Bisacodyl 7.5mg suppositories
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
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Official medicine documents
Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
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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
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Bisacodyl
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1 branded products available
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
10 mg
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via the NHS dm+d supplementary BNF/ATC mapping files (NHSBSA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
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.
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Supply & safety information
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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 code shown is the factual mapping value distributed by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in the dm+d supplementary file under OGL v3.0; it is not affiliated with, nor licensed from, the publishers of the British National Formulary. 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.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing the 50 most relevant studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 10 · Randomised trials: 16 · 1985–2025
Showing the 50 most relevant studies, sorted by most relevant.
Chatterjee A, Kaur S, Jena A, et al.
2024
- Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
- Cathartics
- Colonoscopy
Background and aimsColonoscopy has a vital role in the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as well as in the estimation of disease severity, monitoring response to therapy, and surveillance for neoplasia. We performed a systematic review of randomised trials of various bowel preparations for colonoscopy in IBD.MethodsWe searched various electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL) for studies reporting about the use of various strategies to improve colonoscopy preparation in IBD. We included only randomized clinical trials (RCTs). A network meta-analysis was done using a frequentist approach to compare the effectiveness of various bowel preparations. The risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane risk of bias tool 2.0. Other outcome parameters like compliance, tolerance, acceptance, and adverse effects were assessed qualitatively.ResultsSeven RCTs reporting about 960 patients were included. On comparison with 4 liter (L) of poliethylen glycol (PEG), oral sulfate solution (OR=1.1, 95%CI: 0.65-1.86); PEG2L/Ascorbate (OR=0.98, 95%CI: 0.65-1.48); PEG1L (OR=1, 95%CI: 0.55-1.81); PEG2L plus bisacodyl (OR=1.08, 95%CI: 0.71-1.65); PEG4L plus simethicone (OR=1, 95%CI: 0.67-1.50); PEG/ sodium picosulfate and magnesium citrate (SPMC) 1.5L (OR=0.99, 95%CI: 0.55-1.78); SPMC 2L (OR=1.09, 95%CI: 0.61-1.97) had similar effectiveness. Three RCTs reported compliance, five RCTs reported tolerance, two studies reported patient acceptance and five RCTs reported data on the willingness of patients to repeat the procedure in the future. Low-volume preparations had better compliance, tolerance, acceptance, and willingness to repeat. No difference in additional outcomes like change in disease activity after colonoscopy, procedure-related outcomes after colonoscopy like cecal intubation rate, and change in electrolyte levels were found.ConclusionVarious bowel preparations had similar effectiveness in respect to colonoscopy preparation in IBD patients. Low-volume preparations have better compliance, tolerance, and acceptance. The systematic review was limited by a small number of included RCTs.
Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND
S A Afridi, James S. Barthel, Paul D. King, et al.
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 1995
- Bisacodyl
- Colonoscopy
- Cost-Benefit Analysis
Robert E. Clark, Jonathan Godfrey, Abhishek Choudhary, et al.
The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2011
V. Wilkinson-Smith, Mark Scott, A. Menys, et al.
Gut, 2024
- Colon
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Constipation
Background Colonic motility in constipation can be assessed non-invasively using MRI. Objective To compare MRI with high-resolution colonic manometry (HRCM) for predicting treatment response. Design Part 1: 44 healthy volunteers (HVs), 43 patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) and 37 with functional constipation (FC) completed stool diaries and questionnaires and underwent oral macrogol (500–1000 mL) challenge. Whole gut transit time (WGTT), segmental colonic volumes (CV), MRI-derived Motility Index and chyme movement by ‘tagging’ were assessed using MRI and time to defecation after macrogol recorded. Left colonic HRCM was recorded before and after a 700 kcal meal. Patients then proceeded to Part 2: a randomised cross-over study of 10-days bisacodyl 10 mg daily versus hyoscine 20 mg three times per day, assessing daily pain and constipation. Results Part 1: Total CVs median (range) were significantly greater in IBS-C (776 (595–1033)) and FC (802 (633–951)) vs HV (645 (467–780)), p<0.001. Patients also had longer WGTT and delayed evacuation after macrogol. IBS-C patients showed significantly reduced tagging index and less propagated pressure wave (PPW) activity during HRCM versus HV. Compared with FC, IBS-C patients were more anxious and reported more pain. Abnormally large colons predicted significantly delayed evacuation after macrogol challenge (p<0.02), impaired manometric meal response and reduced pain with bisacodyl (p<0.05). Part 2: Bisacodyl compared with hyoscine increased bowel movements but caused more pain in both groups (p<0.03). Conclusion An abnormally large colon is an important feature in constipation which predicts impaired manometric response to feeding and treatment responses. HRCM shows that IBS-C patients have reduced PPW activity. Trial registration number The study was preregistered on ClinicalTrials.gov, Reference: NCT03226145.
Abstract licence: CC BY
A. Aliyu, N. Dellschaft, C. Hoad, et al.
Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2024
- Constipation
- Bisacodyl
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Urs Zingg, Danilo Mišković, Itai Pasternak, et al.
International Journal of Colorectal Disease, 2008
Jieun Kwon, Jung Won Lee, Jong Pil Im, et al.
PLoS ONE, 2016
- Patient Satisfaction
- Ascorbic Acid
- Bisacodyl
Michael A. Kamm, Stefan Mueller‐Lissner, Arnold Wald, et al.
Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 2011
- Bisacodyl
- Cathartics
- Chronic Disease
Shih‐Ya Hung, Hong-Chang Chen, William Tzu-Liang Chen
Scientific Reports, 2020
- Bisacodyl
- Citrates
- Colon
Zhu Y, Jie Cheng, Wenyi Zhang, et al.
The Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology, 2014
- Bisacodyl
- Cathartics
- Defecation
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study 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
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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
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications:
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Structured knowledge from the free knowledge base
Linked open data from Wikidata (Q417874), a free and open knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Data is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication.