Dulcolax and Upset Stomach: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Hhh...
• December 27, 2019

For Constipation "After 5 days of no BM, I took one tablet to get things to move. I took it at 1 pm hoping that I could take care of business before going to bed. Unfortunately, it didn’t kick in until 1 am with horrible, nauseating stomach cramps. It took a couple of hours (so this was a sleepless night) but eventually I was able to pass what I needed to. However, over 48 hours after taking this, I am still experiencing intermittent nausea and stomach cramping. I don’t think I would’ve been able to have a BM without some kind of aid, and this definitely took care of that. But just beware of how awful the cramping will be and how long it can last..."

• Rox...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 15, 2019

For Constipation "I was constipated for 3 days while in another country. Took Dulcolax to make my vacation more enjoyable. Unfortunately, I ended up in the hospital for 2 days. I had bloody stool, stomach cramping, and cold sweats, to the point I fainted 4 times in 30 minutes. I’ve taken natural laxatives before, but this one made me think I was going to die. After many tests, the hospital could not find anything wrong with me. I figure it was the laxative. It’s been 3 days since, and my stool is so bloody, I still have cramps when I eat very bland food. Please be careful before using this medicine."

• Anonymous
• May 22, 2017

For Constipation "I've had chronic constipation issues my whole life (in my early 30s), and this is literally the only thing that will basically clear me out. I only really use it when my constipation is particularly bad - it's one of those things where you really have to make sure you are very close by to a bathroom for at least 24 hours after taking it. It's definitely not the most comfortable experience - you will get stomach cramps and be up on the toilet for most of the night. But it's definitely effective. To me, it is worth it to get cleared out and not have to deal with the nausea and pain that comes from being severely constipated."

• man...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 22, 2024

For Constipation "I took one pill at around 10 pm. A few hours later, I started getting severe stomach cramps and a lot of gurgling and rumbling. I went to the toilet, but nothing would come out yet I still had bad cramps. Two hours of severe cramps passed, and I finally had to go. The most significant poop I've ever taken."

• man...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 22, 2024

For Constipation "I took one pill at around 10 pm. A few hours later, I started getting severe stomach cramps and a lot of gurgling and rumbling. I went to the toilet, but nothing would come out yet I still had bad cramps. Two hours of severe cramps passed, and I finally had to go. The most significant poop I've ever taken."

• Don...
• September 19, 2016

For Constipation "I suffer from slow transit constipation and can go three weeks without a movement. Dulcolax is the only laxative I have found to work, but it's one hell of a ride. I've had two babies, and the pain caused by Dulcolax at times will rival labor. It's not always that bad, stomach cramps are a given as it's a stimulant laxative, but holy Jesus, the sweats, shakes, palpitations, and dizziness that can happen are an experience. 10/10 for effectiveness... Take a deep breath and remember in a few hours it will all be over."

• Lar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 13, 2019

For Constipation "When I bought this drug, Dulcolax, I wasn’t expecting any of the cramping and feeling like garbage part. But it does really work, I took two at 10 pm, woke up from a HORRIBLE STOMACH ACH! Went to the bathroom, and now I’m almost relieved. My stomach still hurts, but I’m sure by the time I have to leave for work it will be over! I definitely would recommend reading the reviews on any drug, especially this drug, on how smoothly the process is! I definitely wasn’t expecting myself to be in pain, just to go to the bathroom!"

• Ang...
• May 14, 2015

For Constipation "I had been constipated for 3 days. So I went to the drugstore and looked over my options for a laxative. Dulcolax said it was 'gentle, overnight relief.' So I decided to give it a try. The box says to take 1-3 pills, so I decided to take 2. I drank 2 glasses of water, then I went to bed and awoke at 2 a.m. with extreme stomach cramps, cold/hot flashes, and an overall sick feeling. I went to the bathroom too many times to count between the debilitating stomach cramps. Nothing about this product was 'gentle' as it states on the box. I laid in bed and moaned and groaned with each cramp. 24 hours later, I am still in pain! I thought I might need to go to the emergency room! I will not use this product again or recommend it to anyone! BEWARE!!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 23, 2014

For Constipation "I have been constipated for about a week or so now. I took 2 pills around 9:00 p.m. for the first time last night. I woke up around 2:00 a.m. with excruciating abdominal pains. I thought I was going to have to go to the emergency room. I've been relieved of my constipation, but have had loose/watery diarrhea about 6 or 7 times. My stomach is still uneasy, and I am still experiencing watery/loose diarrhea at 1:45 p.m. It has done its job, but next time I will be taking just one."

• Tim...
• August 18, 2015

For Constipation "I had stomach cramps in the morning. I was in so much pain it was ridiculous and then ended up with diarrhea, which was not what I was expecting. If you want something to completely flush out your system, then great. But I personally wouldn't go through the pain again as it made me ill."

