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Docusate Sodium Senna Brand Names
Colace | Dok Plus | Laxacin | Peri-Colace | Senexon-S | Senna Plus | SennaLax-S | Senna-S | Senna-Time-S | Senohot-S | SenoSol-SS | Stool Softener with Laxative
What is Docusate Sodium Senna
Docusate and senna are used together in an oral preparation to treat or prevent constipation.
Docusate is a surfactant that facilitates the admixture of fat and water to soften the stool.
Docusate originally was marketed as dioctyl (salt) sulfosuccinate (DSS), but later the generic name was shortened to the current version. The salt forms of docusate, docusate sodium, docusate potassium, or docusate calcium are considered clinically interchangeable in terms of therapeutic effect; each provides minimal amounts of the associated cations.
Senna is an anthraquinone laxative similar to cascara. It is a plant derivative. Senna is used for relief of constipation in adult and pediatric patients.
Senna is useful for constipation due to opiate analgesics; in adults, the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA) recommends the daily use of an osmotic laxative in combination with a stimulant laxative at least 2 to 3 times per week as first-line therapy in patients with opioid-induced constipation (OIC); docusate can be added to promote soft stools.
Senna-containing products have been marketed since the late 1930s. Concerns over a risk for carcinogenicity due to stimulant laxatives prompted the FDA to review the status of senna.
Data were submitted to the FDA regarding senna’s safety and efficacy as a non-prescription (OTC) laxative, and experts note that there is little evidence that routine use of stimulant laxatives such as senna is harmful to the colon.
Many products formerly containing stimulant laxative ingredients like cascara or casanthranol, which were removed from the market due to concerns over tumorigenicity, were reformulated to contain senna instead.
Indications
- constipation
For the treatment of constipation
Side Effects
- abdominal pain
- anaphylactoid reactions
- diarrhea
- fecal urgency
- flatulence
- hypokalemia
- melanosis coli
- nausea
- rash
- throat irritation
- tolerance
- urine discoloration
- vomiting
- wheezing
Monitoring Parameters
- laboratory monitoring not necessary
Contraindications
- abdominal pain
- breast-feeding
- diarrhea
- geriatric
- GI bleeding
- GI disease
- GI obstruction
- infants
- inflammatory bowel disease
- labor
- neonates
- pregnancy
- vomiting
Interactions
- Atropine; Difenoxin
- Atropine; Diphenoxylate
- Calcium Phosphate, Supersaturated
- Dichlorphenamide
- Loop diuretics
- Mineral Oil
- Sodium Phosphate Monobasic Monohydrate; Sodium Phosphate Dibasic Anhydrous
