# laxatives and the time it takes to work



## postmortem

how long does it usually take a laxative to work for you guys? i felt really lousy so i used a senna product. it's supposed to work in 8 hrs, but i ended up going a little within a few hours and had HORRIBLE cramps. i didn't really start crapping until 2-3 days later. it happens to me pretty often. whenever i use a laxative it makes me go to the bathroom a teeny bit not long after, but the bulk of the load doesn't come until a few days later. i feel so lousy. even when i use oxypowder some of the liquefied stool doesn't come out. also, my body grows tolerant to everything... probiotics, magnesium, digestive enzymes. they all worked for a while, but eventually stopped. i've tried several brands of each as well.my bowels always feel heavy. it's almost like it wants to move but it isn't moving.


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## ped

I have the same problem. I always have to try to time when I take a laxative so that I'll be home 2-3 days later.


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## postmortem

i wonder if zelnorm can help something like that. don't know what to do any more.


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## postmortem

so nobody else can answer this question? how long does it take for laxatives to work on you?


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## Sean

For me, i depends on the laxative and the dosage. Saline laxatives take forever at the recommended doses and often don't work at all. Senna can take anywhere from 12 hours to a couple of days. Again, it might not work at all. And it always gives me cramps.The most effective and predictable laxative for me is dulcolax tablets. The secret I have discovered is to take 3 or 4 tablets (the usual adult dosage is 2). That way I know I am going to get a result in 10-12 hours if I take it at bedtime. At that dosage it is very thorough, so I plan to stay home until after it finishes working. Surprsingly, it doesn't give me that much cramping. The time that it takes a laxative to work and its effectiveness depends a lot on whether your stomach is smpty when you take it and how much water you take with it.


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## annie7

i imagine it depends on how much you take. when i take senna, i take four of the generic ex-lax pills--25 mg senna apiece. it works for me in about 10 hours or so. because my body seems to develop a tolerance rather quickly to stuff i alternate senna with cascara sagrada and bisacodyl (generic ducolax) and they both work in about the same amount of time for me. yeah you might want to try zelnorm. it works the best for me--i love it-- but unfortunately it won't work if i take it every day (the tolerance problem) so i have to take it every other day with periodic holidays.


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## postmortem

thanks. does anybody else get these sort of spasms where a little bit of stool gets pushed to the rectum, but you clearly feel a lot either in like the sigmoid area? it makes me feel really sick all the time.


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## annie7

when i don't take either zelnorm or a laxative i have problems with incomplete evacuation. i only poop out a smallish amount and it still feels like there is a lot more either stuck up in the rectum (inwhich case i try a plain glycerin suppository) or further up in the colon. hate that feeling. discomfort, pain. stays with me all day long.


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