The end result is that there is much more water in the stool, keeping it very soft, and causing it to move through the intestine more quickly. As with fiber laxatives, high doses of prunes often produce bloating and gas. While many parents and physicians are worried about using laxatives in children, most of their concerns are unfounded. Since nearly all available laxatives work by keeping large amounts of water in the stool, they can be used for very prolonged periods of time without significant risk. There is no evidence that any of the laxatives described above can result in dependency with chronic usage.
Laxatives lose their effectiveness if they are used for prolonged periods.
No studies have ever convincingly demonstrated that any of the laxatives described above lose their effectiveness over time. Children who use laxatives have an increased risk of developing colon cancer. While several studies have suggested that adults with untreated constipation may be at increased risk for developing colon cancer, there is no evidence to suggest that laxatives increase this risk. The length of treatment varies from child to child, but in general, we must treat younger children for longer periods of time than older children. In children older than age five or six, three or four months of continuous laxative therapy is usually sufficient to reverse many of the problems described above.