What Laxitive Can Be Used Safely With Warfarin And What Can Be Used To Prevent Constipation?

Posted on Wed, 3 Jul 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 3 Jul 2013 Answered on

Wed, 24 Jul 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : what laxitive can i use safely with warfarin. Also what can be used routinely to prevent constipation?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (7 hours later)

HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

There are different types of laxatives such as: (1) bulk forming laxatives- these increase the bulk of the stool so that is passes easier, examples are metamucil, citrucel, fibercon- none of these have any known interaction with warfarin at present

(2) stimulant laxatives encourage the bowel to contract, an example is senna. Senna is not known to interact with warfarin

(3)Lubricant laxatives like mineral oil are known to interact with warfarin and should not be used.

You can consider trying the bulk laxatives to see if they help you.

In addition you may want to consider (1) increasing the use of fruits (prunes are particularly helpful) and vegetables (2) increasing fluid intake , preferably water if possible (3) increasing activity where ever it is possible (4) increasing the use of other high fiber foods such as whole grain breads, oats, barley,

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar