Bisacodyl 2.75mg/ml rectal solution
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
Laxatives
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
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Official medicine documents
Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Bisacodyl
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Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
EudraVigilance
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Bisacodyl
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EudraVigilance data is published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A suspected adverse reaction is not necessarily caused by the medicine.
1 branded products available
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and NHS BNF section grouping. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Clinical guidelines and formulary information
British National Formulary
Bisacodyl
Source: British National Formulary, NICE. Joint Formulary Committee. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
NICE clinical guidance(2)
Naloxegol for treating opioid‑induced constipation (TA345)
Prucalopride for the treatment of chronic constipation in women (TA211)
Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check stock at pharmacies and supply information
Pharmacy stock checkers
Search for this medicine at major UK pharmacy chains. These links open the retailer's own website — results depend on their current online catalogue.
Supply & product information
Official product databases and supply status monitoring
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. emc (electronic medicines compendium) is operated by Datapharm Ltd. Shortage information sourced from NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS), sps.nhs.uk.
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF codes from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
None known
Half-life
7.3 h
Mechanism
Bisacodyl is deacetylated to the active bis-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-pyridyl-2-methane (BHPM) by an intestinal deacetylase.
Food interactions
2 warnings
Human targets
2 targets
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
16%
[A233275][A233280]
A 10 mg enteric coated oral tablet reaches a Cmax of 26 ng/mL with…
Half-life
7.3 h
Volume of distribution
181 L
Metabolism
[A233290][A233300][A207700]…
Elimination
13.8-17.0%
Clearance
10 mg
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Bisacodyl was patented on 25 September 1956[L33045] but has been used as a laxative since 1952.[A233300]
[L13362]
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 432 interactions
[A7575]
Patients should be treated with symptomatic and supportive measures.
The oral LD50 in rats is 4320 mg/kg, and in mice is 17500 mg/kg.
[L33070]
Bisacodyl stimulates adenylate cyclase, increasing cyclic AMP, leading to active transport of chloride and bicarbonate out of cells.[A233300] Sodium ions, potassium ions, and water passively leave the cell; while sodium and chloride ions are unable to be reabsorbed.[A233300]
Water is also be transported from the luminal side of cells into the vasculature by aquaporin 3.[A233395] Bisacodyl decreases expression of aquaporin 3, preventing water from moving into the vasculature, which may contribute to increased water in the colon.[A233395]
Bisacodyl directly stimulates parasympathetic nerves in the colon, stimulating contraction of longitudinal smooth muscle but not circular smooth muscle.[A233280][A233300]
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
[A233275][A233280]
A 10 mg enteric coated oral tablet reaches a Cmax of 26 ng/mL with a Tmax of 8 hours, while a 10 mg oral solution reaches a Cmax of 237 ng/mL with a Tmax of 1.7 hours.
[L33070]
A 10 mg suppository reaches a Cmax of 0-64 ng/mL.
[L33070]
In lactating women, 10mg of oral bisacodyl reaches a Cmax of 20.5-195 ng/mL, with a Tmax of 3-4 hours, and a geometric mean AUC after a single dose of 471 h\*ng/mL.
[A207700]
After multiple doses, the geometric mean AUC decreases to 311 h\*ng/mL.
[A207700]
[A207700]
[A207700]
[A233290][A233300][A207700]
A small amount of BHPM is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, and is glucuronidated before elimination.
[A207700]
[A207700]
[A207700]
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
PMID:12239222 PMID:30420639
Could also be permeable to urea (By similarity). Also participates in cell permeability to H2O2 and H2O2-mediated signaling .
PMID:20724658
In skin, transports glycerol to the epidermis and stratum corneum, where it maintains hydration, elasticity, and supports lipid biosynthesis for barrier repair (By similarity). In kidney, contributes to the reabsorption of water, helping the body maintain proper fluid balance (By similarity)
ATC A06AB52
ATC A06AB02
ATC A06AG02
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Show
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Bisacodyl
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
10193
ChemSpider
2299
BindingDB
61400
ZINC
ZINC000003830321
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:636
GeneCards
AQP3
Guide to Pharmacology
690
UniProt Accession
AQP3_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:799
GenAtlas
ATP1A1
GeneCards
ATP1A1
GenBank Gene Database
D00099
GenBank Protein Database
219942
UniProt Accession
AT1A1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:800
GeneCards
ATP1A2
UniProt Accession
AT1A2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:801
GeneCards
ATP1A3
UniProt Accession
AT1A3_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:14073
GeneCards
ATP1A4
UniProt Accession
AT1A4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:804
GeneCards
ATP1B1
UniProt Accession
AT1B1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:805
GeneCards
ATP1B2
UniProt Accession
AT1B2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:806
GeneCards
ATP1B3
UniProt Accession
AT1B3_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:4026
GenAtlas
FXYD2
GeneCards
FXYD2
GenBank Gene Database
U50743
GenBank Protein Database
1575004
UniProt Accession
ATNG_HUMAN
Patent information
All patents expired, 2 expired
Source: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0. Patent data sourced from national patent offices. Expiry dates may not reflect extensions, regulatory exclusivity periods, or legal challenges.
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications: