supervision. Don't try to diagnose and treat yourself since there may be more to the situation than you may realize. For example, diarrhea can occasionally develop at the same time as a stool impaction, with the liquid stools moving around the impaction. If you decide to take antidiarrheal drugs, you can make the situation much worse.
There are many different ways to treat a wide variety of conditions, and your doctor may recommend several kinds of medications depending on your condition and other personal factors.
• Stool softeners help the stool retain water and so keep it soft. Stool softeners—Colace (DOSS, docusate
sodium , 50 to 240 mg per day with a full glass of water) and Surfak, for example—should be used early, before
the stools become hard, especially as it can be days before any effect is noticeable.
• Mild laxatives help promote bowel activity. Examples are milk of magnesia, Doxidan, cascara sagrada and
mineral oil (a lubricant).
• Stronger laxatives include Phosphasoda (Fleet's), magnesium citrate and senna (Senokot).
• Contact laxatives such as castor oil or Dulcolax suppositories or tablets cause increased bowel activity.
• Bulk laxatives include dietary fiber, bran, methyl cellulose (Cellothyl) and psyllium (Metamucil).
• Laxatives with magnesium should be avoided if you have kidney disease. Laxatives with sodium should be
avoided if you have a heart problem. (Laxatives that contain magnesium can also cause diarrhea.)
• If you are taking narcotics you should use stool softeners and mild laxatives rather than bulk-forming laxatives,
because the combination can cause high colon constipation.
