Chronic Side Effects
Many of the undesirable effects caused by laxatives (for example, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, electrolyte imbalances, impaired absorption of nutrients, etc.) appear in the short term, ie in the hours and days following the excessive intake of a certain laxative product.
However, the real problem with laxative abuse is the consequences of chronic use. In fact, if the occasional ingestion of a purgative is unlikely to prove harmful to health (unless the doses are particularly high), the same cannot be said for habitual or frequent use. These drugs are in fact able to give addiction, making the subject enter a real vicious circle.
Anyone who uses laxatives should in fact know that, while in normal defecation only the fecal material present in the descending colon (terminal colic portions) is eliminated, the most energetic purgatives promote the emptying of the entire colon. Consequently, after their intake it takes several days for a sufficient quantity of fecal material to reform for the appearance of a new and spontaneous urge to evacuate. Unfortunately, many patients interpret this condition of relative constipation as an anomalous phenomenon, which pushes them towards a new intake of laxatives. Once in this vicious circle, the abuse of purgatives causes symptoms that worsen over time: chronic diarrhea, cramps and abdominal pain, atony and neuropathy of the colon (loss of muscle function in the last section of the intestine, with inevitable worsening of constipation ), pseudomelanosis, hypokalaemia, secondary aldosteronism and nephropathy.
The abuse of laxatives is also frequent in subjects suffering from eating disorders, where the drug is perceived as a remedy to eliminate food.
What to do before taking laxatives
Here are some observations and tips to take into consideration before resorting to laxatives:
- If constipation is occasional, you need to review your eating style, making sure you are getting the right amounts of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and liquids. Exercise also helps improve bowel function. To learn more about this topic, you can consult our article dedicated to dietary and behavioral therapy for constipation.
- If, despite compliance with the rules listed in the previous point, constipation does not show signs of improving, a medical consultation would become mandatory. Too often people mistakenly believe that they can cure their constipation alone by listening, for example, to the misleading advice of an acquaintance or advertising campaigns which, given the frightening incidence of the disorder in our society, are increasingly widespread and convincing.
Because of this trend, a doctor is forced to remedy the damage caused by the abuse of laxatives much more often than he is inclined to prescribe.
It is therefore no coincidence that one of the first advice given to patients suffering from chronic constipation is, absurdly, that of gradually suspending the use of laxatives.
This is followed by the recommendation to drink two to four liters of non-alcoholic beverages per day; to eat a lot of fruit (such as, for example, prunes), vegetables and whole grains (possibly supplementing your diet with 20-40 g of bran); to engage in regular physical activity (for example, walking for 40-60 minutes every day); not to ignore the urge to defecate and to keep the feet raised or the classic squat position during the physiological act. Only if the defecation has been missing for five days an enema is performed or a glycerin suppository is introduced.
In any case, before resorting to the use of laxatives, always ask for the advice of your doctor.
For further information: Laxatives: General characteristics and types
