Effectiveness of Laxatives in the Elderly - NIHR Health Technology ...

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Treatment of constipation
TABLE 3 Costs of 1 week’s treatment with laxatives prescribable on the NHS (based on September 1997 BNF costs)
Laxative Course of treatment Cost per week
Bulk-forming laxatives
Bran
Trifyba ® 1 sachet 2–3 times daily £0.82–£1.23
Ispaghula husk
Fybogel ® 1 sachet twice daily £0.99
Konsyl ® sugar-free 1 sachet 1–3 times daily £0.93–£2.79
Konsyl ® Orange, Dex 1 sachet 1–3 times daily £0.47–£1.40
Isogel ® (granules) 2 tsp (5 ml) daily 1–2 times daily £0.28–£0.56
Regulan ® (powder) 1 sachet 1–3 times daily £0.50–£1.49
Methylcellulose
Celevac ®
3–6 tablets twice daily £1.01–£2.02
Sterculia
Normacol ®
1–2 sachets 1–2 times daily £0.54–£2.18
Normacol ® plus 1–2 sachets 1–2 times daily £0.58–£2.32
Stimulant laxatives
Bisacodyl 1–2 or 3–4 tablets per night £0.07–£0.14 or £0.21–£0.28
Danthron
Co-danthramer suspension 5–10 ml per night £1.31–£2.63
Co-danthramer strong suspension 5 ml per night £3.35
Co-danthrusate capsules 1–3 capsules per night £1.50–£4.49
Docusate sodium
Dioctyl ® (capsules) up to 500 mg daily ≤ £1.63
Senna
Senna tablets 2–4 tablets at night £0.21–£0.42
Manevac ® (granules) 5–10 ml 1–2 times daily £0.40–£1.61
for 3 days
Sodium picosulphate
Sodium picosulphate elixir 5–15 ml per night £0.65–£1.94
Osmotic laxatives
Lactitol
Lactitol powder 20 g initially, then 1 g daily £0.80
Lactulose solution 15 ml twice daily, reduced £1.10
as necessary
Macrogols (polyethylene glycols)
Movicol ® Elderly: 1 sachet per day £3.45
Liquid paraffin & magnesium hydroxide 5–20 ml p.r.n. £0.10–£0.40 * (based on one
emulsion BP dose daily)
Magnesium hydroxide mixture BP 25–50 ml p.r.n. £0.60–£1.19 *
* MeReC (1994)
p.r.n., as and when required