Side effects of lactulose

Lactulose, a kind of sugar, gets to be disintegrated to light acids in the large intestine. Acids soak up water from the colon and dilutes stool. Therefore, additionally added lactulose may cure a chronic constipation. But, even if there other medical usage of lactulose, it is not recommended for patients, who are not allowed to intake milk sugar or galactose.

Diabetic patients or patients that are having colonoscopy are not to take lactulose before the consultation with doctor. Lactulose can provoke bad diarrhea, and in such case, it is better to stop taking lactulose because diarrhea can drain the body from the liquid. Lactulose medicine can be taken in the liquid form, but there is a warning, if the liquid medicine gets to be too dark or too thick, it is not recommended to take it.

All lactulose users need to do regular blood tests. Lactulose dose special adjustments tests need to be determined in case of diabetes and colonoscopy patients. Also, if patient is pregnant, it is not good to use lactulose because it can have very harmful effect on the breastfed baby, if pass it through, further to a mother’s milk.

Side Effects of Lactulose

Of course there are various side effects of lactulose. Most common side effects of lactulose crystals are gas problem, cramps in the stomach and belching. There are also severe side effects such as: allergic reactions like difficulty breathing, chest tightness, itching or swelling, rashes, high levels of sugar, bad diarrhea, a great thirst, rapid breathing, fruity breath odor etc.

While lactulose solution have a light side effects such as stomach cramps or belching, the lactulose solution can also have severe allergic reactions. The severe side effects are just the same as lactulose crystals side effects. And an extra dosage of lactulose may cause diarrhea, extensive fluid loss, hypokalemia or hypernatremia followed with vomiting or nausea, which also fits into side effects due to a lactulose taking.

Side Effects Classified by Body System

Metabolic side effects can be a hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis, hypernatremia or hypokalemia (or a severe and intractable lactic acidosis). Also, electrolyte and fluid problems may involve a hash hypernatremia, hypokalemia, hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis out of a long termed diarrhea and fluid loss. And acute or older patients may easily have high lactulose metabolic effects.

Gastrointestinal Side Effects can be diarrhea and bad diarrhea may be followed with hypokalemia, hypernatremia, hypovolemia. If diarrhea keeps on too long, the dose need to be cut down. But in general, the gastrointestinal side effects are bowel distention, flatulence, gaseous distention, nausea, cramping, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps, and sometimes pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis.