Maintenance step-by-step

You will give the medicine every day, at the same time every day if possible.

By giving laxatives and making time to sit at the toilet every day, you give the child the chance to do a poo regularly.

Only give laxatives to children if their doctor has prescribed them.

Start with the number of sachets recommended by your doctor

Getting advice on where to start is always best, so talk to your doctor about how much medicine to start with.

There is guidelines on how many sachets to give to children ↪,but every child is different, so don’t be worried if your GP or medical consultant prescribes different amounts of medicine.

Check if the medicine is working

The child will do poos more often, anywhere between once a day and 3 times a week.

It will be less stressful for you and your child. There will be no more accidents and no more huge and painful poos!

Keep in touch with your nurse specialist.
Tell them how the medicine is working. They will help you to increase or decrease the medicine depending on the child’s progress.

In the long run, you will be encouraged to adjust the medicine by yourself. It is safe to do so.

Get help to adjust the medicine

At the beginning, your nurse specialist will help you to know when to give more or less laxative.

You can keep in touch with them to tell them how your child is getting on and if the medicine is working. They will encourage you to adjust the medicine yourself when you feel confident about this.

Adjust the medicine yourself

Keep giving the medicine and adjust how much when you think you need to. This medicine is safe to use up to the maximum recommended.

If you see improvements, that's great!
Continue to give the medication every day. Your doctor will tell you when to gradually lower the medicine dose until stopping completely. This is usually when the child is going for a poo regularly and comfortably for about three or four months.

Next step: How will I know when to increase or decrease the laxative?