Clinical medicine profile
Sennosides
Therapeutic agent (verify pharmacological class)
- Route
- See product SmPC
- Schedule
- POM
- ATC
- Not assigned
- PPB status
- registered
This profile needs source confirmation
Some sections contain general class guidance rather than medicine-specific evidence. Confirm prescribing decisions against the current SmPC and Kenya STG/EML.
Safety essentials
The information most likely to change a prescribing or dispensing decision.
Contraindications
- Hypersensitivity to the active substance or excipients.
- Additional absolute contraindications are indication- and product-specific — consult SmPC.
Precautions
- Do not use laxative products for longer than 1 week unless directed by a doctor.
- Ask a doctor or pharmacis before use if you have stomach pain, nausea or vomiting noticed a change in bowel habits that lasts over two weeks.
- Stop use and ask a doctor if you have rectal bleeding or failure to have a bowel movement after use of a laxative.
- These may indicate a serious condition.
Dosing matrix
Population and organ-function guidance, shown together for faster comparison.
Shake well before using Do not exceed recommended dose Age Starting Dose Maximum Dose adults and children 12 years and older 2-3 teaspoonfuls once a day preferably at bedtime; increase as needed or as recommended by a doctor 3 teaspoons in the morning and 3 teaspoons at bedtime Under 12 years of age ask a doctor ask a doctor
See label paediatric section if present; otherwise use paediatric formulary — do not extrapolate adult doses.
Review renal impairment dosing; many agents need CrCl/eGFR adjustment.
- CrCl 0–120: Confirm renal dosing in product SmPC / primary label.
Review hepatic impairment dosing; monitor LFTs if agent is hepatically cleared or hepatotoxic.
Use, effects & interactions
Indications
- relieves occasional constipation (irregularity) generally causes bowel movement in 6 to 12 hours Clinical selection for Sennosides should follow culture results where relevant, Kenya STG/EML recommendations, and the current product SmPC.
- Class context: Therapeutic agent (verify pharmacological class).
- Confirm site-specific dose, duration and monitoring before prescribing.
Adverse effects
- Excessive bowel activity that may result in diarrhoea
- abdominal cramps
- electrolytic imbalances
- nausea and vomiting
- non-functional colon due to loss of muscle tone.
Drug interactions
Open multi-drug checker ↗- These are senna glycosides consisting of a number of anthraquinone deriva-tives.
- Their onset of action is 8-12 hours.
- Long term use, regular or over-use of laxatives, includ-ing sennosides, can lead to dependency.
- Drug interactions: Milk, antacids, tetracycline, lipid soluble vitamins [A, D, E and K].
Mechanism & disposition
Stimulant laxatives increase intestinal motility and often cause abdominal cramp.
Read complete mechanism
Stimulant laxatives increase intestinal motility and often cause abdominal cramp. Mechanism is agent-specific. At receptor, enzyme, ion channel, transporter or microbial target level, the drug alters a physiological or pathological pathway to produce its therapeutic effect. Confirm precise molecular mechanism in current SmPC / pharmacology reference for this INN before high-stakes decisions.
Product-specific
Product-specific
See product SmPC
are product-specific. Consider food effects, protein binding, hepatic CYP/UGT
when adjusting for organ impairment, age and drug interactions. Verify parameters in the current SmPC.
Pregnancy, lactation & diet
Use only if potential benefit justifies potential risk; prefer agents with better reproductive data when alternatives exist.
Assess infant risk vs benefit of maternal therapy; prefer agents with lactation data.
Brands & loaded prices
| Brand | Manufacturer | Pack | Observed price |
|---|---|---|---|
| SENNA TABS 50`s | Not recorded | — | KES 231.13Daima Chemist price-list reference ↗ Source date not recorded · verify current price |
Sources & review state
Decision support only. Confirm patient-specific decisions against the current product SmPC, Kenya STG/EML, and professional judgement.