Docusate

Also indexed as: Colace®, Dioctyl Sodium Sulphosuccinate, Dioctyl®, Docusol®, PMS-Docusate Sodium®, Selax®, Soflax®

Docusate, which is available without a prescription, is used to treat constipation and is in a class of laxatives known as stool softeners.

Summary of Interactions with Vitamins, Herbs, and Foods
In some cases, a herb or supplement may appear in more than one category, which may seem contradictory. For clarification, read the full article for details about the summarized interactions.

May be Beneficial: Depletion or interference—The medication may deplete or interfere with the absorption or function of the nutrient. Taking these nutrients may help replenish them.	Magnesium* Potassium*
Side effect reduction/prevention	None known
Supportive interaction	None known
Reduced drug absorption/bioavailability	None known
Adverse interaction	None known

An asterisk (*) next to an item in the summary indicates that the interaction is supported only by weak, fragmentary, and/or contradictory scientific evidence.

Interactions with Dietary Supplements

Magnesium
A woman and her newborn infant experienced low blood levels of magnesium, which was possibly due to chronic use of docusate throughout and after pregnancy.¹ Controlled research is necessary to determine whether people taking docusate for long periods of time need to supplement magnesium.

Potassium
Taking docusate increases the amount of potassium excreted from the body in the stool.² Whether people taking docusate for long periods of time need to increase their intake of potassium is unknown.

References
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1. Schindler AM. Isolated neonatal hypomagnesaemia associated with maternal overuse of stool softener. Lancet 1984;2:822 [letter].

2. Moriarty KJ, Kelly MJ, Beetham R, Clark ML. Studies on the mechanism of action of dioctyl sodium sulphosuccinate in the human jejunum. Gut 1985;26:1008–13.

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The information presented in Healthnotes is for informational purposes only. It is based on scientific studies (human, animal, or in vitro), clinical experience, or traditional usage as cited in each article. The results reported may not necessarily occur in all individuals. For many of the conditions discussed, treatment with prescription or over the counter medication is also available. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or chemist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires March 2007.

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Interactions with Dietary Supplements