Constipation - Senna And Movicol

[Barquentine]

Apologies for the graphic question title but this is a serious question on behalf of my father-in-law who has cancer and has been prescribed a plethora of medications. Two are Senna and Movicol for constipation he has been suffering recently. The latest hospital discharge sheet states he should take Senna once a day in the evening. They also prescribed Movicol _another constipation drug) to take if and when needed. Today he did need this so we have him 250ml (two sachets_ as directed in the instructions. Question is whether he should miss his Senna tonight or take it as usual. My wife's opinion is he should miss it; I say the opposite. Any views would be welcome. Thanks.

[fbg40]

B
Know this may sound stupid but why not ring 111 and ask them ? You should get some guidance at least. Hope all goes well.
FBG40

[ladybirder]

Barquetine I hope they work for him. I was given the same when I was in hospital with cancer and neither worked for me. As soon as I got home I bought some soft dried apricots and they did the trick.
Sorry I can't answer your question but I agree ringing 111 is a good idea.

[Buenchico]

I make no claims to having any medical knowledge but the hospital's instructions seem clear enough to me.

Your FIL should take the Senna on a regular (no pun intended!) basis, with the Movicol being used in addition to (and NOT in place of) the Senna, as and when needed.

Therefore your FIL should still take his regular dose of Senna tonight.

[Barquentine]

Thanks FBG40. Yes, could do that. Except, tried that the other day on a separate question. Unfortunately, since humans are controlled by algorithms these days, the 'human'(?) I spoke to explained she would need to run through all the data collection her computer requires(d.o.b./address/inside leg measurement..) and have the 'patient' available to speak to, before she could answer the question (will morphine tablets make you vomit). I thanked her for the superior quality of her voice-recognition and went in search of a person. Don't get me wrong. I can well see the benefits of computers, but a machine's gotta know its limitations! I just discovered on another website that Senna and Movicol work in combination - so query has been solved. Thanks for your help though.

[tinkerbell23]

He can, and should continue to take both particularly if he is taking strong painkillers

He can miss a dose of either really if things go the opposite way and bowels become loose xx

(Im a cancer nurse)