Abstract

Bisacodyl (Dulcolax - Boehringer Ingelheim) is promoted for use in both oral and suppository forms “whenever reliable and predictable bowel evacuation is required”, as in acute and chronic constipation and preparation for sigmoidoscopy and barium radiography. The drug is not absorbed and has little or no effect on the small intestine; it acts by contact with the mucosa of the large intestine, where it stimulates contraction.