Hi,
For constipation:
1.Stool softners
Senna(Senokot) works on colon and can be bought OTC.;they may take up to 6-12 hr to work.Colace,Surfak(Docusate sodium) works on the small and large intestine(colon) and can take up to 24-72hrs to work.
2.Stimulant laxatives
ducolax(Bisacodyl) 5mg tablet , 10mg suppository and Fleet enema which are a bit stronger than that of the stool softners.(OTC);they work in the colon too.;they may take 15min to an hour to work.;Castor oil works on the small intestine and it may take up to 2-6hr to start working.
3.Saline Laxatives
Magnesium citrate or Milk of magnesium are saline laxatives works on small and large intestine;Sodium phosphates(Fleet Enema) is also a saline laxative but works on colon.(30min to one hour)
4.Lubricant
Mineral oil works on the colon as lubricant;it may take 6-8hr to work.
5.Misc.laxatives included glycerin suppository(15-30min-colon), Lactulose(24-48hr-colon), Lubiprostone(24-48hr-acts on GI epithelium),Miralax(48hr-acts on small and large intestine) and sorbitol70%(24-48hr-acts on colon) and of course the co-lytely 4000ml bottle used primary for colonoscopy to clean the bowel before the exam.
As you can see ,there are a lot of choices,but I think the best way to handle your mom’s problem is to ask a GI physician about which one or two ( or combinations) that can work the best for your mom base on the location of BM problem and duration or action of the laxatives he/she choose.
god bless.