Best Laxido alternative medicines for constipation
Laxido is a common laxative, mainly prescribed to patients, however as you will learn in more detail, Laxido can be purchased ‘over the counter’ from pharmacies. Recently, Laxido has been going out of stock, with patients looking for alternative treatment. Today I review Laxido alternative medicines. Fortunately, there are few alternative products which contain the same active ingredient.
What is Laxido?
Laxido is broadly classified as a laxative. Laxative help to manage symptoms of constipation. Laxido comes in form of powder, which is mixed with water prior to administration. Axido comes in orange flavour.
Laxido is licensed for adults and children over 12 years of age. For children under 12 years of age and above 1, Laxido Paediatric Plain can be used. Laxido Paedriatic is, however, a prescription-only medication and thus supply can only be made against a prescription written by a doctor or another qualified prescriber.
Laxido: legal classification
Laxido is classified as a pharmacy-only medication (P). Pharmacy-only medicines are kept away from the public (not available for customer’s self-selection), with Laxido usually kept as part of a dispensing stock.
Who can use Laxido?
Laxido is licensed for adults and children of 12 years and above. Children under 12 years of age need to have Laxido Paediatric prescribed.
Laxido: type of Laxative
Laxido is classified as an osmotic laxative. Osmotic laxatives transfer water into the gut and stools, which in turn produces softer and more frequent stools (Gordon et al, 2016). The main active ingredient found in Laxido, macrogol 3350 is responsible for this effect. Laxido and Laxido alternative osmotic laxatives additionally contain different electrolytes (sodium, chloride, hydrogen carbonate and potassium), which ensure that there is no overall loss or gain of water from using the laxative.
Laxido alternative medicines
Macrogol containing laxatives
I previously wrote about the availability of different osmotic laxatives when I reviewed cheap Movicol alternative medicines. My previous post included some of the most commonly used osmotic laxatives. Below is the summary of Laxido alternatives.
1. Movicol
Movicol contains the same active ingredients as Laxido making it a perfect alternative to Laxido. Movicol comes in the form of a powder, which is mixed with water before taking it. Alternatively, a ready-made Movicol is also available. Movicol comes in lemon and lime flavour or as a plain product (unflavoured), which may be more suitable for some. On the downside, Movicol is much more expensive than Laxido. A box of 30 Movicol sachets costs twice as much as a box of Laxido. At this time a box of Movicol cost over £14.
Movicol is available in the paediatric form, however, children’s Movicol is classified as a prescription-only medication.
2. cosmoCol
cosmoCol is another osmotic laxative which contains the same active ingredients as Laxido and previously reviewed Movicol. cosmoCol range of powders include:
- Cosmocol lemon and lime flavoul
- Cosmocol orange, lemon and lime flavour
- Cosmocol orange flavour
- CosmoCol Plain
cosmoCol is usually kept as part of dispensary stock due to increased popularity when macrogol containing laxative is prescribed. The popularity is driven by lower cost. When purchased over the counter, CosmoCol costs a similar amount to Laxido. Customers should expect to pay between £7-£8 for a box of 30 sachets.
3. Molaxole powder
Molaxole powder is a third option in the category of osmotic laxatives which contains the same main active ingredients as Laxido. Molaxole is less commonly prescribed due to a higher price tag than previously reviewed Laxido and CosmoCol. One should expect to pay around £9.50 for a box of Molaxole.
4. Lactulose – Laxido alternative osmotic laxative
Lactulose is a very popular laxative prescribed and purchased over the counter. Lactulose comes as a ready-made liquid. Lactulose is sweet but tasteless. Lactulose is cheaper than previously reviewed osmotic laxatives. A bottle of 500ml of lactulose may cost a minimum of £4, however prices vary between pharmacies.
Lactulose is licensed for broader age groups. Babies, toddlers, children and adults can use lactulose.
Other laxatives alternative to Laxido
Customers have a good choice of different laxatives available over the counter. The best choice of laxative depends on personal circumstances, for example, what is the reason behind constipation, is it diet for example (lack of fibre) or perhaps medication taken. Many drugs can cause constipation, commonly codeine-containing products, some of which are available over the counter, for example, co-codamol, Solpadeine and Solpadeine alternative drugs. Read the full review of over the counter laxatives available in the UK in related post.
Common laxatives available over the counter include:
Stimulant laxatives alternative to Laxido
- Senna tablets: available for adults and children, usually 12 years of age and above, however, check the age restrictions before purchasing senna products. Senna tablets are usually taken at night and give relief in the morning.
- Bisacodyl: available as tablets and suppositories. A variety of bisacodyl containing medicines are available, some of which can be used in children two years and above. Check with the pharmacist for the most suitable treatment. Bisacodyl tablets are usually taken at bedtime to produce the effect in the morning.
Bulk-forming laxatives
Bulk-forming laxatives, as the name suggest add ‘bulk’ to the faeces, which stimulates the bowel. Bulk-forming laxatives may contain ispaghula husk (example of a brand: Fybogel). Bulk-formin laxatives are useful in the management of constipation caused by a lack of fibre in the diet. Bulk-forming laxatives should not be used to help with constipation caused by opioids, for example, codeine or co-codamol.
Faecal softeners as an alternative to Laxido
Docusate is available in form of capsules for adults and as an oral solution for children. Docusate allows the passage of water and lipids (fats) into faeces, softening the mass and thus causing more easy passage through the intestines (Hannoodee & Annamaraju, 2021).
References:
Gordon M, MacDonald JK, Parker CE, Akobeng AK, Thomas AG. Osmotic and stimulant laxatives for the management of childhood constipation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;2016(8):CD009118. Published 2016 Aug 17. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009118.pub3 Available at: https://dx.doi.org/10.1002%2F14651858.CD009118.pub3 Accessed on 03/04/2022
Hannoodee S, Annamaraju P. Docusate. [Updated 2021 Aug 22]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555942/ Accessed on 05/03/2022
