Compared with stimulant laxatives, laxatives are relatively stable in treating constipation and have fewer side effects, so they can generally be used for a long time. We hope that through regular use, patients will eventually re-establish a normal bowel movement pattern and be able to defecate naturally without medication, thus resuming a normal life. Patients with chronic constipation have often tried many different medications, and if they can’t get “immediate results” after using the medication, they feel that the medication is ineffective. In fact, this is not the case, although the onset of action of laxatives is slow, but the treatment effect is more stable. So how long does it take for these drugs to work? Since each person has different severity of symptoms and different physical conditions, the time of onset of action may vary. In the case of polyethylene glycol, for example, patients usually have to wait 24-72 hours after taking the drug before it takes effect. However, some people can have a bowel movement within 24 hours, or even a few hours afterwards. You can’t just stop taking the medication when it’s ready! Many patients with chronic constipation have this experience: after taking the medication, there is a bowel movement, feel relief from constipation, immediately do not eat; wait until the next time the stool is dry and hard, difficult to defecate, then take the medication. In fact, this is not the right approach. We recommend that patients who need medication be able to take it regularly for a period of time. You can’t stop taking the medication when you have diarrhea and take it again when you have difficulty passing stool. Get out of the circle of “constipation – take medication – diarrhea – stop taking medication – constipation”. For patients with mild symptoms, they can take volumetric laxatives (or osmotic laxatives) continuously for one or two weeks to achieve a relatively good state, and they can consider stopping the medication once the state is stable. However, patients with severe chronic constipation lasting more than six months do not have many chances to stop the medication completely. However, a good quality of life can be ensured by achieving basically normal bowel movements with the aid of medication. For patients with outlet obstruction constipation, complete discontinuation is possible if the outlet obstruction is resolved through methods such as bowel movement training (e.g., biofeedback therapy). For other patients with chronic constipation, at least four weeks of continuous medication is required; if symptoms are severe, the course of treatment can be extended to eight weeks. Once the patient reaches a near-normal bowel pattern, the dose can be reduced or even slowly discontinued as appropriate. Admittedly, it is true that some people cannot stop the medication completely, but being able to achieve relatively regular and normal bowel movements with the help of some medication and living an uninterrupted life is also an option. It is important to draw attention to the fact that we do not advocate patients to pursue diarrhea and laxity. Diarrhea is not the purpose of treatment; our aim is to restore the normal physiological function of defecation to the patient. Of course, the treatment of constipation also requires lifestyle adjustment and psychological state regulation, and medication is not the only means.