Dulcoflex Tablet: Uses, Composition, Side Effects & FAQs

Dulcoflex tablet is a 5 mg bisacodyl stimulant laxative for short-term constipation, the kind where stools are hard, dry and difficult to pass. Most people take it at bedtime and get relief the next morning, usually within 6 to 12 hours. Take it only for a short time, and only on your doctor's or pharmacist's advice.

Dulcoflex tablet is a single-ingredient laxative that helps you pass a stool. It is an enteric-coated tablet, which means it has a protective coating so the medicine travels through the stomach without dissolving and works further down in the large intestine.

Dulcoflex is one of several brand names for bisacodyl. The same brand also comes as suppositories, a 5 mg one for children and a 10 mg one for adults. This article is about the 5 mg tablet.

Each tablet also contains small amounts of lactose (34.9 mg) and sucrose (29.58 mg). Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have been told to avoid these sugars.

Check the label on your pack, because the suppository forms come in different strengths.

The coating on the tablet keeps it intact until it reaches the large intestine. There, bisacodyl is converted into its active form, which makes the muscles of the bowel contract more often and helps water and salts collect inside the bowel. That softens the stool and shortens the time it takes to travel through, so you feel the urge to go.

Doctors usually prescribe Dulcoflex tablet for:

• Short-term constipation, where stools are hard, dry or painful to pass
• Bowel preparation before a test, such as a colonoscopy or an X-ray of the bowel
• Bowel preparation before surgery
• After surgery, when passing stool needs to be made easier

For tests and operations, the medicine is used in a different schedule and under medical supervision.

It does not treat the cause of your constipation. It also does not kill germs, and it does not help you lose weight, even though it makes you pass stool.

Taking a laxative for diarrhoea makes the fluid loss worse and can leave you dehydrated. If you are losing water quickly, or you see blood, get medical help.

1. Swallow the tablet whole with a full glass of water.
2. Do not crush, chew or split it, or the protective coating will break.
3. Take it at bedtime, so it works while you sleep and gives relief the next morning.
4. Keep a gap of at least 1 hour between the tablet and milk, an antacid or an acid-reducing medicine.
5. Start with the lowest dose your doctor suggests and only go higher if you are told to.

Your doctor decides the dose. For adults and children over 10 years, the usual dose is 1 to 2 tablets (5 to 10 mg) at bedtime. Start with the lower dose.

Children aged 4 to 10 years are usually given 1 tablet (5 mg) a day. For children under 4 years, the 5 mg suppository is used instead, and only on a doctor's advice.

Never increase the dose on your own. A higher dose does not clear constipation faster, but it does make cramps and loose motions more likely.

If a child under 10 years has constipation that keeps coming back, a doctor should treat it. If someone takes too many tablets, they can lose a lot of fluid and body salts. Go to the nearest hospital emergency department and carry the strip or box with you. In India, call 112 for emergency help or 108 for an ambulance.

Take it when you remember, if you still need it. If your next dose is close, skip the missed one. Never take two doses together to make up for it.

Most people get a bowel movement within 6 to 12 hours of taking a tablet, and often sooner, which is why it is taken at bedtime. If you still have not passed stool after using it, do not take another dose; speak to your doctor.

Store the strip below 25°C, away from light and moisture. Keep it out of reach of children, and do not use it after the expiry date printed on the pack.

Most people take Dulcoflex without any trouble. When side effects happen, they are usually mild and settle once the medicine has worked.

Common and mild:

• Stomach cramps
• Abdominal pain or discomfort
• Loose motions or diarrhoea
• Nausea
• Feeling dizzy or faint

Rare but serious (stop the medicine and see a doctor right away):

• Swelling of the face, lips or tongue, or trouble breathing
• Blood in your stool, or severe or bloody diarrhoea that does not stop
• Fainting
• Signs of dehydration, such as thirst, dark urine or passing very little urine

The cramps and loose motions come from the bowel contractions that bisacodyl triggers. They are more likely if you take more than the prescribed dose or use it for many days in a row.

• Anyone allergic to bisacodyl or any ingredient in the tablet
• People with a blocked or paralysed bowel
• Appendicitis, or severe belly pain with vomiting
• Acute inflammatory bowel disease
• Severe dehydration
• Rare inherited conditions where certain sugars cannot be digested (galactosaemia, fructose intolerance)

Tell your doctor before taking Dulcoflex if you have:

• Pregnancy (take it only on medical advice)
• Breastfeeding (it is considered safe, but tell your doctor)
• Kidney problems or a lot of fluid loss (dehydration can worsen)
• Age over 65 years (dehydration is riskier)
• Constipation that keeps coming back, or a sudden change in bowel habit
• A child between 4 and 10 years with long-standing constipation

Do not take it every day for weeks without finding out why you are constipated.

Always tell your doctor about every medicine, supplement or home remedy you are using. Alcohol can make dehydration worse, so it is better avoided while you are constipated.

A laxative only helps you pass stool; it does not treat the reason you are constipated. See a doctor quickly if you have:

• No bowel movement at all after taking the tablet
• Blood in your stool
• Severe belly pain, or a swollen, tender abdomen
• Vomiting that will not stop
• Constipation that lasts more than a week, or keeps coming back
• Weight loss you did not plan, or a sudden change in your bowel habit

Dulcoflex tablet is a simple, well-known laxative for short-term constipation, and it also has a place in clearing the bowel before tests and surgery. Take one or two tablets at bedtime with water, keep milk and antacids an hour away, and stop after a short course. Cramps and loose motions are the usual side effects, and they pass once the medicine has done its job. If you need a laxative again and again, that is the signal to see a doctor rather than buy another strip.