Laxette is a laxative syrup used for short-term relief of constipation, including in children. It stimulates the bowel to move. It is a general-sale product rather than a scheduled medicine, so check your bottle — and constipation in a child needs a plan, not just a syrup.
What is Laxette?
Laxette is a laxative syrup, widely used in South Africa and often given to children. It is a general-sale product rather than a registered scheduled medicine, which is why it sits on the shelf rather than behind the counter.
Formulations of this kind vary, so read your own bottle. Syrups sold for this purpose are typically stimulant laxatives, commonly based on senna or related compounds, sometimes in a sweetened base.
Understanding the categories helps more than the brand name does, because laxatives work in genuinely different ways:
| Type | How it works | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Stimulant — senna, bisacodyl | Prompts the bowel wall to contract | 6–12 hours |
| Osmotic — lactulose, macrogol | Draws water into the stool to soften it | 1–3 days |
| Bulk-forming — ispaghula | Adds fibre and bulk | 2–3 days |
| Stool softeners — docusate | Lets water penetrate the stool | 1–3 days |
A stimulant makes the bowel push; an osmotic makes the stool softer. If the problem is hard, painful stools — which it usually is, particularly in children — softening works better and more comfortably than stimulating.
What is Laxette commonly used for?
- Short-term constipation in adults and children.
- Constipation from a change in diet, travel or routine.
- Constipation caused by medicines, particularly opioids such as codeine.
- Clearing the bowel before some procedures, on medical direction.
Constipation in children
This is the commonest reason Laxette is bought, and it is worth more than a dose instruction.
Childhood constipation usually becomes self-reinforcing. A hard, painful stool leads the child to hold on to avoid the pain. Holding on makes the next stool harder and more painful, which reinforces the holding. Some children then have overflow soiling — liquid stool leaking past a hard mass — which parents often mistake for diarrhoea.
Breaking that cycle takes more than an occasional syrup. What works:
- Softening the stool consistently, usually with an osmotic laxative for weeks, not days — often longer than parents expect.
- Regular toilet sitting after meals, unhurried, with feet supported on a step so the child can push properly.
- Fluid and fibre, though these alone rarely fix established constipation.
- Removing the fear. A child who associates the toilet with pain needs several pain-free stools before the holding stops.
Stopping treatment as soon as things improve is the commonest mistake, and the cycle restarts.
See a doctor for constipation in a baby under one year, if there is blood, if the child is losing weight or not growing well, if there is soiling, if the abdomen is swollen and tender, or if it started in the first weeks of life.
How Laxette fits into this medicine category
| Group | Examples | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Stimulant laxatives | Senna, bisacodyl | Fast; cramping common |
| Osmotic laxatives | Lactulose, macrogol | Gentler; better for hard stools and children |
| Bulk-forming | Ispaghula husk | Needs plenty of fluid |
| Antidiarrhoeals | Loperamide (Gastron) | Opposite effect |
| Antispasmodics | Hyoscine butylbromide (Buscopan) | For cramping |
See the digestive, stomach and nausea medicines hub.
What to check before using Laxette
Read your bottle for the ingredients and the age from which it is recommended, and use the measure supplied.
Give it in the evening if it is a stimulant — it typically works 6 to 12 hours later, so an evening dose acts in the morning.
Increase fluids alongside. A laxative without adequate fluid works poorly.
Speak to a pharmacist or doctor before using it if:
- The person is a baby under one year.
- Constipation is long-standing, or keeps returning — that needs a proper plan rather than repeated syrup.
- There is blood in the stool, or on the paper.
- There is abdominal pain, swelling or vomiting — a stimulant laxative must not be used where there may be an obstruction.
- There is soiling or leakage in a child.
- The person is pregnant or breastfeeding.
- There has been a recent change in bowel habit in an adult over about 50, or unintended weight loss — that needs assessment, not a laxative.
- The person takes regular opioid painkillers — opioid constipation usually needs an ongoing plan, not occasional treatment.
Possible cautions and when to ask a pharmacist or doctor
Stimulant laxatives are for short-term use. Prolonged regular use can cause cramping, fluid and electrolyte loss, and a bowel that becomes reliant on stimulation. For ongoing constipation, an osmotic laxative is the better long-term choice — ask a pharmacist.
Cramping and griping are the commonest effects of a stimulant.
Do not use it if an obstruction is possible — abdominal pain with vomiting and no wind or stool passing needs urgent assessment, not a laxative.
Do not treat overflow soiling as diarrhoea. Giving an antidiarrhoeal to a child who is actually severely constipated makes things considerably worse. If a child has been constipated and now has leakage, see a doctor.
For adults, a persistent change in bowel habit needs investigating, particularly over 50, or with blood, weight loss or anaemia. Constipation that is new and persistent is not something to manage indefinitely at home.
Diet and routine do more than tablets over time: adequate fluid, fruit and vegetables, and regular unhurried toilet time after meals.
Seek medical attention for blood in the stool, black tarry stools, severe abdominal pain, a swollen tender abdomen, vomiting with no bowel movement or wind, unintended weight loss, a persistent change in bowel habit, constipation in a baby under one year, or soiling in a child.
Related medicine guides
- Browse Digestive, Stomach & Nausea Medicines guides
- Read: Hyospasmol used for
- Read: Adco Contromet used for
Frequently asked questions
What is Laxette used for? Short-term relief of constipation in adults and children. It is a laxative syrup that stimulates the bowel.
How long does it take to work? A stimulant laxative typically works 6 to 12 hours after the dose, so an evening dose acts the following morning.
Can I give it to my child? It is widely used in children, but check the age on your bottle, and see a doctor for a baby under one year or for constipation that keeps returning.
How long can I use it? Short-term. Prolonged stimulant use causes cramping and electrolyte loss, and an osmotic laxative is better for ongoing constipation.
My child has leakage — is that diarrhoea? Often not. Liquid stool leaking past a hard mass is a sign of severe constipation. Do not give an antidiarrhoeal; see a doctor.
Constipation keeps coming back. What should I do? That needs a plan rather than occasional syrup — usually consistent softening for weeks, regular toilet routine, and addressing the fear of painful stools.