What's with the "Clayton enema" and how safe is it?

@moliere you know how unpredictable and stubborn IBS-C can be. I'm thinking that added to the irritability of it all. Hoping for better times to come!

@moliere you know how unpredictable and stubborn IBS-C can be. I'm thinking that added to the irritability of it all. Hoping for better times to come!

Yep. I didn't like the nausea (though there was no vomiting), and given a choice I do prefer the enemas with less cramping unless I go in wanting the "cramp experience," but yesterday turned out quite good and I think I'm glad I did the enema, even with the cramps. A mild soapsuds might not have done anything in my bowel that day, and a strong soapsuds might have had similar cramping. At the end of the hour the bisacodyl and soap had done the job I needed and wanted them to do and I was on to having a pretty good day.

For anyone else considering this enema I am pretty sure that this reaction is rare, as I haven't even had it before and I've taken 4 or 5 of these enemas.

Just finished a bisacodyl and castile soap (clayton) enema. i have settled on 15 mg bisacodyl and 1 tbsp soap, a little over 2 quarts, enough cramps without being brutal. also, the longer you let the bisacodly tabs stay in the soap/water mix -at least 24 hours, longer is better- i think the stronger the dose becomes. the reason, i think, is the bisacodly particles continue to break apart with time and stirring, thus more surface area of exposed bisacodyl. this enema really cleans you out, if you do a rinse enema of plain water (which causes a lot of cramps by itself), the returns are quite clear.

trw428 said

. . . . the longer you let the bisacodly tabs stay in the soap/water mix -at least 24 hours, longer is better- i think the stronger the dose becomes. the reason, i think, is the bisacodly particles continue to break apart with time and stirring, . . .

THAT'S THE REASON dissolving the magic bullet suppositories is so much better than the tablets. Bisacodyl tablets DO NOT dissolve well in water, whereas the suppositories completely dissolve in a few minutes in hot water.

Susie, how long does it take for Magic Bullets to dissolve in say, 105 degree water?

I don't know how long it takes at 105 degrees. Why use warm water when you can use hot and have instant results? If you put it in a cup of room temperature water it will completely dissolve overnight, maybe faster.

In 150+ degree water heated in a four ounce cup in a microwave, it takes about three or four minutes sitting on the counter top. Then just add the hot solution to the rest of your enema and the resultiing temperature will be determined by the water you pour this into.

I understand, but the tabs are a penny each, magic bullets are about $1.00 each. also, because bisacodyl is almost insoluble in water, neither one "dissolves" in water, you really get a sort of suspension. it takes at least 24 hours of soaking and stirring in the soap, baking soda, and water mixture before the tabs are really dispersed, so it does take a lot more time, but i think the end product is very close in both cases.

I understand, but the tabs are a penny each, magic bullets are about $1.00 each. also, because bisacodyl is almost insoluble in water, neither one "dissolves" in water, you really get a sort of suspension. it takes at least 24 hours of soaking and stirring in the soap, baking soda, and water mixture before the tabs are really dispersed, so it does take a lot more time, but i think the end product is very close in both cases.

That is NOT correct

If you place a magic bullet in a cup of hot water, after a few minutes you will have a crystal clear colorless solution--NOT a suspension.

You'll have to cough up a few bucks and try it if you don't believe me.

According to ACS, the solubility of bisacodyl in water is .00127 mg/ml (no temp is given, so i assume 20 C ), so a 2 liter saturated solution should contain about 2.5 mg of bisacodyl @ room temp, so given the liquid temp is about 40 C, 10 mg in solution might be possible (i cannot find a solubility curve), so i will save my $$ and not try the experiment and trust your experience.

Dulcolax and the other Bisacodyl suppositories have the same active ingredient (10mg Bisacodyl) as The Magic Bullet. The base, or carrier of the active ingredient in the suppository is what makes the different. The Magic Bullet uses a Polyethylene Glycol base which is water-soluble.

Bisacodyl, while insoluble in water, is soluble is polyethylene glycol, which in turn is soluble in water. That’s why Magic Bullets dissolve in water with no suspended matter.

I'm on the road a lot. I have dissolved Ducolax bisacodyl suppositories (readily available in chain pharmacies) by putting 3 or 4 in the cup/mug provided by the hotel and running plain water through the coffee maker. The water temp for coffee makers, even cheap ones, is 180 - 195, which is more than sufficient to dissolve the suppositories very quickly. I can then dilute the solution with whatever else I'm using and moderate the temperature.

I'm on the road a lot. I have dissolved Ducolax bisacodyl suppositories (readily available in chain pharmacies) by putting 3 or 4 in the cup/mug provided by the hotel and running plain water through the coffee maker. The water temp for coffee makers, even cheap ones, is 180 - 195, which is more than sufficient to dissolve the suppositories very quickly. I can then dilute the solution with whatever else I'm using and moderate the temperature.

The problem with that is that the suppository base is hydrogenated oil and will float. It will also be more difficult to clean out of your equipment. Mixing in soap will help.

I'm also not sure about whether that temperature of water will deactivate the bisacodyl. Bisacodyl seems to be a bit sensitive to temperature - I know boiling water on the pills will cut their effects significantly, and supposedly freezing isn't too good either.

Bisacodyl, while insoluble in water, is soluble is polyethylene glycol, which in turn is soluble in water. That’s why Magic Bullets dissolve in water with no suspended matter.

Interesting. So perhaps one could put the pills in a PEG solution to dissolve out the bisacodyl? I know I tried dissolving them once in the mint extract for a Very Rough Ride and that made the bisacodyl very available and quick to kick in compared to the warm water and baking soda approach. I'm not sure if either would be significantly superior to the method of soaking the pills in Bronner's peppermint for a couple of days, which works quite well. I imagine it isn't quite as good as the Magic Bullets, but I haven't sprung for a box of those yet.

I'm still surprised just how clean you get with just one of these soap/bisacodyl enemas. just had one, (15 mg bisacodyl, 1 tbls bronners peppermint ), the saline rinse enema was quite clean. this is my favorite enema, but only a couple times/month, because of the "reputation" of contact laxatives, don't want to get even close to dependent.

The 2 quart enema consisting of 20mg bisacodyl plus 1 tbls of dr. bronners peppermint enema is a good enema, but i tried it without a rinse enema, not a good idea--several return trips until all the bisacodyl is gone. when coupled with a rinse enema, it is one of my favorite enemas, good, but not brutal cramps, and works fast. i'm going to add glycerin to this mix in the future.

It's hard to believe that is was more than 4 years ago that I started using this enema. Yesterday my my wife gave me a 3 qt. medium strength ivory soapy enema that had 20 mg. of bisacodyl ( 4 5mg. tabs, baking soda method to break up) in the tubing between the bag and the DBC retention nozzle. That way, all the bisacodyl is in the bowel @ the start of the enema. Not sure of the mixing dynamics during the enema, but she took 9 minutes to give me the enema. A few cramps, but I retained the enema for 13 additional minutes. Not really all that bad, but not a lot of poop was in the returns, indicating a relatively clean bowel, which may be why not very many hard cramps, even with 20 mg. bisacodyl. The 3 ½ qt. rinse enema was reasonably clear, some pieces, yellow water (not black or dark brown). This is a good enema, but I did put up with the “bisacodyl tummy” for the next 6-8 hours.