Yes, Lactitol is a laxative which softens the stools by pulling in water from the body to the large intestine. It is also used to reduce the amount of ammonia in the blood of patients with liver disease.

You should take Lactitol for as long as advised by your doctor. You may also take it for as long as constipation lasts, which may be upto a week. For hepatic encephalopathy, the treatment may be longer, may be several months.

It takes about 2-3 days to see the benefits of the treatment. Talk to your doctor if you feel constipated even after 3 days of taking Lactitol.

Lactitol is used to treat constipation which is presented as infrequent bowel movements, hard and dry stools. It is also used in patients with hepatic encephalopathy (serious liver problem causing confusion, tremors and decreased level of consciousness).

Lactitol very commonly causes diarrhea, flatulence, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Diarrhea and abdominal pain occur due to high dose and dose should be reduced in such cases. Flatulence may occur during the first few days of treatment and may disappear after sometime. This medicine may also cause electrolyte imbalance. However, this is an uncommon side effect.

Lactitol should not be given to patients who are allergic to it or are intolerant to lactose (cannot process lactose). It should also be avoided in patients having galactosemia, a rare health problem where body cannot process galactose.

Usually one laxative is sufficient to relieve constipation. In case you need it, your doctor may advise you to take one more laxative along with Lactitol. The risk of side effects is more with 2 laxatives.

Taking more than the recommended dose of Lactitol may cause abdominal pain, electrolyte imbalance and diarrhea, which may last for a couple of days.