Castor Oil is my favourite laxative. I always take the full bottle of 100 cc (a little over 3 oz) mixed with some juice, but as soon as it goes down wipe off the mouth to get rid of the oily sensation that can be nauseating. For me the timing varies, but almost always works within four hours. It doesn’t seem to matter with me whether it’s on an empty stomach or not, once I took it just after supper and it surprised me with a loose accident within the hour! Couldn’t believe it, just had put on diapers for an early bedtime, passed what was not doubt gas, and wow - it wasn’t. It just messed the diapers with no warning whatsoever. It was great. It usually produces very loose and oily messing and feels so good in the diapers.
Cramps can vary and it seems to depend on the amount of gas, and that’s unpredictable, sometimes no gas and no cramps at all, other times really pronounced. If it starts working when I’m asleep I always wake up, but when it’s been working for a while and does so again, that’s when you can have a loose accident really in your sleep. It’s happened with me several times, and I was even dreaming I was on the toilet!
Castor oil must be hydrolysed or broken down by fat splitting enzymes to work, into ricinoleic acid and that’s what does the job, so to speak. Anything that encourages these enzymes such as a meal with oil to stimulate the pancreas will help things along.
I like castor oil because of the consistent reliable results, the many times it actually works, (as much as 20 times for me) and the unpredictable accidents it can cause. I too find it may work again well into the next day, and you have to be careful.
I wear bloomers specially made of many layers of diaper material, and plastic bloomers to cover it all. I’m not a fan of messy sheets.
I once took Metamucil well before the castor oil and the result was quite different - it wasn’t as loose, but when it worked it was accompanied with an enormous pressure that absolutely demanded a huge push, couldn’t hold it back at all.
I also use Dulcolax tablets at times but that’s for another post...