Dulcolax Laxative for Constipation User Reviews (Page 4)

• tfr...
• October 26, 2015

"I purchased the 'overnight relief' ones. I took two pills that night and the next day still got nothing. So I took 3 (which it said you can do) because I was terribly constipated (I have IBS-C). I got quick results within 10, not even 15 mins, and passed all my stool, but that was around 3 pm. It is now 12:13 AM and I am still in absolute pain and discomfort. I cannot move around without starting to feel the abdominal cramps surface up. I am experiencing nausea, and also hemorrhoids now as well. I may have to go to the ER because I've never experienced this type of pain from a laxative before."

• Mer...
• April 6, 2017

"I would not recommend this laxative. However, it is very effective at relieving constipation, the side effects are not worth it. I took 3 pills per the recommendations on the box and was severely constipated. Within 7 hours, I could feel it working, my intestines were bubbling and cramping, then I was able to have a bowel movement. Most laxatives soften your stool, this one liquifies it! It's horrible! But I have to say the worst part is that it makes you feel so nauseous! So, not only was I having explosive diarrhea, I was also having to vomit. This lasted for about 7 hours! If you take this, be prepared to be sick all day long! Choose another one, like magnesium citrate, that's much gentler, yet effective! Throwing away immediately!"

• Tab...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 3, 2021

"I read reviews and was nervous. This medicine works great as long as you understand how it works. It works by pulling water into your bowel. If you are dehydrated, then there is no water to pull into your bowel, and you will have a terrible experience. As long as you are hydrated and drink plenty of water before, during, and even after evacuating, you will be just fine. Also… just take one at first."

• Man...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 6, 2020

"Dulcolax Laxatives do not work. I am prescribed 5 mg Dulcolax Laxatives nightly for constipation and to help lose 2 lbs of fat on my diet and exercise on prescription. It has been 6-72 hours, and I have not emptied my bowels. Have I been given a bad batch of Dulcolax Laxatives? I was advised to use Dulcolax Suppositories, I am sure they do not work either. I drink plenty of water and exercise daily, also a vegetarian. No doctor wants to perform an operation, it stinks. Therefore, I am constipated and cannot talk to anybody about them to me. Thanking you in advance."

• Lou...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 2, 2016

"I'm on a med that is extremely helpful but caused constipation (had to reduce the dose). Fiber supplements made it worse. With stool softeners and osmotics, I experienced severe bloating and significant pain for up to 3 days before the stool finally came squirting out in all-day bouts of diarrhea. The 5 mg dose of Dulcolax has worked wonders for me. The first day I had some stomach pain (well, I tend to have low stomach acid), so after that, I started taking it with my morning coffee. (The coffee stimulates stomach acid production, which helps the enteric coating to work.) After a couple of days, it's comfortable, but working a bit too well. I would back off to every second day, except that I can first try increasing my dose of the helpful med!"

• Gig...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 11, 2018

"If I could, I would rate this product -100. Took this product for the relief of mild constipation. I am otherwise very healthy (although maybe not now). Took 1 tablet before bed, 3 hours later, I was in horrible, gut-wrenching pain, with fever, sweat, hard time breathing, and literally thought I might die, and I am not prone to drama. I thought I would end up in the hospital, but after an hour in extreme pain, I received a little relief from throwing up (dry heaves) for 20 minutes. It was another hour of lesser but more pain before falling exhausted to sleep. The next day, I still had residual nausea for 12 hours. The FDA should ban this laxative from the market, as after the fact, I have read many similar, if not exact, experiences from other victims."

• MsT...
• February 20, 2018

"I have been constipated in the last few days where I was able to pass, but with difficulty as the stools were hard. I’ve taken Dulcolax one other time a while back (2 tablets) and woke up with excruciating pain. So this time around, I read the reviews and noticed that the people with mild cramping drank lots of water. Last night, I took one tablet at 8 pm with water, 8 oz of organic apple juice, and 8 oz of tea, and around 10:30 pm my tummy rumbled a little bit, but no pain, though a little gassy. Went to bed with no cramps and was not bloated. I was able to pass a normal bowel motion at 10 am with no cramping. Make sure to drink lots of liquids to stay hydrated to avoid cramping."

• Mad...
• January 13, 2016

"So my wife decided to take this after we looked at many options in the store, and I regrettably recommended it to her. It did nothing except cause her severe abdominal pain and cramps. It didn't do anything to help the constipation whatsoever. Plus, the next night at dinner, she had to run from the table to use the bathroom. It does not do anything it says it will."

