Over-the-counter medicine
Mineral oil
Mineral oil is an over-the-counter medicine. No generic is listed; pharmacies paid $0.0099 per mL (Mineral oil) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- No generic listed
- Over the counter
Check it at the source: the mineral oil FDA label on DailyMed (effective September 2, 2026); every mineral oil label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of September 2, 2026; 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 (irregularity).
Forms and strengths
- 1 mg/ml
- 2.5 g/5ml
- 59.8 g/100g
- 100 mg/100ml
- 100 g/100ml
- 118 g/118ml
- 133 g/133ml
- 999 mg/ml
- 1000 mg/ml
- 1000 g/118ml
Liquid; oil; enema; solution; spray.
On the market
- Generic approvals
- No generic approved
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 36 of which 0 under generic applications, 0 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.0099 per mL Mineral oil
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- No recall recorded
- FAERS reports
- 1,463 through July 30, 2026
What is mineral oil used for?
From the label: indications and usagefor relief of occasional constipation (irregularity). Generally productes bowel movement in 6 to 8 hours.
Conditions named in the indications of mineral oil's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
From other mineral oil labelsConstipation: Use for relief of occasional constipation (irregularity).
Source: FDA drug label (Oil), Atlantic Biologicals Corp., effective September 2, 2026 (SPL set 5a82197b-281d-76c0-e063-6294a90a5746), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for mineral oil?
No generic mineral oil 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 mineral oil?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.0099 per mL (Mineral oil), up 25% from $0.0079 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.
- Mineral oil (generic)
- Fleet mineral oil enema (brand)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ft mineral oil | Generic | $0.0099 per mL | n/a | +25% |
| Mineral oil | Generic | $0.0099 per mL | n/a | +25% |
| Fleet mineral oil enema | Brand | $0.0171 per mL | n/a | +16% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
What do FAERS reports show for mineral oil?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 1,463 reports that list mineral oil among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 170 are coded as a death and 620 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 mineral oil?
15 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as mineral oil 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 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 |
Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as mineral oil
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does mineral oil compare with medicines for the same use?
2 side-by-side pages set mineral oil beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Alternatives to mineral oil
- 15 medicines for the same use
- Mineral oil side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other