Senna

Generic name
Senna
Brand name
ATC Code
A06AB06
Dosages
Side effects in children
Warnings & precautions in children
Contra-indications in children

Interactions
PK
Renal impairment
References

Pharmacokinetics in children

No information

dose recommendation of formulary compared to licensed use (on-label versus off-label)

No information is present at this moment.

Available formulations

No information is present at this moment.

Dosages

Constipation
  • Oral
    • 1 year up to 6 years
      [1]
      • Prunacolon 5 - 10 ml/day in 1 - 2 doses.
    • 6 years up to 18 years
      [1] [3] [4]

      • Prunacolon: 10 ml/day in a single dose.
        Sennocol: 185-370 mg/day in a single dose.
        X-praep: 10-20 mg/day in 1-2 doses

Renal impaiment in children > 3 months

GFR ≥10 ml/min/1.73m2: Dose adjustment not required.

GFR <10 ml/min/1.73m2: A general recommendation on dose adjustment cannot be provided.

The complete list of all undesirable drug reactions can be found in the national Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) – click here

Side effects in children

Abdominal pain, abdominal cramps. Severe rashes and blisters may form in the perianal area if small children ingest such amounts that diarrhea occurs. The risk of this side effect is higher in children who are not yet toilet trained.

The complete list of all contra-indications can be found in the national Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) – click here

Contra-indications

No information available on specific contra indications in children.

The complete list of all warnings and precautions can be found in the national Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) – click here

Warnings & precautions in children

Long-term use is not recommended due to permanent damage to colon mucosa, such as melanosis coli. Another risk is the occurrence of irreversible damage to the bowel myenteric plexus, which can negatively affect motility. This risk arises especially with long-term use, so it is recommended to limit the use to a maximum of 5 days.
Few studies have been conducted into the effectiveness and side effects of the "other laxatives", including senna. Since they are rarely used in practice and due to the lack of evidence, these products are not recommended as the first choice.

X-Praep syrup contains alcohol.

Interactions

The complete list of all interactions can be found in the national Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) – click here

DRUGS FOR CONSTIPATION

This pages provides a list of drugs from the same ATC class for comparison. This does not necessarily mean that these drugs are interchangeable.

Osmotically acting laxatives
A06AD11
Enemas
A06AG
A06AG10

References

  1. NVK, Richtlijn Obstipatie bij kinderen van 0-18 jaar, www.nvk.nl, 2015
  2. Spiller HA et al, Skin breakdown and blisters from senna-containing laxatives in young children, Ann Pharmacother, 2003, May;37(5), 636-9
  3. Mylan Healthcare B.V, SmPC Sennocol (RVG 03184) 14 okt 2019, www.geneesmiddeleninformatiebank.nl
  4. Mylan Healthcare B.V, SmPc X-praep (RVG 07207) 20 mrt 2019, www.geneesmiddeleninformatiebank.nl

Changes

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring


Overdose