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PlainMeds

Over-the-counter medicine

Psyllium husk

Psyllium husk is an over-the-counter medicine. No generic is listed in FDA's NDC Directory.

  • No generic listed
  • Over the counter

Check it at the source: the psyllium husk FDA label on DailyMed (effective September 8, 2026); every psyllium husk label on DailyMed.

Highlights of the record

FDA label of September 8, 2026; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026

Used for

From the label: indications and usage

effective in treating occasional constipation and restoring regularity

Forms and strengths

  • 0.52 g
  • 3.4 g
  • 3.4 g/12g
  • 3.4 g/5.8g
  • 3.4 g/5.79g
  • 3.4 g/7g
  • 3.4 g/5.78g
  • 6 g/6g

Powder; capsule.

On the market

Generic approvals
No generic approved
Labelers listed (NDC)
17 of which 0 under generic applications, 0 under brand applications, repackagers included

Supply and safety

Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
Not in the survey
Shortage (FDA)
No current entry
Recalls by its makers (FDA)
0 since 2012 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; 1 more by firms not listed as its makers
FAERS reports
9,821 through July 30, 2026

What is psyllium husk used for?

From the label: indications and usage

effective in treating occasional constipation and restoring regularity

Conditions named in the indications of psyllium husk's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:

From other psyllium husk labels

Constipation: • for relief of occasional constipation (irregularity)

Source: FDA drug label (fiber laxative), Raritan Pharmaceuticals Inc, effective September 8, 2026 (SPL set 22e927bd-5734-424e-8870-1aaa18f1265e), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

Is there a generic for psyllium husk?

No generic psyllium husk is approved (Drugs@FDA, October 8, 2026).

Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)

Has psyllium husk been recalled?

The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 1 recall naming psyllium husk since 2012: 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 psyllium husk 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.

StartedClassCompanyReason
September 4, 2012Class IIRaritan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. not a listed makerMicrobial Contamination of Non-Sterile Products: Product is being recalled due to possible microbial contamination by C. …

Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026

What do FAERS reports show for psyllium husk?

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 9,821 reports that list psyllium husk among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 770 are coded as a death and 2,806 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

  • Fatigue1,069
  • Diarrhoea1,023
  • Constipation (a use or a product term, not a reaction)888
  • Off Label Use (a use or a product term, not a reaction)819
  • Nausea724
  • Headache701
  • Drug Ineffective (a use or a product term, not a reaction)674
  • Pain666

Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026

What else is labeled for the same conditions as psyllium husk?

15 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as psyllium husk 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.

MedicineShared indicationGeneric labelers (oral)Pharmacy costShortage
DocusateConstipationnone listed$0.0276 per unit 100 mg softgelNo current entry
SennosidesConstipationnone listed$0.0258 per tablet 8.6 mg tabletNo current entry
Polyethylene glycol 3350Constipation73 labelers$0.0286 per gram 3350 powdNo current entry
BisacodylConstipationnone listed$0.0441 per tablet 5 mg tabletNo current entry
Magnesium hydroxideConstipationnone listed$0.0095 per mL Milk of magnesia suspensionNo current entry
Magnesium citrateConstipationnone listed$0.0066 per mL Magnesium citrate solutionNo current entry
LubiprostoneConstipation10 labelers$0.651 per capsule 24 mcg capsuleNo current entry
PrucaloprideConstipation18 labelers$0.639 per tablet 1 mg tabletNo current entry

Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as psyllium husk

Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)

How does psyllium husk compare with medicines for the same use?

5 side-by-side pages set psyllium husk beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.

What next?

Alternatives to psyllium husk
15 medicines for the same use
Psyllium husk side effects
the label's list beside FAERS reports
Check an interaction
what two or more labels say about each other