About Incontinence - Treatment / Management Options - Medications or Laxatives for Fecal Incontinence
Medical Reviewer: Carrie Carls , RN, BSN, CWOCN
Certain medications and laxatives can be used either to bulk up stool (in the case of diarrhea) or soften stool (in the case of constipation - overflow diarrhea and incontinence can occur as the result of constipation).
Who?
Medications and laxatives can be used to treat a variety of different types of fecal incontinence and should always be discussed first with a doctor.
The Pros
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Medications and laxatives are less invasive than surgery.
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Medication can be stopped at any time if the desired results are not achieved or the side-effects are undesirable. However, long-term laxative use, especially without professional medical guidance, may cause ongoing damage.
The Cons
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Without proper oversight by a medical professional, long-term use of laxatives can actually cause incontinence by causing the bowel to become inactive, or causing constipation following laxative-induced diarrhea or loose stools (the bowel becomes dried-out).
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Long-term laxative use can become habit-forming and cause dependency.
Carrie Carls, BSN, RN, CWOCN, oversees pelvic floor retraining for urinary and fecal incontinence, performs urodynamics testing, treats painful bladder syndrome, and cares for wound and ostomy patients at Passavant Area Hospital in Jacksonville , Illinois . Her article, “Prevalence of Stress Urinary Incontinence in High School and College Age Female Athletes in the Midwest : Implications for Practice” appeared in the Journal of Urologic Nursing, February 2007. Her abstract, “Partial Thickness Wound Resulting from Use of a Penile Clamp to Control Urinary Incontinence in a Patient with Radical Prostatectomy” was presented at the Symposium of Advanced Wound Care in 2005. She teaches content in the areas of wound, ostomy, and continence care to baccalaureate nursing students at MacMurray College , and facilitates the West Central Illinois UOAA ostomy support group.
Page last modified 26 July 2009