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Uses

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Situations in which bulk forming laxatives are useful include:

  • colostomy and ileostomy
  • haemorrhoids and anal fissure
  • chronic diarrhoea associated with diverticular disease
  • irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis

Rationale:

  • only use if fibre cannot be increased in diet
  • a balanced diet with adequate fluid intake and fibre should be tried first
  • takes some days to improve (patients should be told this)

Bran:

  • unprocessed wheat bran with food or fruit juice
  • finely ground bran is more palatable but has poorer water-retaining properties (in bran bread or biscuits)
  • oat bran may also be used

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