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 →
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.
How to Take It
Adults and children 12 and older: Use 1 suppository once a day. Children 6 to under 12: Use 1/2 suppository once a day. Children under 6: Do not use this medicine. Remove the wrapper before inserting the suppository into your rectum.
This is a plain-language summary of bisacodyl's FDA labeling, not individualized dosing advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber before changing how you take this medication.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
It is not known if bisacodyl is safe to use during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Talk to your doctor before using this medicine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
This is a plain-language summary of bisacodyl's FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber about pregnancy or breastfeeding on this medication.
Missed Dose
Since this medicine is used as needed, you are not likely to miss a dose.
This is a plain-language summary of bisacodyl's FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber what to do about your specific missed dose.
Storage
Store at room temperature, not above 86°F (30°C).
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
- Trouble passing stool
Trouble passing stool
1,509 reports
- Feeling like you might throw up
Feeling like you might throw up
1,358 reports
- Pain
Pain
1,115 reports
- Throwing up
Throwing up
985 reports
- Fall
Fall
837 reports
- Difficulty breathing
Difficulty breathing
827 reports
- Lung infection
Lung infection
785 reports
- Feeling tired
Feeling tired
773 reports
- Eye problem that can cause vision loss
Eye problem that can cause vision loss
772 reports
- Stomach pain
Stomach 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) 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?
Is bisacodyl safe during pregnancy?
Has bisacodyl been recalled?
Active Recalls
CGMP Deviations: product held outside appropriate storage temperature conditions.
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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 →
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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 further shape supply and switching decisions. This page summarizes public FDA data for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, always consult a licensed healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
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. Always consult a healthcare professional before making medication decisions.
Last updated: January 15, 2026
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 and last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.
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