Over-the-counter medication · Stimulant Laxative
senna
Also sold as Senokot. Senna treats occasional constipation, which means you have trouble having bowel movements.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 20,197
- FDA reportsModerately reported
- 90% less
- Generic vs brandHuge savings
- $0.24
- Brand price (NADAC)
What the data shows
senna (Senokot) is an over-the-counter Stimulant Laxative, reported at a middle-of-the-pack volume (20,197 FDA reports), whose generic costs a fraction of the brand (about 90% less).
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.
senna (Senokot) is an over-the-counter Stimulant Laxative. Senna treats occasional constipation, which means you have trouble having bowel movements.
Senna (Senokot) is a stimulant laxative. It helps relieve constipation and usually causes a bowel movement in 6 to 12 hours.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Brand Price
$0.24/unit
Generic Price
$0.02/unit
Generic Savings
90%
Generic Available
Yes (0 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
NADAC price trail: SENNA 8.6 MG TABLET
Same CMS presentation as the headline generic unit price above (3 effective dates). Adjacent % compares consecutive NADAC releases for this description only, not a patient out-of-pocket quote. Latest step: +6.9% vs prior release.
| Effective | NADAC / unit | vs prior | NDCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 17, 2024 | $0.0210/EA | - | 1 |
| April 17, 2024 | $0.0219/EA | +4.2% | 1 |
| December 18, 2024 | $0.0234/EA | +6.9% | 9 |
What it does
Senna treats occasional constipation, which means you have trouble having bowel movements.
Common side effects
Diarrhea, Abdominal pain
Key warnings
No specific warnings noted. Always follow your prescriber's instructions.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from senna's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Senna is a stimulant laxative. It works by stimulating the muscles in your intestines. This helps to move stool through your body.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 20,197 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for senna, by number of reports
- Nausea
Nausea
1,390 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
1,358 reports
- Constipation
Constipation
1,157 reports
- Dyspnoea
Dyspnoea
1,093 reports
- Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
1,064 reports
- Death
Death
1,052 reports
- Vomiting
Vomiting
984 reports
- Pneumonia
Pneumonia
945 reports
- Fall
Fall
885 reports
- Pyrexia
Pyrexia
852 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 senna 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 senna sits
senna has more FDA adverse-event reports than 55% 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 senna; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 20,197 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
20,197
Reports Mentioning Death
3,098
15.3% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
10,339
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NAUSEA | 1,390 |
| 2 | FATIGUE | 1,358 |
| 3 | CONSTIPATION | 1,157 |
| 4 | DYSPNOEA | 1,093 |
| 5 | DIARRHOEA | 1,064 |
| 6 | DEATH | 1,052 |
| 7 | VOMITING | 984 |
| 8 | PNEUMONIA | 945 |
| 9 | FALL | 885 |
| 10 | PYREXIA | 852 |
| 11 | HEADACHE | 832 |
| 12 | PAIN | 831 |
| 13 | ASTHENIA | 767 |
| 15 | DIZZINESS | 708 |
| 16 | MALAISE | 660 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Common Questions
How long does senna take to work?
Can I take senna every day?
Can children take senna?
What should I do if senna doesn't work?
Can I take senna with other medications?
Does senna have a lot of sodium?
How much calcium is in each tablet?
What is the best time to take senna?
What do I do if the safety seal is broken?
How should I store senna?
What are the common side effects of senna?
What drug class is senna?
Is there a generic version of senna?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for senna?
Related Medications in Stimulant Laxative
Other drugs grouped near senna - 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 senna →
aprepitant
Emend
Aprepitant (Emend) is a medicine that helps prevent nausea and vomiting.
Compare with senna →
bisacodyl
Dulcolax
Bisacodyl is a medicine that helps you have a bowel movement.
Compare with senna →
bismuth subsalicylate
Pepto-Bismol
Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) is a medicine that can treat diarrhea and upset stomach.
Compare with senna →
cimetidine
Tagamet
Cimetidine (Tagamet) reduces stomach acid.
Compare with senna →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for senna: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 20,197.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 15.34%.
- mirtazapine Δ 0.09 pts · 87,759 reports · Noradrenergic and Specific Serotonergic Antidepressant (NaSSA) 15.43%death share
- entacapone Δ 0.09 pts · 3,955 reports · COMT Inhibitor 15.25%death share
- thiamine Δ 0.15 pts · 11,724 reports · Vitamin B1 Supplement 15.49%death share
- sildenafil Δ 0.17 pts · 55,325 reports · PDE5 Inhibitor 15.17%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Pain Relievers Compared
NSAIDs vs acetaminophen, which OTC pain reliever to use
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
What the FDA Data Shows for senna
The FDA label for senna (sold under brand names such as Senokot) classifies it as an over-the-counter product in the Stimulant Laxative class. Senna treats occasional constipation, which means you have trouble having bowel movements. Official labeling lists 2 commonly reported side effects, including Diarrhea, Abdominal pain.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 20,197 voluntary reports. Interaction data is drawn directly from FDA-approved prescribing information. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.02 versus $0.24 for the brand - a 90% generic savings.
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, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
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. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: October 21, 2023
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
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 from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
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