Over-the-counter medication · Stimulant Laxative
bisacodyl
Also sold as Dulcolax. Bisacodyl treats constipation, which means you are having trouble passing stool.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 13,500
- FDA reportsModerately reported
- 1
- Recall record
What the data shows
bisacodyl (Dulcolax) is an over-the-counter Stimulant Laxative, reported less often than most tracked drugs (13,500 FDA reports).
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
bisacodyl (Dulcolax) is an over-the-counter Stimulant Laxative. Bisacodyl treats constipation, which means you are having trouble passing stool.
Bisacodyl is a medicine that helps you have a bowel movement. It is a stimulant laxative.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$0.31/unit
Generic Available
Yes (0 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
NADAC price trail: BISACODYL 10 MG SUPPOSITORY
Same CMS presentation as the headline generic unit price above (3 effective dates). Adjacent % compares consecutive NADAC releases for this description only, not a patient out-of-pocket quote. Latest step: +1.6% vs prior release.
| Effective | NADAC / unit | vs prior | NDCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2024 | $0.2775/EA | - | 1 |
| July 17, 2024 | $0.3014/EA | +8.6% | 2 |
| December 18, 2024 | $0.3062/EA | +1.6% | 5 |
What it does
Bisacodyl treats constipation, which means you are having trouble passing stool.
Common side effects
Abdominal pain, Diarrhea, Nausea
Key warnings
No specific warnings noted. Always follow your prescriber's instructions.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from bisacodyl's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Bisacodyl works by stimulating the bowel muscles. This stimulation causes the bowels to contract. The contractions help to push stool out of the body.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 13,500 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for bisacodyl, by number of reports
- Constipation
Constipation
1,509 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
1,358 reports
- Pain
Pain
1,115 reports
- Vomiting
Vomiting
985 reports
- Fall
Fall
837 reports
- Dyspnoea
Dyspnoea
827 reports
- Pneumonia
Pneumonia
783 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
773 reports
- Macular Degeneration
Macular Degeneration
772 reports
- Abdominal Pain
Abdominal Pain
770 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for bisacodyl each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where bisacodyl sits
bisacodyl has more FDA adverse-event reports than 46% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is bisacodyl; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 13,500 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2002–2025.
Total Reports
13,500
Reports Mentioning Death
2,363
17.5% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
6,915
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CONSTIPATION | 1,509 |
| 2 | NAUSEA | 1,358 |
| 4 | PAIN | 1,115 |
| 6 | VOMITING | 985 |
| 7 | FALL | 837 |
| 8 | DYSPNOEA | 827 |
| 9 | PNEUMONIA | 783 |
| 10 | FATIGUE | 773 |
| 11 | MACULAR DEGENERATION | 772 |
| 12 | ABDOMINAL PAIN | 770 |
| 13 | DEATH | 770 |
| 14 | PYREXIA | 752 |
| 15 | ANAEMIA | 678 |
| 16 | HYPOTENSION | 677 |
| 17 | HEADACHE | 668 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Common Questions
How quickly does bisacodyl work?
Can I use bisacodyl every day?
What should I do if bisacodyl does not work?
Can I use bisacodyl if I have stomach pain?
Can I use bisacodyl with other medicines?
Is bisacodyl safe for children?
What are the signs of an allergic reaction to bisacodyl?
Can bisacodyl cause dehydration?
Can I drive or operate machinery after using bisacodyl?
Where can I find the expiration date?
What are the common side effects of bisacodyl?
What drug class is bisacodyl?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for bisacodyl?
Has bisacodyl been recalled?
Active Recalls
CGMP Deviations: product held outside appropriate storage temperature conditions.
Family Dollar Stores, Llc.
Related Medications in Stimulant Laxative
Other drugs grouped near bisacodyl - same-class peers and common alternatives.
alosetron
Lotronex
Alosetron (Lotronex) is a medicine for women with severe diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Compare with bisacodyl →
aprepitant
Emend
Aprepitant (Emend) is a medicine that helps prevent nausea and vomiting.
Compare with bisacodyl →
bismuth subsalicylate
Pepto-Bismol
Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) is a medicine that can treat diarrhea and upset stomach.
Compare with bisacodyl →
cimetidine
Tagamet
Cimetidine (Tagamet) reduces stomach acid.
Compare with bisacodyl →
dexlansoprazole
Dexilant
Dexlansoprazole (Dexilant) is a medicine that lowers stomach acid.
Compare with bisacodyl →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for bisacodyl: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 13,500.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 17.50%.
- lactulose Δ 0.08 pts · 37,033 reports · Osmotic Laxative 17.58%death share
- chlorpheniramine Δ 0.08 pts · 6,221 reports · First-Generation Antihistamine 17.42%death share
- valganciclovir Δ 0.15 pts · 18,056 reports · Antiviral (Nucleoside Analog) 17.35%death share
- clozapine Δ 0.18 pts · 121,298 reports · Atypical Antipsychotic 17.68%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Pain Relievers Compared
NSAIDs vs acetaminophen, which OTC pain reliever to use
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
What the FDA Data Shows for bisacodyl
The FDA label for bisacodyl (sold under brand names such as Dulcolax) classifies it as an over-the-counter product in the Stimulant Laxative class. Bisacodyl treats constipation, which means you are having trouble passing stool. Official labeling lists 5 commonly reported side effects, including Abdominal pain, Diarrhea, Nausea.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 13,500 voluntary reports. Interaction data is drawn directly from FDA-approved prescribing information. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.31.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history (currently 1 recall record on file), and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: January 15, 2026
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages