Toddlers are a joy for parents. This is an axiom, albeit a banal one. Mom and dad look with emotion not only at the baby’s smile, but also at every poop, wet diaper, and puddle in an unexpected place. This is fine.
But when a child hasn’t pooped for a couple of days, even if nothing bothers him, this is already alarming and makes parents nervous. And here often the grandmother also gets involved. At the family council, it was decided that laxatives should be used. What to choose so as not to harm the little one? Are Microlax enemas suitable for newborns?
Pharmacology
The drug is a laxative. Intended for rectal use. The composition contains several active components that enhance each other’s effect on the human body, helping to soften stool and facilitate the process of defecation.
Sorbitol helps increase the amount of fluid entering the intestinal lumen, which increases the volume of stool and softens it. As a result, the process of defecation is greatly facilitated.
Sodium citrate helps displace fluid from stool.
As a result, water is displaced from the stool and the amount of fluid entering the intestines increases, which significantly facilitates the process of defecation in people who suffer from hemorrhoids and constipation.
The effect of the drug is observed within 5-10 minutes from the moment of using the microenema. But the effect of the drug may depend on the patient’s personal characteristics.
Information on pharmacodynamics is not available.
The ideal chair for a baby, educational program for parents
The frequency of bowel movements in infants varies from person to person.
Normal feces in an infant are soft, mushy feces of various shades of yellow. Curdled milk inclusions are allowed.
In the first days of life, the stool may be dark - this is meconium. Later, if the baby is bottle-fed, the feces range from greenish to black.
The frequency of bowel movements is individual for everyone. If a child walks about once every 2 days, but does not show anxiety, does not strain, does not cry and is gaining weight normally, then there is nothing to worry about. This is the norm.
If the stool is hard, the little one is restless, pulls his legs towards his tummy, and pushes without results, then he is clearly constipated and something needs to be done about it. What not to do if a newborn is constipated:
- Self-medicate.
- Do not insert soap, cotton swabs or other objects into the anus that could injure the baby or cause a burn to the mucous membrane.
- Do an enema regularly. This flushes out the necessary microflora from the intestines. An enema is an emergency measure. If you carry out the procedure regularly, the body itself will stop working as it should.
- Treat the effect rather than look for the cause of constipation.
When you need to urgently solve the issue of defecation, it is better to use specialized medications.
You should choose those that are suitable for children of any age. One such remedy is Microlax microenemas.
How to use Microlax
The medicine is used rectally. Before giving an enema, you need to wash your hands well and thoroughly clean the area around the anus. The seal must be broken off immediately before insertion. After removing the seal, you need to press on the tube so that the solution comes out. After this, the tip is inserted into the anus and the entire contents of the tube are squeezed out. You need to take out the enema with the walls of the tube compressed.
From the age of 3, the tip must be inserted completely. For younger children, half will be enough. One enema will be enough for a one-time dose.
The frequency of use and dosage can only be determined by a specialist, taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient.
Many people wonder about the emergence of addiction. Doctors say that you should not take the medicine for a long time. If a person has chronic constipation, then it is worth making an appointment with a doctor to undergo an examination and prescribe further treatment.
It is not recommended to take the medicine in parallel with alcoholic beverages.
Reviews about the drug are in most cases positive. In 95% of cases, the treatment takes place without any adverse reactions or discomfort. Parents note that Microlax has a much better and more effective effect on young children than other medications.
Actions of Microlax in children: how many minutes does the drug take to work in a child?
Actions of Microlax in children
The duration of action of the drug in children from three years of age inclusive is identical to the time of action in adults. How many minutes does it take for the drug to work in a child?
- From 5 minutes to an hour
If, after reaching this period of time, the desired therapeutic effect is not achieved, it is prohibited to administer the Microlax microenema again. The child's parents should consult a doctor.
Analogs
To date, no drugs have been developed that could be classified as analogues of the active component. But there are analogues that are similar in the principle of influence and the list of indications for use. These products include glycerin suppositories, which can be given to adults and children from infancy. The cost of many analogues is lower.
Analogs based on the principle of action also include Glycerin and Norgalax. These drugs also have a laxative effect and are used rectally. Glycerin is also available in solution form for topical and external use.
How long does it take for Microlax to work in pregnant women?
Enema Microlax
Microlax is approved for use by pregnant women during the 1st and 2nd trimesters. The effect of this drug is local, that is, localized only in the intestines and does not have any effect on the fetus. It should be noted that the duration of microenemas for pregnant women is identical to the time for non-pregnant adult women. On average it is 5-60 minutes .
Worth knowing:
- The prohibition of using Microlax in the third trimester in pregnant women is not related to the composition of the drug.
- This is due to the physiological peculiarities of this period, during which any relaxing or tonic effects on the pelvic muscles are undesirable.
Below you will find information about the use and effect of the product in children. Read on.
Most common constipation
Most often, alimentary simple and habitual variants of constipation occur, as well as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the development of which is explained primarily by psychological reasons1,2.
Nutritional
This type of constipation is associated with slow movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract as a result of a number of factors. These include:
- A sharp decrease in the amount of food consumed when following a diet, lack of appetite, the presence of contraindications and obstacles to proper nutrition, for example, after surgery, in the absence of teeth1.
- Insufficient fluid intake, which causes dehydration and a decrease in the volume of intestinal contents1.