• Mb1...
• October 10, 2016

For Constipation "This is the 3rd time I've taken Dulcolax, and my experience has been awful, all 3 times!! Be ready to experience stomach burn to the maximum. It is so very awful. I gave it 3 chances, but that was it. It feels like you are going to die, the cramps and burning, not worth it. I am allergic to Miralax, so I will switch to a natural remedy, or maybe stay constipated before I take this horrible pill again. I mean, it freaking works, but the stomach discomfort is insane... never again!"

• Col...
• March 9, 2016

For Constipation "I have IBS-D, so when I get constipated, it's a serious deal for me. So I go to the store and grab this off the shelf. I take 2 tabs around 2:30 p.m. I work the night shift, so I laid down for a nap. I get woken up at 7 p.m. with these strong stomach cramps. I go to the bathroom, and it's just a little gas, but I don't move. Next thing I know, it's like the next flood is happening. It's only 8:40 p.m., and I've had 3 bouts of diarrhea, and I'm nauseous. Much worse than my IBS. There was nothing sensitive about this medication. Will definitely not use this again."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 4, 2024

For Constipation "I suffer from really bad constipation. I took 2 Dulcolax, but I was going to the toilet, and I was still straining, so I took 2 more the next night. The next day I had diarrhea. I felt nauseous and didn’t want to eat much. I had backache and tummy ache. Even 4 days on, and I still have wind and lower middle tummy ache. Pressure ache in the bottom. It really messes me up for about a couple of weeks, especially after eating. I’m in lots of tummy pain. It did this before with another laxative. Puts me off. I wish there was something more gentle."

• Lol...
• February 16, 2016

For Constipation "I have been using Dulcolax for a couple of years. I only use it if I haven't been to the loo for more than 5 days and if I have the next day to be at home. I take two tablets around 7 pm, and when I wake in the morning, it completely clears me out. Yes, it does give some form of diarrhea, but I'm willing to accept this for an hour or so, as it makes you feel so much better. It does give you a tummy ache and cramps, and you do feel like the pain will never go away, but once you've been to the toilet, it goes, it can't last forever. You have to accept a bit of tummy ache/pain if you are pooing out days' worth of poop. Love Dulcolax. It's a strong tablet, but it gets the job done."

• Lol...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 17, 2017

For Constipation "I am a 20-year-old female, and I suffered with IBS all my life. I went to the GP a few weeks ago after trying everything I could get my hands on (including some super strong liquid laxatives) with hardly any luck. The doctor prescribed me these to take on a daily basis (one at night before bed with a glass of water). I must admit I was a bit skeptical at first, and the first 2-3 days I had horrendous stomach cramps that left me almost doubled over in pain, but I decided to persist, and I'm so glad I did. Every morning I go to the toilet without any problems, but the toilet trips got a bit too excessive, so I now take one tablet every two days, and this works perfectly fine for me."

• ATA...
• June 1, 2015

For Constipation "I tried this medicine twice in the past two weeks, hoping to see if my experience was consistent. It was. About an hour or two after taking the medicine, I had terrible cramping, stomach spasms, and during the second time, I felt nauseous with thick and stringy saliva. Not a fun experience. After 30 minutes of this, I was able to return to sleep and woke up occasionally with bloating and cramping. After waking up this morning, I had diarrhea (consistent with the first time) and occasional cramping that lessened the more I went to the toilet. This will be the last time I take these pills-not worth the pain, as others have said!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 22, 2016

For Constipation "I was constipated for a few days, so I decided to give these a shot... never again. The most severe stomach cramps I've ever had in my life, and they lasted for two hours. Two hours of sweating profusely, lying on the bathroom floor, crying from the pain, considering how embarrassing an ER visit would be at 3 a.m. because of Dulcolax cramps. It's like period cramps, but a hundred times worse. When the medicine finally did its job, it produced staggered streams of hot lava for the remainder of the night. Needless to say, the intense pain wasn't worth the small, painful BM."

• Cpa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 10, 2019

For Constipation "Dulcolax really upsets my stomach. Major gas pains, and one pill gives me diarrhea for days. You're better off taking a stool softener. I’ve taken this for a prep for a colonoscopy before as well. The only reason why I took another one was because that was all I had. Both times I’ve had to take it at night, and it was a horrible sleep. I was sweaty and just felt so bad. This med is far from gentle."

