How long it takes for laxatives to take effect depends on the degree of constipation, the type of medication taken, personal constitution and other factors, usually in about half an hour to four hours will begin to defecate.
Laxatives mainly promote bowel movement or increase the water in the intestinal lumen, softening the stool to promote the discharge of stool and relieve constipation. Different types of laxatives take different amounts of time to work, for example, corkscrew usually takes about half an hour to work after use, and lactulose may take 1 to 4 hours to work after taking it.
If the patient’s constipation is not very serious, the laxative will have a faster onset of action, and may begin to defecate in about half an hour to an hour. However, if the patient has been constipated for a long period of time, and the feces dries out in the intestines, it will result in a longer response time to the laxative. It takes 2 to 3 hours, and even 1 to 3 days in severe cases.
Due to the different constitution of the individual, each person’s reaction to laxatives will be different, sensitive to laxatives will work faster and take a shorter time, on the contrary, the laxatives will take a relatively longer time to work.
Therefore, the time of effect of laxatives is related to the degree of constipation, the type of drug taken, personal constitution and other factors, and cannot be generalized. Long-term use of laxatives is easy to form a dependence, therefore, patients are not recommended to use laxatives to relieve constipation for a long time.
Patients with constipation are advised to consult a doctor in a timely manner, actively accept treatment, drugs must be taken in strict accordance with the doctor’s instructions, not self-medication, so as not to delay or even aggravate the condition.