Laxatives are not usually needed for a gastroscopy, but a fasting period is required, with no food after 8 p.m. the night before the test and no food or water the morning of the test. There is no need to take laxatives for a gastroscopy because food enters the stomach usually after 4-6 hours before it enters the small intestine. If you don’t eat after 8 p.m. the day before the test, and don’t eat or drink on the morning of the test, the stomach will be emptied of food. At this point, the stomach is empty and there would be no need to take a laxative to empty the stomach contents. Laxatives are usually only needed before a colonoscopy because of the necessity to keep the bowel clean. Gastroscopy is an invasive test, so you should eat light, less oily, easy-to-digest foods after the test to reduce stomach discomfort and resume your normal diet two days later.