Comparison of ‘Duphalac’ and ‘irritant’ laxatives during and after treatment of chronic constipation : a preliminary study

Abstract

A multi-centre trial was carried out to compare the effectiveness in the treatment of chronic constipation of a lactulose preparation (‘Duphalac’) and ‘irritant’ laxatives containing senna, anthraquinone derivatives or bisacodyl. The results, in 164 patients, indicate that the lactulose preparation was more effective than the ‘irritant’ laxatives. By Day 7, 58 % of the lactulose-treated group were passing a normal stool whereas only 42 % of the patients receiving an ‘irritant’ laxative did so at the same stage in treatment. The lactulose preparation was shown to have a persistent ‘carry-over’ effect, and this effect was seen in significantly more patients receiving ‘Duphalac’ than in the ‘irritant’ laxative group.