What factors affect lactulose dosing?

Despite its reputation as strong, albeit unconventional, treatment of stubborn cases of constipation, lactulose is considered a remarkably safe medicine. While this carbohydrate molecule cannot be digested or absorbed by the human body, natural intestinal flora is able to consume sugar and, as a result, produce different biologically active waste products. These bacterial waste products include reagents with pressure on stools such as intestinal gas, peristalsis acid and indirect chemicals of changing stools such as carboxylic acids, all of which are used to facilitate the evacuation of the intestines. Increased intestinal acidity produced by bacterial metabolism of lactulose also serves to prefer ammonia production over ammonia in the intestine, indicating that higher lactulose dosing can help prevent or treat liver or portal systematic encephalopathy. A lower dose of lactulose may be used to treat encephalopathy or constipation in pediatric patients.

The drug is usualLE served as a liquid, whether orally or rectally in the form of an enema. Adults who receive chronic constipation treatment usually receive initial lactulose dosing of 15 ml orally once a day. While the second dose of maintenance can be recommended before bedtime, the tendency of the drug to promote an urgent need to evacuate the intestines is uncommon. Instead, many doctors prefer to re -evaluate the initial dose of lactulose, giving the dose in small increments, as is needed to achieve symptomatic breakthroughs before the dose is then sufficient to control symptoms. However, an increase in dose is often accompanied by increased incidence and severity of side effects such as flatulence, bloating and convulsions.

While the same lactulose dosage instructions can be monitored to treat adults with acute constipation, children of sacute or chronic diarrhea should receive a lower dose. The recommended initial dose for pediatric patients is between 1 and 3 ml to £ 2.2 (about 1 kg) of body weight administered individed doses throughout the day. No more than 60 ml of drugs should be used even children or adults within 24 hours, as the symptoms of overdose may be a potentially threatening life.

Treatment of portal-system or hepatic encephalopathy in adults is three day oral doses of 30 ml, much higher than originally recommended for the treatment of constipation. The maintenance dose of 30 to 45 ml can also be administered three times a day. In severe cases, 30 to 45 ml of lactulosis may be administered for an hour until the symptoms are decisive. Children under 14 years of age generally receive 40 ml to 90 ml of medicines a day at divided doses, while infants should be given 2.5 to 10 ml in the same way. If diarrhea is formed, patients should end the treatment until the normal function of the intestines is aging, then evaluate the effects of lower dosing levels.