If you are taking docusate by mouth, it usually makes you poop in 12 to 72 hours after taking it. Keep docusate out of the reach of children. Tell your health care provider if you have any of these side effects that bother you. If you are not sure how to store your product, ask your pharmacist.
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Contact your health care provider if you think you are having a side effect of a medicine. 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. Storage instructions can vary among docusate products.
What are the side effects of docusate?
Keep out of the reach of children and pets. You may report side effects to FDA at FDA-1088. Drinking water helps decrease constipation. Drink plenty of water while taking this medication. Do not use for more than one week without advice from your care team.
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Most docusate overdoses are accidental in children, however, overdose may result from overuse by some people in an effort to lose weight. Common side effects of docusate include excessive bowel activity, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, intestinal obstruction, throat irritation and bitter taste (with syrup/liquid), rash (rare), and rectal bleeding (very rare). Inform your doctor of all medications you are currently taking, who can advise you on any possible drug interactions.
docusate
Your health care provider will let you know if you should use docusate while you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Do not use docusate for more than one week unless your health care provider tells you to do so. If you are using rectal docusate, it usually makes you poop in 2 to 15 minutes after using it. If you have any questions, talk to your health care provider. Tell your health care provider if you have constipation with stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting.
- You should not use docusate for more than one week unless your health care provider tells you to do so.
- Docusate may also be used for other conditions as determined by your health care provider.
- If you have any questions, talk to your health care provider.
- Keep docusate out of reach of children.
- Take this medicine with 6 to 8 ounces of milk, juice, or infant formula to mask the bitter taste.
Enter your medication into the WebMD interaction checker Does interact with other drugs you are taking? It is unknown if drinking alcohol will affect docusate.
There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. No information is available on the relationship of age to the effects of docusate sodium in geriatric patients. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. Docusate sodium is used to relieve occasional constipation.
Drug Label Info
While this medication may be prescribed for children as young as 2 years for selected conditions, precautions do apply. Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all the products you use. Some medications and conditions can make constipation more likely. Talk to your care team about the use of this medication in children. It works by softening the stool, making it easier to have a bowel movement. It softens your stool to make bowel movements easier.
Docusate is commonly used to help you poop if you have occasional constipation. We anticipate reposting the images once we are able identify and filter out images that do not match the information provided in the drug labels. To view updated drug label links, paste the RSS feed address (URL) shown below into a RSS reader, or use a browser which supports RSS feeds, such as Safari for Mac OS X. Mix the dose in 6 to 8 ounces of milk, fruit juice, or infant formula before taking. Ask your pharmacist if you do not have one.
- While less common, the most serious side effects of docusate are described below, along with what to do if they happen.
- Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases.
- Do not use this medicine if you are also using mineral oil.
Are you currently using Docusate (Colace, Dulcolax Stool Softener, and others)?
The drug interactions listed above are not all of the possible interactions or adverse effects. Rectal administration takes effect within 15 minutes while it may take 12 to 72 hours for a bowel movement to occur after oral dosing. Docusate is a stool softening laxative available over-the-counter, used to treat constipation. Always check with your health care provider.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
It is not known if docusate passes into breast milk. It is not known if or how docusate could affect pregnancy or harm a fetus. This will help them know if docusate is right for you. Taking it with milk, juice, or formula (for children) can help limit this.
The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of docusate sodium in children younger than 3 years of age. Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines.
Call your doctor for medical advice about serious side effects or adverse reactions. This is not a complete list of all side effects or adverse reactions that may occur from the use of this drug. Rectal administration has local effects, while oral docusate is systemically absorbed and is metabolized by the liver and excreted in the feces. Docusate may be administered orally or rectally. Docusate softens the stool by reducing the surface tension of the oil-water interface in the stool, which increases the absorption of water and fat into the stool. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Docusate may interact with other medicines and supplements. Tell your health care provider if you have any of the following. If you are using docusate as an enema, it is only for rectal use. If you are taking docusate oral liquid, use an accurate measuring device to measure your dose.
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Use of docusate may ease bowel movements and reduce Docusate info pain in people with anorectal fissures and hemorrhoids. Follow the product instructions, and ask your health care provider if you have any questions. Your pharmacist can tell you all of the ingredients in the specific docusate products they stock.
Use a specially marked oral syringe, spoon, or dropper to measure each dose. It works by dissolving water and fats in your poop to soften it. Docusate (Colace®) is a type of laxative known as a stool softener.