Over-the-counter medicine
Bisacodyl
Bisacodyl is an over-the-counter medicine. No generic is listed; pharmacies paid $0.320 per bisacodyl 10 mg suppository in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- No generic listed
- Over the counter
Check it at the source: the bisacodyl FDA label on DailyMed (effective April 8, 2025); every bisacodyl label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of April 8, 2025; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usagefor relief of occasional constipation and irregularity
this product generally produces bowel movement in 6 to 12 hours Use
for relief of occasional constipation and irregularity
this product generally produces bowel movement in 6 to 12 hours
Forms and strengths
- 5 mg
- 10 mg
- 10 mg/1.8g
- 10 mg/30ml
Delayed-release tablet; suppository; coated tablet; tablet; sugar-coated tablet.
On the market
- Generic approvals
- No generic approved
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 76 of which 0 under generic applications, 0 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.320 per suppository Bisacodyl 10 mg suppository
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 0 since 2022 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; 1 more by firms not listed as its makers
- FAERS reports
- 14,161 through July 30, 2026
What is bisacodyl used for?
From the label: indications and usagefor relief of occasional constipation and irregularity
this product generally produces bowel movement in 6 to 12 hours Use
for relief of occasional constipation and irregularity
this product generally produces bowel movement in 6 to 12 hours
Conditions named in the indications of bisacodyl's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
Source: FDA drug label (Dulcolax Stimulant Laxative), Chattem, Inc., effective April 8, 2025 (SPL set f1e4b28a-ed74-4eff-bd10-b2bfaf7483b0), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for bisacodyl?
No generic bisacodyl is approved (Drugs@FDA, October 8, 2026).
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for bisacodyl?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.320 per Bisacodyl 10 mg suppository, down 4% from $0.334 on October 8, 2025. The chart's scale runs from the lowest to the highest price shown, not from zero. NADAC is what retail pharmacies paid their wholesalers, per unit, in CMS's monthly survey; what a patient pays depends on insurance and the pharmacy.
- Gentle laxative ec 5 mg tablet (generic)
- Fleet bisacodyl 10 mg enema (brand)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bisacodyl 10 mg suppository | Generic | $0.320 per suppository | n/a | -4% |
| Bisacodyl ec 5 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0441 per tablet | $1.32 | +12% |
| Ft gentle laxative 10 mg supp | Generic | $0.320 per unit | n/a | -4% |
| Ft laxative ec 5 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0441 per tablet | $1.32 | +12% |
| Gentle laxative 10 mg supposit | Generic | $0.320 per unit | n/a | -4% |
| Gentle laxative ec 5 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0441 per tablet | $1.32 | +12% |
| Gnp gentle laxative 10 mg supp | Generic | $0.320 per unit | n/a | -4% |
| Gnp gentle laxative ec 5 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0441 per tablet | $1.32 | +12% |
| Laxative ec 5 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0441 per tablet | $1.32 | +12% |
| Proctozone-b 10 mg suppository | Generic | $0.320 per suppository | n/a | -8% |
| Qc gentle laxative ec 5 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0441 per tablet | $1.32 | +12% |
| Qc laxative ec 5 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0441 per tablet | $1.32 | +12% |
| Women's gentle lax ec 5 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0441 per tablet | $1.32 | +12% |
| Fleet bisacodyl 10 mg enema | Brand | $0.0646 per mL | n/a | +0.8% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Has bisacodyl been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 1 recall naming bisacodyl since 2022: 0 Class I (the most serious), 1 Class II, 0 Class III; 0 still ongoing. 1 of them is by a firm that FDA's NDC Directory does not list as a maker of bisacodyl and that holds no application for it in Drugs@FDA, such as compounding pharmacies or bulk-ingredient suppliers; the recall notice names the product recalled. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 29, 2022 | Class II | Mckesson Medical-Surgical Inc. Corporate Office not a listed maker | CGMP Deviations: products were stored outside the drug label specifications. |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the bisacodyl label say about other medicines?
The bisacodyl label names no other medicine on this site. The labels of 7 other medicines name bisacodyl. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
Other labels that name bisacodyl
- Ascorbic acid, peg 3350 and 4 other ingredients
- Ascorbic acid, polyethylene glycol 3350 and 4 other ingredients
- Magnesium sulfate and potassium chloride and sodium sulfate
- Magnesium sulfate and potassium sulfate and sodium sulfate
- Magnesium sulfate, polyethylene glycol 3350 and 3 other ingredients
- Polyethylene glycol 3350, potassium chloride and 3 other ingredients
- Polyethylene glycol 3350, potassium chloride, sodium bicarbonate and sodium chloride
Source: FDA drug label (Dulcolax Stimulant Laxative), Chattem, Inc., effective April 8, 2025 (SPL set f1e4b28a-ed74-4eff-bd10-b2bfaf7483b0), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for bisacodyl?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 14,161 reports that list bisacodyl among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 2,481 are coded as a death and 7,265 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is.
Reports received each year
The most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What else is labeled for the same conditions as bisacodyl?
15 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as bisacodyl or labeled mainly for the same use (constipation), the same class first. Constipation lists all 20 medicines labeled for it, by any route. The first 8 are below. They are listed as records, not as substitutes: whether one can replace another is a prescriber's decision.
| Medicine | Shared indication | Generic labelers (oral) | Pharmacy cost | Shortage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Docusate | Constipation | none listed | $0.0276 per unit 100 mg softgel | No current entry |
| Sennosides | Constipation | none listed | $0.0258 per tablet 8.6 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Polyethylene glycol 3350 | Constipation | 73 labelers | $0.0286 per gram 3350 powd | No current entry |
| Magnesium hydroxide | Constipation | none listed | $0.0095 per mL Milk of magnesia suspension | No current entry |
| Magnesium citrate | Constipation | none listed | $0.0066 per mL Magnesium citrate solution | No current entry |
| Lubiprostone | Constipation | 10 labelers | $0.651 per capsule 24 mcg capsule | No current entry |
| Prucalopride | Constipation | 18 labelers | $0.639 per tablet 1 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Psyllium husk | Constipation | none listed | n/a | No current entry |
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does bisacodyl compare with medicines for the same use?
8 side-by-side pages set bisacodyl beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Alternatives to bisacodyl
- 15 medicines for the same use
- Bisacodyl side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other