# Best Laxative? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 19, 2007, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279 "2007-10-19T07:30:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/1 "2007-10-19T07:30:02Z")
If I wanted a relatively fast working laxative (same day), and one that will…err, get the job done, what kind should I be looking for? Also, do they list the kind of laxative it is on the box, or should I be looking at the brand name? ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/2 "2007-10-19T07:40:01Z")
Senna, it’s a herbal laxative: [Senna: Uses, Dosage & Side Effects Information - Drugs.com](http://www.drugs.com/mtm/senna.html) ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/3 "2007-10-19T11:37:47Z")
If you want the fastest (same day) laxative that will completely clean you out – you want to get that [Fleet phospho-soda](http://www.phosphosoda.com/consumers/products/phosphosoda.aspx). It is the stuff they have you drink pre-op for major surgery. If you drink it, do not stray from your toilet _at all_. This stuff is not for the weak at heart/stomach/mind. It will clean you out in a day. While it will actually clean you out in less than a day, it continues working pretty much all day 😃 Enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/4 "2007-10-19T12:45:07Z")
For some people, candy sweetened with sorbitol and/or mannitol is a very good laxative. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/5 "2007-10-19T12:58:55Z")
Lately? The SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/6 "2007-10-19T13:06:51Z")
Senna can be really harsh, I don’t like to use it unless there’s a dire medical need for it. I prefer simple salt water - dissolve a teaspoon of water into a large glass of warm (not hot, but warm) water. Drink it, and be prepared to spend the next couple of hours running to the toilet. Seriously. It should, of course, be noted that laxative abuse is Not A Good Thing, laxatives are not a safe way to lose weight, and they should not be used often, as they can cause dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and death. If you need a laxative more than once or twice a month, you need to address the cause of that, probably by eating more bulk fiber and increasing your water intake generally, but a visit to the doctor may be in order to rule out any actual bowel problems, not by taking more laxatives. ---
**Author:** ![lobstermobster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobstermobster/32/10033_2.png) [@lobstermobster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobstermobster)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/7 "2007-10-19T14:09:14Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] Lately? The SDMB. [/QUOTE] baaa zingggggggg. Whats that stuff they give my dad before his colonoscopy that he drinks directly out of that huge jug in his bathrobe and boxers? His dad died of colorectal cancer so we go through this Cadillac of laxatives pre-colonoscopy routine every year as opposed to every 7. Classic ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/8 "2007-10-19T14:29:07Z")
Really safe and really fast? A product like [Golytely](http://www.nulytely.com/golytely/). For when your GI tract needs to be really clean, really quick. It doesn’t foster dependence, like many OTC laxatives can. And it’s damn hard to abuse. But it is a prescription medication. **Lobstermobster** describes it above. ---
**Author:** ![Solfy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Solfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Solfy)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/9 "2007-10-19T14:32:42Z")
According to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=440677), two week old cheescake is a great laxative. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/10 "2007-10-19T14:54:51Z")
I agree with **Litoris** - the surgeon made me drink that phospho-soda stuff before I had my gallbladder out. The best bet is to get it as cold as possible before trying to drink it. And unfortunately, teh two week old cheesecake is another option. Blrghh. StG ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/11 "2007-10-19T15:01:32Z")
[My thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=406324) about Fleet’s Phosphosoda. To _really_ turn your anus into a rocket-propelled feces launcher, take another dose about four hours after the first. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/12 "2007-10-19T15:30:23Z")
Epsom salt laxatives work wonders. They taste horrible, but they are really effective. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/13 "2007-10-19T17:34:49Z")
e-coli and salmonella aside, a traditional ex-lax type laxative is enough along with some chamomeil tea (spelling butchered). ---
**Author:** ![Zambini57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4491bb/32.png) [@Zambini57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zambini57)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/14 "2007-10-19T18:12:26Z")
[QUOTE=Red Barchetta] If I wanted a relatively fast working laxative (same day), and one that will…err, get the job done, what kind should I be looking for? Also, do they list the kind of laxative it is on the box, or should I be looking at the brand name? [/QUOTE] What’s the rush? I take Metamucil every night at 9:30, and crap at 5:30 the next morning. You could set your watch to it. OK. As I have posted several times today, I am an aircraft mechanic. The hydraulic fluid used in virtually all commercial airliners is made by Monsanto and is referred to as 'Skydrol". If you get Skydrol in your eyes, it sucks. Your eyes instantly close. It’s like pepper spray. The one thing that nuetralizes Skydrol instantly is castor oil. I keep some in my toolbox. Getting hit in the eyes with Skydrol is bad enough, but it’s also bad if you ingest it. I was working on a hydraulic system that I thought had been de-pressureized, but it was not. Skydrol sprayed into my face, and I swallowed some. I drank about 2 ounces of castor oil to nuetralize it. Oh, my. About 2 hours later, I got these terrible abdominal cramps, and barely made it to the can, where I crapped my brains out. 2 hours later, same thing. Half hour later, again. Only now it was mostly liquid. TMI? Perhaps. Castor oil. If you think you can handle it. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/15 "2007-10-19T18:50:12Z")
[QUOTE=Zambini57] What’s the rush? [/QUOTE] Well, I’ve been stuck up for a little while now and just want to get this taken care of in one fell swoop. I have no plans to use laxatives routinely (if ever beyond this one time), so I just want to make sure I get something that works. Thanks for the suggestions so far. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/16 "2007-10-19T19:19:30Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Really safe and really fast? A product like [Golytely](http://www.nulytely.com/golytely/). [/QUOTE] Best used after having breakfast at Tiffany’s? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/17 "2007-10-19T19:48:54Z")
It should be noted that ‘‘faster’’ implies a higher risk of experiencing \*\*severe \*\*abdominal cramping that will make you wish you opted for something just a little slower. Picture yourself pleading/bargaining with Og that you will never never ever ever **ever** mix Megalax and Colon Blow cereal together **ever** again if he just gets you out of this situation alive. Please, Og, PLEASE! Oh god, make it stop! You wouldn’t be surprised to shit out your liver – the cramping can get that bad if you over laxitize (like that word?). ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/18 "2007-10-19T20:16:43Z")
Oh, just about any of the local Greek/Middle-eastern restaurants do the trick just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/19 "2007-10-19T20:19:17Z")
[QUOTE=Philster] It should be noted that ‘‘faster’’ implies a higher risk of experiencing \*\*severe \*\*abdominal cramping that will make you wish you opted for something just a little slower. Picture yourself pleading/bargaining with Og that you will never never ever ever **ever** mix Megalax and Colon Blow cereal together **ever** again if he just gets you out of this situation alive. Please, Og, PLEASE! Oh god, make it stop! You wouldn’t be surprised to shit out your liver – the cramping can get that bad if you over laxitize (like that word?). [/QUOTE] Ok, now my cow-orkers know I am crazy, I am laughing so hard I snorted, thanks! The truth is, when I had to do my colon cleanse pre-op for my gastric bypass (hey, the doctor was going to be cutting my intestines, I wanted them shit-free, please!), I actually said to my husband “I think I may have just shit my liver out!” Phospho-soda is the shit. Trust me here. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279/20 "2007-10-19T20:26:09Z")
One that was previously prescription only, but is now over-the-counter is **Miralax**. It uses the same polyethylene glycol that’s in GoLYTELY, but it isn’t the huge volume you’d use in the case of whole bowel irrigation or pre-op/pre-scope cleansing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-laxative/423279.md?page=2)