For diarrhoea, apart from stomach cramp, you may have nausea and vomiting. Your anus area may also become red. Because you are losing excessive water from the stools, you may feel very weak. Sometimes, diarrhoea is accompanied by headache and fever.
Diarrhoea is usually caused by poor eating hygiene e. Poor personal hygiene may exacerbate the problem of diarrhoea. Apart from these, medications, emotions, and other underlying medical condition can also lead to diarrhoea.
In the case where the constipation is caused by side effect of drug or underlying medical condition, consult a healthcare provider to assess if there is a need to switch to another medication that is not likely to cause constipation, or consider treating the underlying disease first.
However, when these are not effective or unfeasible, laxatives may be used with medical consultation. II For diarrhoea Most cases of diarrhoea are self-limiting, which means that diarrhoea can be recovered after a few days without treatment. In severe or persistent diarrhoea, drinking plenty of fluids and replenishing electrolyte to avoid dehydration is of primary importance.
Antidiarrhoeal is rarely necessary, but a short course as advised by healthcare professionals may be considered useful to reduce the symptomatic discomfort and inconvenience of frequent bowel movements. For constipation of stuffy hard stool, rectal preparations such as suppositories or enemas may be considered.
They are generally considered the safest and are appropriate for patients with small hard stools. Nevertheless, they do not work until after a few days of consumption and patients need to take plenty of fluids. Examples of bulk laxatives include methylcellulose, wheat bran, ispaghula, psyllium and sterculia. Examples of stimulant laxatives are bisacodyl, senna, glycerol and sodium picosulfate.
They have a more rapid onset of action about 6 to 12 hours than bulk laxatives, and are usually given at night to help produce a bowel movement the following morning. Glycerol suppositories are normally used when a bowel movement is needed quickly, with onset of action of about 15 to 30 minutes.
Osmotic laxatives draw fluid into the bowel, and facilitate bowel movement with bulky and softer stools. Examples include macrogols, saline laxatives such as magnesium hydroxide, and poorly absorbed sugars such as lactulose or sorbitol.
Stool softeners add moisture to stools, and make them softer and easier to pass out of the body. They have added value for patients with haemorrhoids or anal fissures, or for those who is vulnerable in stool straining, is potentially hazardous such as the elderly or those with existing cardiovascular disease.
Docusate is one of the examples. Common side effects and precautions of Laxatives Types of Laxatives Common side effects Precautions 1. Bulk laxatives Bloating and flatulence Abdominal distension Gastro-intestinal obstruction or impaction Hypersensitivity Must be taken with plenty of water, otherwise increase risk of obstruction Should not be taken immediately before going to bed Use with cautions in elderly, or debilitated patients, or those with intestinal narrowing or decreased motility Avoid use in patients with difficulty in swallowing, intestinal obstruction and faecal impaction 2.
Stimulant laxatives Abdominal cramp Nausea and vomiting Diarrhoea Local irritation if suppository preparation is used Tolerance Avoid use in patients with intestinal obstruction, acute inflammatory bowel disease and severe dehydration 3.
Stool softeners Abdominal cramp Nausea Skin rash Avoid use in patients with intestinal obstruction. Contrary to popular belief, bran mashes do not cause a laxative effect in horses. In cats with megacolon, high-fiber diets are used initially to help manage constipation when there is still some normal colonic motility.
But once the colonic innervation has deteriorated, the diet may need to be switched to a low-residue diet with aggressive laxative treatment. These act by coating the surface of the feces with a water-immiscible film and by increasing the water content of the feces to provide a lubricant action.
Lubricant laxatives usually contain mineral oil or white petroleum. Chronic use may reduce intestinal absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and cause a granulomatous enteritis.
Mineral oil is very commonly used in horses and cattle, and commercial products are available to promote passage of hairballs in cats.
Docusate sodium, docusate calcium, and docusate potassium are salts that decrease surface tension and allow water to accumulate in the feces. Docusate also increases cAMP in colonic mucosal cells, which increases ion secretion and fluid permeability. Usually considered very safe, concentrations of dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate DSS ranging from 3—5 times the recommended dosage produced severe diarrhea, rapid dehydration, and death in horses.
DSS should not be administered concurrently with mineral oil; soaps are formed and oil absorption is increased. From developing new therapies that treat and prevent disease to helping people in need, we are committed to improving health and well-being around the world.
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Magnesium hydroxide is also used as an antacid to relieve indigestion, sour stomach, and heartburn. Bulk - forming laxatives absorb liquid in the intestines. This creates a bulky, more liquid-like stool that's softer and easier to pass. Common bulk - forming laxatives include psyllium Metamucil , polycarbophil FiberCon , and methylcellulose Citrucel.
Milk of Magnesia reduces stomach acid, and increases water in the intestines which may induce bowel movements. Milk of Magnesia is used as a laxative to relieve occasional constipation. Milk of Magnesia is also used as an antacid to relieve indigestion , sour stomach, and heartburn. The four main groups of laxatives are: bulk-forming laxatives or fibre supplements stimulant laxatives that act on the bowel's nervous system to get the bowel moving.
A catharsis is an emotional release. According to psychoanalytic theory, this emotional release is linked to a need to relieve unconscious conflicts. For example, experiencing stress over a work-related situation may cause feelings of frustration and tension. Nine herbal teas for constipation Senna. Senna is among the most well-known and frequently used laxative ingredients in teas. Peppermint tea.
Black tea, green tea, or coffee. Licorice root. Marshmallow root. Confessing all these bottled-up emotions was a cathartic experience, and it gave him a measure of relief. Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature part of speech: noun.
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