Problems with stools are excruciated by a large number of women. The reasons for this may be stress , the use of a large amount of refined food, the intake of certain medications, pregnancy and the postpartum period, various diseases, etc. If difficulty in emptying the bowels, as a rule, taking laxatives is recommended.
Most laxative drugs are symptomatic, i.e. they are not able to eliminate the cause of constipation, but only one-time ease defecation. In addition, many of them are effective only at first, and with prolonged use cause addiction, lack of effect, as well as a complete loss of independent urges to defecate. In this regard, patients who are faced with the constant need to choose laxatives, are confronted with the question of what laxative is not addictive.
What if I get used to a laxative?
As already mentioned, with prolonged use of laxatives, the body becomes accustomed to them. Especially it concerns preparations of irritating action on a plant basis, to which habituation develops most quickly, and to achieve the effect, it is necessary to increase the dosage. In addition, some laxatives contribute to the development of dysbacteriosis, severe allergic reactions, kidney and liver damage, and dehydration.
Therefore if there is no possibility to refuse reception of laxatives, then they need to be changed more often. It is recommended to carry out treatment under the supervision of a doctor who will prescribe replacement laxatives, characterized by a mechanism of action and not addictive.
Laxatives that are not addictive
There are several groups of laxatives that differ in the mechanism of action. Among them, we can distinguish two groups of soft laxatives for oral administration without habituation with prolonged use.
Osmotic laxatives
These are the remedies that relieve constipation by increasing the volume of intestinal contents. In turn, these drugs are divided into three types:
- Saline laxatives - are not absorbed when ingested, they act throughout the intestine. The effect of this type of drugs is related to their ability to increase osmotic pressure in the lumen of the intestine. Due to this, water from the blood plasma and fatty tissues is attracted to the intestine and retained in it, causing softening of the stool masses. These drugs include: sodium and magnesium sulfate, magnesium hydroxide, Carlsbad salt, and others.
- Macrogol and analogues are also not absorbed into the gastrointestinal tract, they act all over the intestine. These laxatives have an effect, keeping the liquid contained in the intestine, which causes an increase in peristalsis. Such drugs include Endofalk, Fortrans, Forlax, etc.
- Prebiotics (non-digestible carbohydrates), which include preparations of lactulose (Dufalac, Normaise, Prelax, Lactusan, Normolact), fructo-oligosaccharides, inulin. These drugs act in the large intestine. Their effect is related to the osmotic properties of metabolic products formed as a result of the cleavage of drugs by bacteria in the large intestine. As a result, water is attracted to the lumen of the intestine, and due to increased acidity, the growth of pathogenic is inhibited and the development of useful microflora is stimulated.
Bulk laxatives
Known as fillers (dietary fiber). This group of laxatives is represented by means of natural origin:
- agar-agar;
- husk of psyllium seeds;
- sea kale ;
- flax seeds;
- bran;
- preparation Mukofalk and others.
Also included here is the synthetic polymer methylcellulose. These drugs are almost not absorbed and not digested, they retain liquid in the intestines, due to what the stool softens and increases in volume.