• Always take this medicine exactly as described in this leaflet or as your doctor or pharmacist have told you.
• Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
• Ask your pharmacist if you need more information or advice.
• If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.

1. What Bisalax Constipation Relief 5mg Tablets Adult are and what they are used for
2. What you need to know before you take Bisalax Constipation Relief 5mg Tablets Adult
3. How to take Bisalax Constipation Relief 5mg Tablets Adult
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Bisalax Constipation Relief 5mg Tablets Adult
6. Contents of the pack and other information

Normal and regular bowel movement is important for most people. However, what is “normal and regular” varies from person to person. Some may have a bowel movement every day, others less often. Whatever it is like for you, it is best that your bowel movement has a regular pattern.

• Constipation is an occasional problem for some people.For others, it may happen more often
• It happens when the normal muscle actions in the bowel (large intestine) slow down. This can mean that material is not easily eliminated from the body

The cause of constipation is often not known. It can be associated with:

• Sudden change of diet
• A diet with not enough fibre
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Loss of ‘tone’ of the bowel muscles in older people
• Pregnancy
• Medicines such as morphine or codeine
• Having to stay in bed for a long time
• Lack of exercise

Whatever the cause, constipation can be uncomfortable. It may make you feel bloated and heavy or generally “off colour”. Sometimes it causes headaches.

It is recommended to use changes in diet and bulk forming medicines to control constipation before using this medicine.

These healthy tips are recommended to try to prevent constipation happening:

• Eat a balanced diet including fresh fruit and vegetables
• Drink enough water so that you do not become dehydrated
• Keep up your exercise and stay fit
• Make time to empty your bowels when your body tells you

• are allergic (hypersensitive) to bisacodyl or to any of the ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6)
• are intolerant to or cannot digest some sugars (as the tablet contains a small amount of lactose and sucrose)
• have severe dehydration
• have a bowel condition called “ileus” (blockage in the intestine)
• have a serious abdominal condition such as appendicitis
• have severe abdominal pain with nausea and vomiting
• have a blocked bowel (intestinal obstruction)
• have inflammation of the bowel (small or large intestine)

Do not take this medicine if any of the above applies to you. Do not use in children under the age of 18 years. If you are not sure, talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking this medicine.

Stimulant laxatives (including bisacodyl) do not help with weight loss. They do not reduce the absorption of calories or nutrients. They can cause watery stools (diarrhoea), abdominal cramps and dehydration. Dehydration can seem like weight loss.

Overuse of laxatives may damage your health by:

• Causing disturbances of electrolyte and mineral balances. Sodium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus are electrolytes and minerals that are present in very specific amounts necessary for proper functioning of the nerves and muscles, including those of the colon and heart. Upsetting this delicate balance can cause incorrect functioning of these vital organs.
• Severe dehydration may cause tremors, weakness, blurry vision, fainting, kidney damage, and, in extreme cases, death. Dehydration often requires medical treatment.
• Laxative dependency occurs from overuse and can cause the colon to stop reacting to usual doses of laxatives so that larger amounts of laxatives may be needed to produce bowel movements.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines. This is because Bisalax Constipation Relief 5mg Tablets Adult can affect the way some other medicines work. Also, some other medicines can affect the way Bisalax Constipation Relief 5mg Tablets Adult work.

In particular, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking:

• Water tablets (diuretics) such as bendrofluazide or furosemide (frusemide)
• Steroid medicines such as prednisolone.

If you are not sure if any of the above applies to you, talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking Bisalax 5mg Tablets.

Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking Bisalax Constipation Relief 5mg Tablets Adult if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or are breast feeding.

Some people may feel dizzy or faint while taking this medicine. If this happens to you, wait until these feelings go away before driving or using machines.

The tablets contain a small of amount of lactose and sucrose in each tablet. Patients with rare hereditary problems of fructose intolerance, glucose-galactose malabsorption or sucrase-isomaltase insufficiency should not take this medicine.

For constipation: Adults (including the elderly) 1 to 2 tablets daily.

If you have not taken Bisalax Constipation Relief 5mg Tablets Adult before, start with one tablet and increase to two if necessary.

When your bowel regularity has returned to normal, the dose should be reduced and be stopped.

These tablets should not be used every day for more than 5 days. If you need laxatives every day, then you should see your doctor to find the cause of your constipation. Overuse can be harmful.

It may be harmful to:

• Take too many Bisalax Constipation Relief 5mg Tablets Adult
• Take Bisalax Constipation Relief 5mg Tablets Adult for too long

This is because taking too much for too long may lead to:

• A ‘lazy bowel’, where the muscle in the bowel becomes too relaxed. This means that bowel emptying happens less often. This can lead to long-term constipation.
• Imbalance of fluid and salts in the body. This can affect the tightness of muscles such as those in the bowel. It can also affect the salts in the blood.
• Low levels of potassium in the blood (called ‘hypo-kalaemia’). This can make you tired, dizzy, make your muscles weak and cause an uneven heart-beat.
• Dehydration, making you thirsty, feel faint and giving you headaches. It can also mean you cannot pass enough urine.

If you take more of this medicine than you should, talk to a doctor or go to a hospital straight away. Take the medicine pack with you, this is so the doctor knows what you have taken.

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme, website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

The active ingredient (the ingredient which makes this medicine work) is bisacodyl. Each tablet contains 5mg of bisacodyl.

The tablets also contain: lactose, maize starch, cellulose acetate phthalate, diethyl phthalate, sucrose, povidone, magnesium stearate, pregelatinised maize starch, talc, E171 (titanium dioxide) and E104 (quinoline yellow).

Bisalax tablets are round yellow, sugar-coated tablets.

They are packed in cartons containing blister strips. The cartons contain 8, 10 or 20 tablets. Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

If you want to know more about your medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist who can give you more information.