- Excessive enthusiasm for products that “fix” stool3 due to their crushed composition, low fiber content, and the presence of astringents and diuretics. This group includes strong broths, pureed soups and porridges, jelly, puddings, pear, blueberry, quince compotes, strong tea and coffee3.
A sedentary lifestyle also contributes to the development of nutritional constipation1. Difficulty in defecation occurs due to decreased motility and is not accompanied by structural changes in the intestine characteristic of diseases. Normalizing nutrition and increasing physical activity, as a rule, helps normalize stool1,2.
Habitual
Constant constipation in adults and children is often the result of the habit of holding back bowel movements.
The best time to visit the toilet “in a big way” is considered to be morning1,3. The beginning of physical activity and eating during breakfast reflexively enhance intestinal motility and facilitate bowel movements. If in the morning rush you postpone going to the toilet over and over again, feces stretch the rectum, and its receptors stop responding to irritation - the reflex to defecation becomes weakly expressed. As a result, habitual constipation arises.
Habitual, constant constipation is experienced by people who deliberately delay going to the toilet when the urge arises. This happens when a person is demanding about the sanitary conditions of public places and cannot go to the toilet while at work or school1.
Often problems with excretion of feces occur in people who do not have the ability to immediately satisfy a natural need when necessary, for example, public transport drivers, teachers, assembly line workers, judges, surgeons1.
Often the cause of unconscious delay in bowel movement is fear of defecation due to regularly occurring pain syndrome in the presence of hemorrhoids, chronic anal fissure, inflammatory diseases and rectal cancer1. Treatment of these diseases helps solve the problem of constipation.
Psychogenic
One variant of this group of disorders is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)1. It is believed that the basis for the development of the disease is problems in the psycho-emotional sphere1. The imbalance of hormones that occurs against the background of nervous overload and chronic stress leads to changes in intestinal motility, and nutritional problems and a sedentary lifestyle aggravate the situation1. A distinctive feature of constipation in IBS is the appearance of abdominal pain, which goes away immediately after the passage of feces; a combination of bowel movements with migraines, insomnia at night and drowsiness during the day, sudden hot flashes and rapid heartbeat, painful menstruation and other symptoms arising from malfunctions of the nervous system. These manifestations also help distinguish IBS from habitual constipation1.
Up to contents
Treatment methods
To treat the symptom, dietary changes and the consumption of significant amounts of fluid are necessary.
Balanced physical activity, which is recommended by a specialist, plays an important role.
The prescription of laxatives and enemas is indicated exclusively by a doctor.
Among the methods of treating symptoms in cancer:
- Surgical manipulation;
- Chemotherapy;
- Radiation therapy;
- Immunotherapy;
- Targeted therapy.
A little about the last two methods. Immunotherapy is designed to enhance the immune defense properties. If this happens, the body has the ability to find and destroy cancer cells itself.
Targeted therapy is innovative. Using this method, it is possible to specifically target cancer cells without affecting healthy ones.
Providing microenemas for children
Preparing a child for the administration of Microlax is practically no different from the recommendations for adults. The baby also needs to wash the anus area and dry it. Be sure that mom or dad needs to thoroughly disinfect their hands. For children over 3 years old, the tip of the tube is inserted completely.
Children under three years old need to insert the applicator halfway, that is, up to the mark marked in the middle of the pipette.
The dosage for young children is selected individually, but usually pediatricians advise children under 3 years to administer half the contents of the tube.
Before the procedure, you need to put the baby on his tummy and bend his legs at the knees. The tip is inserted carefully, without sudden movements. After squeezing out, the compressed tube is removed. Then the child needs to squeeze the buttocks, this will prevent the solution from escaping before it begins to work. To enhance the effect, you can do a light tummy massage in a clockwise direction.
Special conditions
A sealed tube of Microlax should be stored at a temperature no higher than 25 degrees. It can be stored in the refrigerator, but before giving the enema, it is better to warm it to room temperature. The shelf life of the medicine from the date of release is 5 years.
If the medicine is not completely used, it should be thrown away immediately, since the therapeutic activity of the contents when the package is opened is significantly reduced.
You should not get carried away with frequent mini-enemas. The manufacturer recommends using Microlax 1 or, at least, 2 times a day. Increasing the frequency of delivery of the rectal remedy leads to the development of “lazy bowel syndrome”.
This is a condition in which peristalsis occurs only after stimulation of the receptors. For persistent and prolonged constipation, it is necessary to undergo an examination to determine the main cause of the problem, and then, based on it, select a treatment.
Contraindications and adverse reactions
An absolute contraindication to administering Microlax microenemas is hypersensitivity to one or more components of the drug. Proctologists do not recommend using any laxatives for:
- intestinal obstruction;
- rectal bleeding;
- dehydration.
Caution when using the drug should be exercised by persons on a sodium-restricted diet and with severe kidney and heart disease. Intestinal obstruction is indicated by the absence of stool and gas for several days, severe cramping pain in the lower abdomen, weakness, sweating, drop in blood pressure, and vomiting.
Adverse reactions during an enema rarely develop. Most often, patients note a burning sensation in the rectal area. In rare cases, rashes appear on the skin around the anus and irritation occurs.
The burning sensation does not require discontinuation of the drug; it completely disappears after the intestinal contents are released. If other adverse reactions are noted, you should stop using Microlax further. To reduce the intensity of symptoms, you need to rinse the anus with warm water, dry it and lubricate it with an ointment with regenerating or antihistamine properties.