• Kac...
• May 15, 2022

"I took this product after constipation while traveling. I had an appendectomy 3 weeks ago and have been having problems going to the bathroom since. The packaging says to take between 1-3 tablets. I took 2 at around midnight before bed. I woke up at 3 with severe cramping and have been running to the bathroom every 15 minutes since. I’m nauseous, dizzy, and sweating. I feel like I’m going to throw up in between bouts of severe diarrhea. I do not recommend."

• Sic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 12, 2022

"I hadn't had a bowel movement in five days; very unusual for me! Before I went to bed, I took the recommended dosage (1 to 3; I took 3). Went to sleep at 9 PM to wake up at my usual hour, 3 AM; that's six hours. When I awoke, I felt no bowel movement, yet I sat on the toilet anyway. The cramping sensation was slow and agonizing with nothing being expelled! The pain was so bad, I felt incapacitated; could hardly get up from the toilet! Feeling I needed to drink water to get something moving, I made it to the kitchen and was able to drink about 12 ounces of water. Sitting back on the toilet, the cramps resumed. My head was throbbing and 'whooshing.' I was feeling my blood pressure rise with every excruciating cramp. Finally, the water kicked in. I was able to pass a large stool that felt about 5' long. I passed water with pellets of stool; a substantial amount. Dizzy from the ordeal, all I could do was go back to bed. An hour later, I was feeling better. 'What an ORDEAL!'"

• Hel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 27, 2022

"I had the soft chews. I chewed two of them, and then I got sick, so sick that I thought I had COVID. I had a headache, weakness, and nausea. It lasted a whole day. I couldn't get out of bed. Never will I take those laxatives again."

• Mar...
• March 26, 2023

"Do not ever take a laxative while taking prednisone. I never thought about it. I was on prednisone for jaw pain and took one Dulcolax. Only the second one I have ever taken. Went to the bathroom, everything went good. That night, I passed out and hit the floor. Went to the ER, did all kinds of x-rays and tests. Nothing showed up on any of my tests. Five days later, it hit me, wondering if it was taking Dulcolax with prednisone. So I started searching and reading and found out it did interact with the prednisone. The other medicines I am on are citalopram, flecainide, and synthroid. Yes, not supposed to take with those either. Before taking a laxative, make sure of medicines you are on that it will not interact with anything you are taking. Today is the sixth day when I passed out and I still feel horrible. Be cautious about mixing medicines."

• Man...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 30, 2021

"DO NOT TAKE. I’ve taken this once before around 9 pm and had woken up around midnight with severe stomach pain and cramps. Took hours for them to go away, but they finally did when I was able to explode like a water hose out of my butthole. A few months later (last night), I decided to take one since I’ve been constipated and bloated for 3 days. WRONG. I couldn’t even sleep from the amount of gurgling I felt in my stomach all night. Finally decided to get up and try to go do the deed. Nothing but extreme abdominal pain again. To the point where I’m doing breath work and rocking back and forth like I’m in labor. My upper stomach is bubbling, and my lower stomach feels like I have the worst period cramps of my life. Seriously feels like my lower abdomen was cut open. Actively trying to Google search 'how do I get laxative cramps to stop' and can’t find anything besides other people's horrid experiences with Dulcolax. Not worth the pain."

• Zyp...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 25, 2021

"Says to use 1-3 little pills of this a day, I used 2 the first day, and it worked great. I no longer was constipated. About then, I took 3, and I'm currently sitting on the toilet, spitting everything in my system out my hole. So, definitely works, but just take one or two or just whatever works for you."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 2, 2024

"I haven't had any of the experiences these other reviews are having, lol. I take one, then take another about 30 minutes or an hour after and immediately feel like I need to go, and yes, it is diarrhea, but that's what laxatives are supposed to do, lol. They soften your stool so you're going to get diarrhea. I also take them on an empty stomach, so I always feel fine, but I have taken them after eating and still have been fine. Feels bad for everyone else's experience with these, but I personally really love these. Miralax doesn't work for me so I used this as an alternative and it's perfect."

• Dul...
• August 18, 2021

"I've taken other laxatives and stool softeners, with those, I usually took 2 because those never really worked for me. But with this, I took it around 9 pm prior to my gym session with a lot of water due to 3 days with mild constipation (normal for me). I thought I'd take this because I had it in my medication cabinet and never used it before. It's now 2:50 am, and I'm frantically googling side effects of this medication because my stomach sounds like a lion roaring, and I'm having extreme loose diarrhea. My abdominal cramping is out of this world, this is a MEDICATION, and it does not play. This is not a joke, and you should really think twice about how bad your constipation is because, at this point for me, my constipation was better than this feeling. Take it slow with the medication, then maybe do as you please after, I wish I did!"

