Medicine can get into your body in a few different ways. You can swallow a pill, drink a liquid, or get a shot. A suppository is another way to deliver a drug. It’s a small, round, or cone-shaped object that you put in your body, often into your bottom. Once it’s inside, it melts or dissolves and releases its medication.
Suppositories may not be the most pleasant product you’ll ever use, but they can make it easier to take medicine that you can’t swallow or that your stomach or intestines wouldn’t absorb well.
What are rectal suppositories?
Rectal suppositories are solid forms of medication that are inserted into the rectum. They come in different shapes and sizes, but they are usually narrowed at one end. The first record of the inclusion of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in a suppository was in 1841 with the introduction of opium to cocoa butter. Suppositories during this time were approximately 5 g in size. In 1897, a combination of gelatin, glycerin, and water was utilized for the first time.
Rectal suppositories can deliver many types of medication. For instance, they may contain glycerin to treat constipation or acetaminophen to treat a fever. Medication from a rectal suppository tends to work quickly. This is because the suppository melts inside the body and is absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
To insert a rectal suppository, you’ll need the suppository plus soap and water or hand sanitizer to clean your hands. You may also need a clean, single-edge razor blade and lubricating jelly.
How long after inserting suppository Can I poop?
Doctors generally advise that you wait for at least 60 minutes (1 hour) after inserting the suppository to pass a stool unless it is a laxative.
This allows the body to absorb the medication contained in the suppository fully. Passing stool too early will lead to the expulsion of most of the medication because enough time was not provided for it to enter the bloodstream and start working. Rectal suppositories containing laxatives work faster (usually between 10 and 45 minutes), so use them when you know you will be near a toilet.
It is also important to avoid exercise or lots of movement for one hour. However, if the suppository comes out after you insert it, you may not have pushed it far enough into the rectum. Be sure to push the suppository past the sphincter, which is the muscular opening of the rectum.
Are rectal suppository safe to use?
Yes, rectal suppositories are very safe and do not react with other medications. Patients with an allergy to glycerol should not use the suppositories. Adults’ suppositories are not suitable for use by children and infants.
In addition, overuse of a laxative may cause damage to the nerves, muscles, or tissues in your intestines. Do not take a rectal suppository by mouth. It is for use only in your rectum.
