Stimulant laxatives
Stimulant laxatives, also known as irritant cathartics, include:
·
bisacodyl
·
castor oil
·
senna.
Stimulant laxatives are minimally absorbed and are
metabolized in the liver. The metabolites are excreted in urine and stool.
Stimulant laxatives promote peristalsis and produce
a bowel movement by irritating the intestinal mucosa or stimulating nerve
endings of the intestinal smooth muscle.
Castor oil also increases peristalsis in the small
intestine.
Stimulant laxatives are the preferred drugs for
emptying the bow-el before general surgery, sigmoidoscopic or proctoscopic
proce-dures, and radiologic procedures such as barium studies of the GI tract.
They’re also used to treat constipation caused by
prolonged bed rest, neurologic dysfunction of the colon, and constipating drugs
such as opioids.
No significant drug interactions occur with the
stimulant laxa-tives. However, because these laxatives produce increased
intesti-nal motility, they reduce the absorption of other oral drugs
admin-istered at the same time, especially sustained-release forms. (See Adverse reactions to stimulant laxatives.)
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