GeriPal Taste Test Part I: Liquid Bowel Medications

GeriPal has put together a taste test on “Liquid Bowel Medications” which was inspired from a great selection of comments from our previous posts on medications that should never be prescribed to hospice patients. We have a fine selection of medications including sorbitol, lactulose, and liquid (and crushed!) docusate.

The conclusions are pretty clear. First, one should never give liquid docusate (colace) by mouth. Second, one should never, never, never ever crush docusate and mix it with applesauce.

This really begs the question whether colace should be prescribed in the hospice setting or in frail elderly patients, as both groups are at risk for losing their ability to swallow large pills. There is also very little evidence that docusate works. In a 2008 nonrandomized cohort study done in hospitalized patients with cancer, a senna only protocol was more effective than a senna+colace protocol. Even though this study was small, with only 30 patients in each group, it should make us question the continued use of this medication.

by: Eric Widera (@ewidera)