• Oh ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2022

"Why must the makers of Dulcolax be so brutal? My intestines feel like the scene from “Aliens” when the alien bursts through his chest. The pain! All I wanted was to clear my system out a bit after starting iron supplements. Why the torture, Dulcolax?"

• CRC...
• December 20, 2021

"I was able to poop a little, but did not empty my bowels. On top of that, I had the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. I would recommend going with a bulk-forming laxative like MiraLax instead because they won’t cause pain. This isn’t worth it."

• EDL...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 18, 2018

"I was constipated about 3 days, so I decided to take Dulcolax. I took one tablet at 12:00 a.m. and woke up to excruciating cramps at 5:30 a.m. I was having discomfort in my chest, sweats, and chills. I'm 34 years old and was moaning and groaning and asking for mercy. I tried drinking hot cocoa, but it made me feel worse. Finally, I thought about the plain old baking soda trick, swished it with water twice, and it calmed the discomfort of the chest and cramping. I was able to have a beautiful bowel movement down to the diarrhea form, but it was so not worth it. I would NEVER take this or anything with the same active ingredients!!!"

• Reg...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 14, 2021

"Wow, I wish I had read these reviews before taking this laxative. I keep switching between some of the worst cramps I've ever had to the most nauseous I've ever been, with intermittent trips to the toilet. I took 2 pills at 11 pm and woke up at 5 am reading the reviews. I'm going to be in pain a while longer. I just want to sleep."

• Hel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 24, 2021

"I am in a constant state of constipation. When it gets to be too much, like today, I usually use a drink of some sort to help get my bowels moving properly again. About two hours ago, I swallowed two Dulcolax. Now I usually just take one at a time if I use them at all, and with one, I don’t experience the awful side effects I’m feeling now. I felt a rumble in my stomach, but like high up in my abdomen, not where the feelings of a bowel movement come from, and then my face became flushed and the nausea set in. Until ten minutes ago, I have been curled up in bed, mouth breathing, sweating while waves of nauseousness washed over me. It’s eased up a ton or I wouldn’t be writing this review now. My stomach is still making horrendous noises, and I’m not feeling 100, plus the anxiety of not knowing if it will get worse before getting better makes this unbearable. So... I don’t believe I’ll be taking the recommendation of two to three pills again anytime soon, or even one for that matter."

• Jas...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 21, 2019

"I am constipated. I cannot talk to anybody about it, and they cannot talk to me. Why do laxatives not work? I have been prescribed Dulcolax 5 mg X 2 nightly. It has been 3 days, I have not emptied my bowels. I have been robbed at the tills by Boots the Chemist with a bad batch of Dulcolax Laxatives. I drink plenty of water and am vegan, and I am still constipated."

• Wow...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 16, 2021

"Took the drops as directed on Sunday. The cramps started 12 hours later, with on-and-off trips to the loo. Then there was the vomiting and shaking. Over 48 hours later, and I still feel very, very ill. DO NOT TAKE THIS PRODUCT! If I wasn't working from home, this would have had me take at least 2 days off. Made me so, so ill."

• hon...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 29, 2022

"I suffer from chronic constipation. Lately, it's been really bad where I have to go to the ER (not fun). I've taken these on three different occasions. Due to my stomach issues, I only took one each time. The first time, I took it at 2 pm and I was woken up at 3:30 am (over 12 hours later) with a gurgling gut and very minor cramping. Spent 30 minutes on the toilet, everything came flying out. Perfect! Back to bed I went. The second time I took it was at 9 pm. I woke up at 1 am (4 hours later). This time, the cramping was worse! Woke me up and it was still difficult to pass stool, I was in the bathroom every hour. Drank more water, then around 6 am, the diarrhea (TMI, sorry) came and I knew it was finally over. The third time I took it at 7:30 pm. By 9:30 pm (2 hours later), I had minor cramps and everything flew out of me. I find it works sooner and sooner the more you take it (well in my case). Does work well, but prepare for some level of cramping."

• str...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 10, 2021

"Holy wow. I’ve taken this product a few times and have woken with the most severe cramps. Every time I’m out for the whole next day. Forget work. I’m not leaving my bathroom. The worst part? No BM for the majority of the suffering. I go from the bed to the toilet to the bathtub, rinse, repeat. Eventually, a rock-hard piece of poop leaves my body, making way for another semi-hard, long BM. I’ve never achieved any liquid BMs from this. Just the most agonizing pain I've ever been in, lots of dry heaving and nausea, bloat, and ER trip contemplation. I need a new product because this is awful. 2/10 because it pushed something out eventually and I got to miss work."