Is anyone on Bisacodyl tablets?

[Helen36]

Hi - my 7 year old has been switched from sodium picosulphate to bisacodyl oral tablets. The consultant felt her bowel might have got a bit used to the sodium pico and therefore mixing it up with a different stimulant for a while might help. We’re not in a bad place at the moment but still get at little soiling / wetting most days.

She used to have her sodium pico at bedtime and we’d get a big poo with her poo sit after breakfast. I gave her the tablets at bedtime last night but by 1am she was on the loo with dark runny poo and tummy ache, then again at 3 am and 4am... not masses of quantity but a decent one on the third poo.

I’m not sure if this is the tablets getting some old poo out or a sign that I just have the time of day wrong... or possibly both! We had the same thing with the sodium pico when we first started on that and I thought it was a sign it was getting out a back up, especially as I was told that tummy ache on stimulants can be a sign the bowel is contracting round a blockage.

Is anyone else on the tablets and have any wisdom to share? What time of day is best?? Conscious I don’t really want this happening at school...

Thanks

[laurendyer90]

Get a nappy on her like Pampers size 8 and let her sleep and clean her up in the morning at least she get a good night sleep?!

[Robinia]

Hi my son is on Senna and bisocodyl and movicol. How much movicol is she on?

[Helen36]

Hi Robina, she was on 5-6 sachets but I’ve brought her down to 2 after the Saturday night/Sunday explosions. I did one tablet (5mg) on Sunday night and she didn’t poo until Monday evening, so I went for 2 tablets last night. No more middle of the night dramas.

She didn’t poo this morning so I wonder if we might need to up her dose to three again, but I’ll wait to the weekend to brace that... it may have been the 3 tablets plus 5 movicol that was the problem! I’ve been told we can add back in more sodium pico if things get too slow.

She had a dry pull up this morning though and no wet accidents since the switch which means I think this has cleared her bowel. For now, anyway!

[Robinia in reply to Helen36]

That sounds like progress potentially. I would definitely up the movicol if you feel she needs to go higher.

[Lesley82]

Hi HelenJust found your post on here and wondered how things were going and whether you'd recommend bisocodyl? My 8 year old has just been prescribed bisocodyl suppositories having been on senna and then sodium Pico for over a year with some progress reduced soiling then going backwards again, however apparently there's a supply issue so we've been given tablets but info sheet clearly says for short term use only. Are tablets as good as suppositories I'm wondering? Not sure what to do next esp as continence team has closed service due to covid. Any thoughts welcome!

[Helen36 in reply to Lesley82]

I’ve just replied to you but not sure if I typed in the right bit for you to get notified that I replied! My reply is showing at the top of the thread x

[Helen36]

Hiya

We were also prescribed the suppositories but advised to go for the tablets because of the supply issue too. And like you - had started on Senna, progressed to sodium pico and then regressed.

To answer your question Bisocodyl has been great for us- but it seems quite powerful and it has taken us a while to get the timing and dose of the tablets right. She was on the highest dose of sodium pico for her age (she’s 7) but three tablets was too much for her in the beginning. I’ve had to play around with the dose and so she now has just 2 sachets of movicol (far less than before which everyone is pleased about!) and two to three tablets depending on what her poo the day before was like. I do find it a bit less predictable than sodium pico but it seems to have had the effect the consultant was looking for and we had a good couple of months with no soiling or wetting. 🎉🎉

We’ve had a bit of wetting lately which is why I have been upping it to three tablets on some days. I think her bowel is getting used to it and needs the extra tablet but her poos are so explosive on it I always feel a bit mean giving her three!

The poos in the middle of the night have also been a bit of a challenge. This did settle but then homeschooling meant routine went out the window and I’d suddenly realise about 11am she hadn’t had them or her movicol, so we’ve been a bit more disciplined at getting it down her at 7/8am and it’s settling again.

All in all, I think their bowels get used to whatever they are on and mixing it up helps. I plan to carry on with this until we are at max dose and she regresses, and then we’ll try the suppositories or add in sodium pico. as well - which is what the consultant advised.

On the long terms use question... I share your anxiety. All stimulant laxatives carry the same advice but continence team and the paediatric gastro consultant we saw say that advice is for people with ‘normal’ bowels and if my child was not on it the bowel will get backed up and stretched and that they have no concerns about long term use. Hope that helps. Good luck xx

[Lesley82 in reply to Helen36]

Hi HelenThat's so reassuring to hear and you've answered my next question too which was about dosage as I've tried mine on the prescribed 1 tablet a night for the last few days having been on the highest dose of sodium pico and she's completely backed up! I'm going to have to call gp and get the dose increased pronto but great to know up to 3 is common, I know each child is different but still its reassuring!

Thank you for replying xx