Compound Interest: How do laxative and anti-diarrhoeal medications work?

Infographic on laxatives and antidiarrhoeals.

There are four types of laxatives: bulk-forming, which absorb water; osmotic laxatives, which draw water into the bowel to soften poo; stimulant laxatives, which stimulate intestinal muscles to move poo along; and poo-softeners, which add moisture to poo.

There are also four types of anti-diarrhoeals: opioids (and opioid-related) which decrease intestinal muscle movements, slowing the passage of poo; somatostatin analogues, which slow the movement oof food through the intestines; adsorbents, which kill bacteria which cause diarrhoea and increase intestinal fluid absorption; and bulk-forming agents, which absorb excess water. — Click to enlarge

Constipation and diarrhoea: two extremes of a crappy spectrum. Luckily, we have medicines to deal with either, and this graphic examines the different categories and how they help get things flowing freely (or less freely) again.

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References & further reading:

Overview: Laxatives – NHS
Basic and Clinical Pharmacology – Katzung, Masters & Trevor

Tags: chemistry constipation diarrhea diarrhoea health laxatives medicine poo science

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How do laxative and anti-diarrhoeal medications work?

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