How do the drugs used to treat chronic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome with predominant constipation compare?
In adults, polyethylene glycol has been shown to be effective in the treatment of chronic constipation. Less evidence supports the efficacy of psyllium. The strongest evidence is for Tegaserod which has shown to be effective in not only chronic constipation in adults, but also constipation associated with irritable bowel syndrome in both adults and children. However, because of safety concerns, tegaserod is currently not available in the US. The evidence on lubiprostone has been published as abstracts only. There is no evidence on the efficacy of docusate calcium, docusate sodium, and lactulose in treating chronic constipation in adults, and currently there are no studies on the general efficacy for the treatment of chronic constipation in children. The evidence comparing the efficacy of two drugs is sparse and fraught with methodological limitations. Results indicate that polyethylene glycol is more effective than lactulose in adults and children and more than psyllium in adults. Docu
