- Constipation:
- Adult: Orally 5-10mg nocte; can be increased to 15-20mg
- Child: 5mg orally and 5mg by rectum in the morning
Tablets: Enteric coated 5mg
Suppositories: 5mg
Taken at night to have a bowel movement the following morning.
Stimulant laxative
It directly stimulates parasympathetic nerves in the colon, stimulating contraction of longitudinal smooth muscle but not circular smooth muscles thus increasing peristalsis.
It also increases intestinal fluid accumulation and laxation by altering water and electrolyte secretion.
- Excessive diarrhea
- Hematochezia
- Dizziness
- Abdominal cramps
- Electrolyte and fluid imbalance
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Intestinal obstruction
- Undiagnosed abdominal conditions
- Appendicitis
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Severe abdominal pain with nausea and vomiting
- Antacids
- Tetracycline
- Lipid soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)
- Milk.
Drug Status
| Availability | OTC |
| Pregnancy | Generally considered safe in short use. |
| Breastfeeding | Not excreted in milk. Safe to use. |
| Schedule | Not controlled |
| BRAND NAME | STRENGTH | FORMULATION | PACK SIZE | MANUFACTURER | DISTRIBUTOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bicolax | 5mg | Tablet | 100’s | Cosmos Ltd | Cosmos Ltd |
| Bisacodyl | 5mg | Tablet | 100’s | Dawa Ltd | Dawa Ltd |
| Bisacodyl | 5mg | Tablet | 100’s | Laboratory & Allied | Laboratory & Allied |
| Conlax | 5mg | Suppository | 5’s | Bliss GVS | Prunus Pharma |
| Conlax | 10mg | Suppository | 5’s | Bliss GVS | Prunus Pharma |
| Dulcolax | 5mg | Tablet | 30’s | Sanofi Aventis | Ressourcethica Kenya |
| Freshen Bisacodyl | 5mg | Tablet | 12’s | Adcock Ingram | Imperial Managed |
| Laxodeal | 5mg | Tablet | 100’s, 1000’s | Biodeal Labs | Biodeal Labs |