Stimulant agents edit
Stimulant laxatives are substances that act on the intestinal mucosa or nerve plexus, altering water and electrolyte secretion.[1] They also stimulate peristaltic action and can be dangerous under certain circumstances.[2]
Properties
Prolonged use of stimulant laxatives can create drug dependence by damaging the colon's haustral folds, making a user less able to move feces through the colon on their own. A study of patients with chronic constipation found that 28% of chronic stimulant laxative users lost haustral folds over the course of one year, while none of the control group did.[4]
Constipation is one of the opioid's most common side effects, and around 40% of patients will experience it. Opioids cause constipation by interfering with central nervous system receptors in the gastral intestinal tract, decreasing intestinal movement and slowing peristalsis. Stimulant laxatives are, therefore, often the first drug of choice as it has the reverse effects on the central nervous system resulting in increased intestinal movement.[5]
- ^ Laxative (Oral Route) from Mayo clinic. Last updated: Nov. 1, 2012
- ^ Joo JS, Ehrenpreis ED, Gonzalez L, Kaye M, Breno S, Wexner SD, Zaitman D, Secrest K (1998). "Alterations in colonic anatomy induced by chronic stimulant laxatives: the cathartic colon revisited". J Clin Gastroenterol. 26 (4): 283–6. doi:10.1097/00004836-199806000-00014. PMID 9649012.
- ^ Berardi M, Tietze KJ, Shimp LA, Rollins CJ, Popovich NG (2006). Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs (15th ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Pharmaceutical Association. ISBN 978-1582120744.
- ^ Alterations in Colonic Anatomy Induced by Chronic Stimulant Laxatives: The Cathartic Colon Revisited Joo et al. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. June 1998 Volume 26 Issue 4 pp 283 - 286. http://journals.lww.com/jcge/Abstract/1998/06000/Alterations_in_Colonic_Anatomy_Induced_by_Chronic.14.aspx
- ^ Krinsky, Daniel L. (November 30, 2020). Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs: An Interactive Approach to Self-Care, 20th Edition. 2215 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20037-2985: The American Pharmacists Association. doi:10.21019/9781582123172.ch15. ISBN 978-1-58212-317-2.
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