What Is the Difference between Laxatives and Stool Softeners?

Proctologist Dr. David Rosenfeld joins The Doctors to share how laxatives and stool softeners work inside the body, and what to reach for when you’re constipated.

About The Doctors:

The Doctors is an Emmy award-winning daytime talk show hosted by ER physician Dr. Travis Stork, plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon and OB-GYN Dr. Nita Landry.

The Doctors helps you understand the latest health headlines, such as the ice bucket challenge for ALS and the Ebola outbreak; delivers exclusive interviews with celebrities dealing with health issues, such as Lamar Odom, Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham, reality stars Honey Boo Boo and Mama June, and activist Chaz Bono; brings you debates about health and safety claims from agricultural company Monsanto and celebrities such as Jenny McCarthy; and shows you the latest gross viral videos and explains how you can avoid an emergency situation. The Doctors also features the News in 2:00 digest of the latest celebrity health news and The Doctors’ Prescription for simple steps to get active, combat stress, eat better and live healthier.

Now in its eighth season, The Doctors celebrity guests have included Academy Award Winners Sally Field, Barbra Streisand, Jane Fonda, Marcia Gay Harden, Kathy Bates and Marisa Tomei; reality stars from Teen Mom and The Real Housewives, as well as Kris Jenner, Caitlyn Jenner, Melissa Rivers, Sharon Osbourne, Tim Gunn and Amber Rose; actors Jessica Alba, Christina Applegate, Julie Bowen, Patricia Heaton, Chevy Chase, Kristin Davis, Lou Ferrigno, Harrison Ford, Grace Gealey, Cedric the Entertainer, Valerie Harper, Debra Messing, Chris O’Donnell, Betty White, Linda Gray, Fran Drescher, Emmy Rossum, Roseanne Barr, Valerie Bertinelli, Suzanne Somers; athletes Magic Johnson, Apolo Ohno and Danica Patrick; musicians Tim McGraw, Justin Bieber, Clint Black, LL Cool J, Nick Carter, Kristin Chenoweth, Paula Abdul, Gloria Gaynor, La Toya Jackson, Barry Manilow, Bret Michaels, Gene Simmons and Jordin Sparks; and celebrity chefs Wolfgang Puck, Guy Fieri and Curtis Stone.

[fupamongoopa]

I was a heroin addict for many years and for those of you who don't know: opiates cause severe constipation!
However, the thing about being an opiate addict is that your mind is focussed on things other than "hmm, when was the last time i had a decent bowl movement?" 🙄
Anyway, one week i ended up severely bloated, started turning yellow and felt like i was dying. I eventually went to hospital and it turned out i had been backed up for about 4 weeks!
They gave me all kinds of laxatives, pro-biotics...etc and eventually i gave birth to something that was approximately the size of a pringles can. No joke.
I felt like a proud father by the time the ordeal was over.
I didn't think it was humanily possible to produce something that collosal! I felt like giving it a name, wrapping it in a blanky and taking it home.

[jajajaja]

This doctor is really into his job. Respects go to him.

[samiam]

My grandma had horrible constipation one time, that almost took her life. She had a softball size stool stuck, They had to go in there with an instrument to break it up, and remove it. She was on a series of antibiotics and a laxatives for three weeks

[brett_kendrick]

I once was so constipated with the worst stomach pain I've ever had in my life that both arms went numb while on the toliet. Unfortunately sat in the ER for over 5 hours laying on the ground in the fetal position and never got seen so I just ended up leaving after someone drove me there. It was a VA ER by the way. That why's I don't go to them any more I go to regular ERs.

[chrisreed]

Ugh..I'm sitting on the toilet rocking back and forth in pain trying to give birth to this huge, hard impacted stool!! Praying to God to please let this thing pass...but not hurt when it does...while sitting here alternating praying and pushing and rocking back and forth the toilet breaks loose from the flange sending a flood of water down the hallway!! Lord please help me!

[ogrebattle]

I had really bad constipation a few months ago & it went on for a few weeks ... I had to take the 2 in 1 which is a stool softener & laxative.... it took about 3 days for it to work on my system & i had to take the 2 in 1 for about a week to 10 days after that my doctor told me to switch off the stimulant laxative 2 in 1 & just take the stool softener without the laxative which I did & he told me to take the 50mg 3 times a day which worked... he did say to me that if the 50mg wasn't enough or I was still having trouble passing my stool to take the 100mg ... the reason a lot of people initially think that Colace doesn't work is because they want & are looking for immediate relief & it doesn't work that way... I know it is frustrating because you don't want to go through the agonizing struggle of trying to go to the bathroom but it is worth it in the end all you need to do is just give your body about 48-72 hours to adjust to the stool softener & it will work trust me... but you have to take it regularly & you can't miss any dose...

[fixuppp]

I bought the cheap equate walmart ones that do both. Stool softeners plus laxatives. Because I don't take them all the time, but when my hemorrhoids start to flare up then I take it and it makes poop easily and fast and my flare up goes away. My hemorrhoids don't come from constipation. My stools come out fine HOWEVER when they come out they are just very large and hard when coming out and it forms a hemorrhoid down there. I know when to take it because steak, and like most heavy meat diets will trigger it.

[rirenn]

I haven’t pooped in 4 days and I can’t take a laxative because it will make me poop at school

[juliafrost]

Can you please do a video about laxative abuse? I take about 20 pills almost every day... I am so dependent on them not just physically but mentally.

[xeropwnage]

This would’ve been a good opportunity for a pharmacist to weigh in. They’re doctors too :/

[MrCeora]

That was some good information. I just wasted money on softener.

[hendrixfreak]

I was constipated so badly and in such pain I actually called 911 but thank god i finally dropped that bad boy.

[SkynetT]

Can I take stool softener to prevent colitis relapse or outbreak?

[Saznaki]

I was told to not strain to push the stool out by my Dr she also recommended a type of laxative which I bought. I have been constipated for a few days on and off, all day I have been needing to poo, I have taken the laxatives recommended by my Dr last time the laxatives I was using were not very effective. Im now using stool softners and hoping they will allow me to poo

[ibstayfly]

Milk of magnesia was recommended to me by my doctor. What does hydroxide mean? Is it bad 

I was doing research and I know that most of milk of magnesia contains bleach are there any without the bleach. And also that magnesium citrate is better for the body than magnesium oxide 


Do any of the milk of magnesia contains citrate 


What are the best brands of milk of magnesia to get

[mvida]

5 hours ago i took a pill laxative great medication, guess what now i need peptobismol

[davidhoward]

I just got home from the hospital because i had groin pain and flank pain. They said i was just clogged up. They prescribed me Miralax.

[jborrego]

Great I brought the wrong thing should I watch this before lol

[AR-gfbq]

Wow this is crazy, that doctor was who made my hemorrhoids removal . His is at Thousand Oaks CA. He's te best, and the powder perfect P.o.o.p works like magic

[AimiLee-jydq]

I'm not constipated but I move my bowels weekly