• Cli...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 1, 2019

For Constipation "I usually stay with magnesium for constipation, but this time I was out of town and forgot to bring the magnesium. So I went and got Dulcolax. Man, what a huge mistake. I took 3 pills around 8 pm, thinking that should get things going. Woke up around 3 am with the worst stomach cramps, went straight into the toilet and started to vomit. This lasted about 6 hours with no poop. About 4 hours later (not to be gross), it exploded out the bottom, burned like hell. Finally, after about 16 hours, it all stopped. DON'T EVER TAKE THIS STUFF, IT'S NOT GENTLE."

• IBS...
• October 19, 2016

For Constipation "Let's be clear, this is a laxative, not a stool softener. If you want days of backed-up stool gone, then this will do the trick. Yes, it's painful, but it gets it all out. I take 2 after food at 00:00, then at 06:00 I'll have stomach spasms, so I stick the electric blanket on and face down on it, drink lots of water. I usually take this the day before I know I'm not going out, confined to barracks. Then I'll go about 6 times, and by the end, it's just water. Yuk, sorry. I will then stick to high-fiber diets and keep going each day, but there are days I'll slip up and eat things that make me constipated, and so the little pill comes out again."

• LRe...
• January 8, 2018

For Bowel Preparation "I took two at 8 pm (was supposed to take 4 but didn’t because I was already feeling the effects of the Miralax prep). I’m so glad I only took two because I’d probably be passed out with 4. I woke at 4 am with intense gurgling, burning, and nausea. I thought I was having a panic attack, and maybe I was having one because I was still not prepared for how this medication would work. I’ve had pressurized watery stool 4-5 times in the last hour, and I don’t have a clue where it’s even coming from, all the while my stomach was burning like it was going to melt. This isn’t gentle. I plan on letting my gastroenterologist know that I’m too sensitive for this medication. It worked, but at quite the cost to my mental health."

• Sur...
• April 25, 2019

For Constipation "This was my first time taking this medication, Dulcolax. I was constipated from Saturday until Wednesday the next week. I gave this a go without reading reviews. I took 2 pills at 2:30 pm. At about 6:30 pm, I had the tiniest, most insignificant bowel motion (BM) ever, followed by another at about 8 pm. I fell asleep at 10 pm and woke at 12:40 am with the most painful stomach cramps/gas pains I'd ever experienced. I sat on the toilet in the dark, pushing with each stomach cramp. I must have been more focused on the pain because, to my surprise, I had been passing the largest pile of semi-solid stool in my life. These cramps came and went as I passed 3 more massive piles of stool. I have a very high pain tolerance, but these cramps were BAD! By 1:45, they ended, and I felt like I could fall back asleep. Overall, I probably would only take this if you absolutely HAVE to take a laxative. But be prepared for cramping."

• Met...
• March 4, 2016

For Constipation "I'm a recovering opiate user. I'm used to the occasional constipation that comes from my addiction, but I entered a methadone recovery clinic, and this is when my constipation became severe. Long story short, after almost a week and a half, I was miserable and needed relief fast. My mom had Dulcolax and gave me THREE. I went to sleep thinking all would be okay. Only to wake up four hours later with SEVERE stomach cramps. So severe that I woke my grandmother sleeping in the next room. She was so worried about me that she was actually in the bathroom with me, putting cold towels on my head and back while I was on the toilet and started throwing up in the trash can in front of me. I finally passed the stool but had diarrhea for 24 hours after this experience."

• Nev...
• November 5, 2015

For Constipation "I took one Dulcolax last night at about eleven p.m. I have taken it before without the problems I am having now. By four a.m., I was having severe stomach cramping, but no bowel movement. I experienced horrible cramps, nausea, bloating that would not relieve for hours, and now it is almost six p.m. the following day, and while the cramping is much less, I still have an upset stomach. I considered going to the emergency room last night, but I really could hardly move and knew there was little they could do for me there. I will not ever take this stuff again! The packaging says it is 'gentle.' Good lord, no, it isn't!! I've taken magnesium citrate before and did not experience the type of cramping and pain I had for hours early this a.m. with Dulcolax. Will never take this again, I am still not feeling well almost twenty-four hours after I took the one pill."

• Nev...
• November 5, 2015

For Constipation "I took one Dulcolax last night at about eleven p.m. I have taken it before without the problems I am having now. By four a.m., I was having severe stomach cramping, but no bowel movement. I experienced horrible cramps, nausea, bloating that would not relieve for hours, and now it is almost six p.m. the following day, and while the cramping is much less, I still have an upset stomach. I considered going to the emergency room last night, but I really could hardly move and knew there was little they could do for me there. I will not ever take this stuff again! The packaging says it is 'gentle.' Good lord, no, it isn't!! I've taken magnesium citrate before and did not experience the type of cramping and pain I had for hours early this a.m. with Dulcolax. Will never take this again, I am still not feeling well almost twenty-four hours after I took the one pill."