Over-the-counter medicine
Magnesium hydroxide
Magnesium hydroxide is an over-the-counter medicine. No generic is listed; pharmacies paid $0.0095 per mL (Milk of magnesia suspension) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- No generic listed
- Over the counter
Check it at the source: the magnesium hydroxide FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 21, 2026); every magnesium hydroxide label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of August 21, 2026; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usagerelieves occasional constipation (irregularity).
Forms and strengths
- 400 mg
- 600 mg
- 800 mg
- 1200 mg
- 80 mg/ml
- 400 mg/5ml
- 1200 mg/15ml
- 2400 mg/30ml
- 2400 mg/10ml
Liquid; suspension; chewable tablet; chewable bar; capsule.
On the market
- Generic approvals
- No generic approved
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 48 of which 0 under generic applications, 0 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.0095 per mL Milk of magnesia suspension
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 6 since 2022 3 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest June 7, 2022
- FAERS reports
- 13,458 through July 30, 2026
What is magnesium hydroxide used for?
From the label: indications and usagerelieves occasional constipation (irregularity). This product usually produces bowel movement in 1/2 to 6 hours.
Conditions named in the indications of magnesium hydroxide's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
From other magnesium hydroxide labelsConstipation: Uses relieves occasional constipation (irregularity).
Acid reflux and ulcers: Use As an antacid: helps relieve acid ingestion, heartburn and sour stomach.
Source: FDA drug label (MiraFAST soft chews), Bayer HealthCare LLC., effective August 21, 2026 (SPL set 2cee67dd-b71f-32b8-e063-6394a90ae864), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for magnesium hydroxide?
No generic magnesium hydroxide 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 magnesium hydroxide?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.0095 per mL (Milk of magnesia suspension), down 2% from $0.0097 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.
- Milk of magnesia suspension (generic)
- Fleet pedia-lax tablet chewable (brand)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ft milk of magnesia suspension | Generic | $0.0095 per mL | n/a | -2% |
| Milk of magnesia suspension | Generic | $0.0095 per mL | n/a | -2% |
| Fleet pedia-lax tablet chewable | Brand | $0.151 per tablet | $4.54 | +0.1% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Has magnesium hydroxide been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 6 recalls naming magnesium hydroxide since 2022: 3 Class I (the most serious), 3 Class II, 0 Class III; 0 still ongoing. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 7, 2022 | Class I | Plastikon Healthcare LLC | Microbial Contamination of Non-Sterile Products. |
| June 7, 2022 | Class II | Plastikon Healthcare LLC | CGMP Deviations: products manufactured under conditions which reflect manufacturing processes that were not adequately controlled. |
| March 24, 2022 | Class I | Plastikon Healthcare LLC | Microbial Contamination of Non-Sterile Products |
| March 24, 2022 | Class II | Plastikon Healthcare LLC | CGMP Deviations: Failure to properly investigate failed microbial testing. |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the magnesium hydroxide label say about other medicines?
The magnesium hydroxide label names no other medicine on this site. The labels of 23 other medicines name magnesium hydroxide. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
Other labels that name magnesium hydroxide
Source: FDA drug label (MiraFAST soft chews), Bayer HealthCare LLC., effective August 21, 2026 (SPL set 2cee67dd-b71f-32b8-e063-6394a90ae864), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for magnesium hydroxide?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 13,458 reports that list magnesium hydroxide among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 2,066 are coded as a death and 6,209 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 magnesium hydroxide?
15 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as magnesium hydroxide 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 |
| Bisacodyl | Constipation | none listed | $0.0441 per tablet 5 mg tablet | 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 |
Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as magnesium hydroxide
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does magnesium hydroxide compare with medicines for the same use?
6 side-by-side pages set magnesium hydroxide beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Alternatives to magnesium hydroxide
- 15 medicines for the same use
- Magnesium hydroxide side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other