Should You Eat After Taking a Laxative?

No one likes feeling bloated and constipated, and while changing up your diet or drinking more water can often help, sometimes a stronger solution is necessary. That’s where a laxative can come in. But is it okay to eat afterward, and which types of food are best to avoid aggravating your symptoms? Read on to learn everything you need to know about eating after taking a laxative.

• Laxatives That Add Bulk These laxatives, which often come in a powder form that needs to be mixed with water, use soluble fiber as a bulking agent. This increases both the water content and the bulk of the stool, making it easier to pass. Popular products include psyllium (Metamucil), methylcellulose (Citrucel), polycarbophil (FiberCon), and wheat dextrin (Benefiber). Bulking agent laxatives can often produce results within 12 hours, but they may take up to two to three days to work.
• Lubricant Laxatives These laxatives contain an emollient, such as mineral oil, that helps stool pass more quickly. Lubricant laxatives can work quickly, within six to eight hours, but they are generally recommended only as a short-term constipation cure because they can prevent important fat-soluble vitamins from being absorbed by the body.
• Stool Softeners Laxatives like docusate (Colace and Surfak) add moisture to stool to allow it to pass more easily. They can take from 12 hours to up to three days to work.
• Osmotic Laxatives These laxatives with familiar brand names, such as magnesium hydroxide (Phillips’ Milk of Magnesia) and polyethylene glycol (Miralax), draw water into your intestine, also with the goal of making the stool softer and easier to pass. They typically take one to three days to work.
• Stimulant Laxatives Products like bisacodyl (Dulcolax) and the vegetable-based senna (Senokot) work within 6 to 12 hours (or sooner) by stimulating the lining of the intestine to contract and push out stool. Stimulant laxatives are usually only recommended when other types of laxatives have not worked.

What and when you eat while taking a laxative depends on the type you used.

According to Maria Vila, DO, a family medicine specialist in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, it’s important to give your body time — at least 30 minutes — to absorb the laxative before your next meal or snack.

It’s also key to consider what you should — and shouldn’t — eat after taking a laxative. “Do not eat processed foods,” says Niket Sonpal, MD, an internist and gastroenterologist and adjunct assistant professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York City. “Foods that have little or no fiber sit longer in your intestines.”

Dr. Sonpal specifically recommends avoiding alcohol, dairy, red meat, sweets, and fried foods, all of which, he says, can slow digestion and make constipation worse.

Caffeine should also be avoided. “The caffeine in coffee and soft drinks can keep your body from holding onto water,” Sonpal says. “And you need water to stay regular.”

Defaulting to fiber-rich foods like fruits (including kiwis), vegetables, and whole grains — paired with generous amounts of water — is the best way to get your digestion back in good working order and stay regular, thereby eliminating the need for laxatives.

• Laxatives can be a useful tool to alleviate occasional bouts of constipation, and there are several types to choose from, including stool softeners, bulk-forming laxatives, and osmotic laxatives.
• You should generally wait at least 30 minutes after taking a laxative to eat a meal or a snack, and it’s recommended that you focus on consuming nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
• It’s also important to maintain a healthy lifestyle to prevent constipation in the first place, including eating a fiber-rich diet, staying active, and maintaining a regular bathroom schedule.