Thinking about using Senna - advice please

[Jfraser1]

Hi all,

My almost 5 yr old has been on Movicol for 2 years. We are on a maintenance dose of 1&1/2 paediatric sachets daily and getting on fairly well. I feel as though the Movicol makes them soft and easy to pass but creates so much poo! To the point where sometimes he will have a smear in his pants due to it coming out so fast - def not overflow. I try cutting it down by 1 table spoon and the wetting starts again which is my first indication that things are getting backed up.

So, I thought I might try him on senna and Movicol combined. I know a lot of your children on here take it and you would be able to give me better advice than my gp!

Is it safe to use long term?

Can I get it over the counter? Don’t fancy getting a prescription for now as would like to try first than go to my disinterested gp!

Thanks in advance x

[Helen36]

Hello - I think you’re right to give Senna a go. You can get it over the counter, but ask for the liquid senakot. We were advised to start on 3ml then went up to 5ml after a short time once we were a bit more confident with it. She is also nearly 5. This amount is quite gentle so he should be fine. It’s not really any different to giving prune juice as it’s just a plant extract, but a more controlled impact and you can just stop it if you don’t feel it’s beneficial. We give ours at tea time as it’s meant to work overnight.

You might find it is a bit explosive from what you describe. You might find that the Senna allows you to reduce the movicol to get more of a type 4 (on the Bristol chart) sausage poo and give him a bit more control. I think Senna helps them feel the urge better than movicol which might be part of the issue for your little boy. But it might take a bit of experimentation to find a the right balance.

It definitely helped our wetting. As you may have seen we were recently seen by a urologist who concluded my daughter’s bowel was still too large, despite 3 years on movicol and nearly a year on Senna; pressing on the bladder which we knew had given us an overactive bladder but didn’t think it was still pressing on it. We’ve been advised to up our Senna to 7.5ml (brutal!) to try and help shrink the bowel.

[Helen36 in reply to Helen36]

Ps - do tell the pharmacist it is for a child just in case there are different versions! I don’t think there are, but just in case!!

[Jfraser1 in reply to Helen36]

Thanks for the reply Helen. Sounds like it could be beneficial in helping him get a bit more control. I’m going to make an app with the gp though as due to previous experience I doubt a pharmacist will be happy giving over Senna for a child unless advised by a doctor. Will wait until the weekend though in case we have any dramatic effects!!

I’m surprised to hear that your daughters bowel is still pressing on her bladder after so long. I think my son is very sensitive to this too. It’s a constant juggling act, family think I’m crazy when I need to know size and consistency of every poo that he does with them - but until your faced with this condition no one can understand the stress and work involved! Good luck in the increase of Senna, fingers crossed it sorts it out 😬

[Helen36 in reply to Jfraser1]

I was thinking about you the school run this morning and thinking maybe I should have said to go back to the GP armed with a bit more info about why people get given this and see if they might be willing to try. I’ve never been brave enough to do anything without a doctor or nurse saying it’s ok first! You could push for a referral to your local continence team if your GP still isn’t helpful or suggest he/she speaks to them for advice on Senna if they are still unsure. Good luck! And we’re all here 24/7 if you ever need other people equally obsessed with poo and wee 😉

[lyns08]

I am giving Senna to my 3 year old and like you I was concerned about it but all the doctors I have asked say it is completely fine. My doctor has said I can give 10mls a night (this is the maximum for a 3 year old) but you increase the dose gradually so its not a shock to their system so 2 nights of 5ml, 2 nights of 7.5 etc.

I am doing one sachet of movicol a day too and at the same time I started with the senna I have also started giving a sachet of children's Optibac probiotic powder in a juice in the morning. For the last 5 days there has been a huge difference. Instead of my child averaging around 8 poos a day of various amounts he has only been doing around 3 and staying clean for a good few hours whereas before he was always slightly leaking poo. I am sure it is likely to be because of the Senna but I am not sure if also the probiotic has helped too as I have heard good reviews about it so it may also be worth trying that too?

The bottle of Senna I am using I am sure I have seen on the shelf in Boots but I think you should ask your doctor for a prescription instead of you buying it and they can advise you on the right dose to give too x

[Jfraser1 in reply to lyns08]

Interesting, I’ve read about the importance of probiotics and gut health but have not heard about those sachets. Def worth a try! Off to google, thanks!

[lyns08 in reply to Jfraser1]

No worries, I got mine off Amazon but I know Tesco also sells Optibac products. I am willing to try anything now! I would start the Senna as soon as you can too. Good luck with it all x

[Jocksbar]

Hi there, I’d go for it with the senna, just get it from the chemist. My 5 yr old suffered from constipation and a fissure which led to withholding in October. Since then we have been on 10 ml lactulose twice a day and 2 teaspoons senna in her hot chocolate at bedtime. The thing we found was to make sure she sat on the toilet every evening after teatime. This was anything from 10 mins to an hour before she passed a movement. The senna gets the pushing action and the lactulose is the softener.

We have turned a corner this week and she will go to the toilet and try to poo without us making sure she sits after tea. We have stopped the senna and will continue the lactulose for a few more months and hopefully this is the end of our toileting saga!’

Good luck with it, it does get better!! Xx

[Glenniech]

My wee one started on Senna just before she was 6 years old. The consultant at the hospital would not prescribe until she was 6 ish. She was prescribe the tablet form. This is when she improved so much. We were prescribed a high dose to start, more than the prescribed amount indicated on the box. But this was under the care of her consultant. I was never convinced with movicol and with movicol we had to keep her on a high dose. Senna for us was a massive turning point. She has been on it for 3 years under the care of the GP and Hospital consultant. Over this time we have reduced the tablets. We have not used movicol for years. The only other meds she has is Sodium Picosulfate. The only problem we have now is nighttime wetting. I would still go to your GP even if they are not interested and mention it.