bisacodyl
Also known as 4,4'-(2-pyridinylmethylene)bisphenol diacetate ester
Bisacodyl is an organic compound that is used as a stimulant laxative drug. It works directly on the colon to produce a bowel movement. It is typically prescribed for relief of episodic and chronic constipation and for the management of neurogenic bowel dysfunction, as well as part of bowel preparation before medical examinations, such as for a colonoscopy.
Key facts
- Drug.Verifiedfields
- changed
- Drug.Watchedfields
- changed
- Drug.verifiedrevid
- 414908012
- Drug.IUPAC_name
- (pyridin-2-ylmethanediyl)dibenzene-4,1-diyl diacetate OR 4,4'-(pyridin-2-ylmethylene)bis(4,1-phenylene) diacetate
- Drug.image
- Bisacodyl skeletal.svg
- Drug.image_class
- skin-invert-image
- Drug.image2
- Bisacodyl-from-xtal-3D-bs-17.png
- Drug.image_class2
- bg-transparent
- Drug.tradename
- Fleet, Dulcolax, Brooklax, others
- Drug.MedlinePlus
- a601027
- Drug.DailyMedID
- Bisacodyl
- Drug.routes_of_administration
- By mouth, rectal
~2 min read
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Medical uses
- Available forms
- Administration
- Mechanism of action
- References
Bisacodyl is an organic compound that is used as a stimulant laxative drug. It works directly on the colon to produce a bowel movement. It is typically prescribed for relief of episodic and chronic constipation and for the management of neurogenic bowel dysfunction, as well as part of bowel preparation before medical examinations, such as for a colonoscopy.
Bisacodyl is a derivative of triphenylmethane. It was first used as a laxative in 1953 because of its structural similarity to phenolphthalein.