Easy Does It... (Ex-Lax)

Member Name: LauraElliott

Product:	Ex-Lax
Date:	08/07/03 (7724 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gentle and natural way of relieving constipation, No bad side effects have been experienced by myself, Works efficiently (does exactly what it says)

Disadvantages: Need to stay close to a toilet the next morning, Can be confused with a chocolate bar!

Firstly I will start by saying that Ex Lax does exactly what it says on the box. '...for the relief of occasional constipation. A gentle laxative extracted from senna, which works overnight to help you body return to regularity'. It should be noted that the word occasional does mean only if your constipation occurs rarely, because you shouldn't really need to take one of these tablets every single day or on a regular basis. Ex Lax is a very natural method of controlling your bowel movement.

Novartis Consumer Health are the makers of Ex Lax, and are a division which was set up in 1999. Novartis are the brains behind other medications such as Nicotinell (which is used to help smokers stop their craving), Savlon (a well known antiseptic cream), Tixylix (children's cough medicine), and VitalEyes (a range of eye care to help your eyes cope with everyday living).

The address of Novartis Headquarters is:

Novartis Consumer Health UK Ltd
Wimblehurst Road
Horsham
West Sussex
RH12 5AB

Tel 01403 210211
Fax 01403 323939

The box is royal blue in colour and only about 6 inches by 6 inches in size, as well as being very thin. They can be purchased off of the shelf in many stores such as supermarkets and pharmacies. In my local Tesco's, they can be found near to the herbal remedy sections and multi-vitamins in tubs.

Inside the box, there are two packages wrapped in a foil paper with the words Ex Lax stamped all over. In each package, there is twelve tablets and these are all joined together like a chocolate bar. You have to break them up (preferably through the wrapper, so that the tablet does not melt on warm hands).

Last time I bought a packet in Tesco's, there were 24 in a box and they cost me £2.67. In other countries such as America, Ex Lax can be bought according to different strengths but over here in England there is only one regular strength on offer. They may be a
ble to be purchased in larger quantities because I think that previously I have seen a space for a 48 pack in the supermarket.

The good thing about Ex Lax is that the taste is bearable. It tastes just like milk chocolate and if you didn?t know what you were taking, it could be confused with a miniature version of dairy milk. The tablets do have Ex Lax engraved on the top of them though, and are only about 4mm by 3mm in size.

On the box, there is a clear best before date, which is normally about 3 or 4 years away. The tablets should be stores in a cool place and should not exceed room temperature, as they can easily melt (just like real chocolate).

Adults are recommended to take one tablet just before bedtime, so that their body is back to normal by the next morning. Children aged six to twelve should only take half a tablet (they can easily be broken in two), because one whole tablet will be too strong for them. Ex Lax is not advisable for children under the age of six years old.

Usually tablets are taken with water and simply swallowed, but with Ex Lax, it is essential that they are chewed just like a sweet.

If taking any other laxatives or medicines, I would advise to check with a doctor before taking Ex Lax. Also, it should be noted that pregnant women or those who are breast-feeding must not take these tablets.

I personally have never had any problems with using Ex Lax and find that the effects only last a few hours the next morning (so stay close by to a toilet, just to be on the safe side).

It states on the box that each chocolate tablet contains the following: laxative ingredient, senna glycosides 60% USP 25mg (equivalent to 15mg sennosides) and sucrose.

Senna and sennosides are stimulant laxatives, which guarantee to work. Remember that laxatives can be dangerous if in the wrong hands and the dosage should not be exceeded. This could lead to laxative abuse, which is seriously damaging
and may cause long term harm to the users body.

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