on the label.
- Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.
- Drink plenty of water while taking this medication.
- Stop using docusate and contact your health care provider right away if you have rectal bleeding or blood in your poop or are not able to poop after using the medicine.
- This list may not describe all possible interactions.
Docusate should not be used if you have problems such as a gut blockage, appendicitis, or poop stuck in your digestive tract (fecal impaction). Docusate is a surfactant laxative, also known as a stool softener. It works by lowering the surface tension of poop, which allows water and fat to mix in. This helps soften your poop and makes it easier to pass through your digestive tract. The drug interactions listed above are not all of the possible interactions or adverse effects.
Follow the storage instructions on your specific product. If there are no storage instructions, most medicines should be kept in a cool, dry location that is out of the reach of children and pets and not in direct sunlight. If Docusate info you are not sure how to store your product, ask your pharmacist. Call your doctor for medical advice about serious side effects or adverse reactions.
Tell your health care provider if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Your health care provider will let you know if you should use docusate while breastfeeding. It is not known if or how docusate could affect pregnancy or harm a fetus. Tell your health care provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
- While less common, the most serious side effects of docusate are described below, along with what to do if they happen.
- Check with your doctor or health care provider if you have any questions about the medication.
- Talk to your care team about the use of this medication in children.
- Docusate has no known severe, serious, or moderate interactions with other drugs.
- You may also report side effects or health problems to the FDA at FDA-1088.
- Check with your physician for additional information about side effects.
What are the dosages of docusate?
Moreover, increased physical activity has been linked to lower rates of constipation.2 The dietary changes should promote increased consumption of fluid and fiber-rich foods. If these adjustments do not effectively address constipation, then the use of laxatives becomes necessary. Docusate is used to treat occasional constipation. Some medications and conditions can make constipation more likely.
Docusate sodium (oral route)
Do not use for more than 1 week unless otherwise directed by your care team. Drink plenty of water while taking this medication. Do not use for more than one week without advice from your care team.
Docusate; Senna Tablets
Excessive use of stool softeners including docusate, can cause dependence on them for bowel movements. This list may not describe all possible interactions. Give your health care provider a list of all the medicines, herbs, non-prescription drugs, or dietary supplements you use. Also tell them if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur.
What if I miss a dose?
Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use. Mineral oil may not be the only medicine that can interact with docusate. It is not known if docusate passes into breast milk.
The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. No information is available on the relationship of age to the effects of docusate sodium in geriatric patients.