Small molecule
PubChem CID 23673837
Docusate sodium
Colace
- Mechanism of action
- Stool softener (anionic surfactant)
- In plain language
- Softens stool by acting like a detergent that lets water and fat mix into it, rather than making the intestines squeeze harder.
- How it works
- Docusate sodium is an anionic surfactant that acts locally within the intestinal lumen rather than on colonic smooth muscle. By lowering the surface tension at the oil-water interface of fecal material, it allows water and lipids from intestinal fluid to penetrate and mix into the stool mass, producing a softer, easier-to-pass stool. This distinguishes it from stimulant laxatives such as sennosides, which act by directly triggering peristaltic contraction of the colon; docusate produces no direct effect on gut motility.
- Therapeutic applications
- Per the FDA OTC drug monograph and current drug-facts labeling, docusate sodium is indicated as a stool softener for the relief of occasional constipation (irregularity), generally producing a bowel movement within 12 to 72 hours. Docusate sodium does not have an FDA-approved New Drug Application; it is regulated and marketed under the OTC laxative monograph.
- Class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- Gastrointestinal
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