Lactulose
Osmotically Acting Laxatives
Sold as Enulose
- Drug class
- Osmotically Acting Laxatives
- Availability
- Prescription only
- Routes
- Oral, Rectal
- Markets covered
- 3
- Products on record
- 13
- FDA reports (12 mo)
- 1,584
Overview
Lactulose is an active pharmaceutical ingredient in the Osmotically Acting Laxatives group (A06AD). The information below is compiled per regulator from the product labels on record, with direct links to the original documents.
Regulatory status by market
| Market | Regulator | Products | Last revision |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB United Kingdom | MHRA | 4 | April 24, 2026 |
| US United States | FDA | 2 | September 15, 2025 |
| CA Canada | Health Canada | 7 | March 22, 2025 |
GBUnited Kingdom· MHRA
4 products
Uses
For the treatment of constipation For the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy (HE); hepatic coma.
How to take
USUnited States· FDA
2 products
Uses
INDICATIONS AND USAGE
For the prevention and treatment of portal-systemic encephalopathy, including the stages of hepatic pre-coma and coma. Controlled studies have shown that lactulose solution therapy reduces the blood ammonia levels by 25 to 50%; this is generally paralleled by an improvement in the patients' mental state and by an improvement in EEG patterns.
The clinical response has been observed in about 75% of patients, which is at least as satisfactory as that resulting from neomycin therapy. An increase in patients' protein tolerance is also frequently observed with lactulose therapy.
In the treatment of chronic portal-systemic encephalopathy, Lactulose has been given for over 2 years in controlled studies.
CACanada· Health Canada
7 products
7 products on record with this regulator. Detailed label text (uses, dosage, side effects) is being ingested — the original document is linked under Sources [3].
Drug interactions
Known interactions involving Lactulose. Select one for details. This list is informational and not a complete interaction checker.
Showing 240 of 519. Type above to find a specific drug.
Interaction data compiled from DDInter (academic, CC-BY). Severity classification only - this is not a complete interaction checker and not medical advice.
Sources & citations
- [1]MHRA (UK) · PL204160399 · revised November 7, 2025
- [2]FDA DailyMed · 00c42c5c-d19e-41… · revised June 1, 2022 [PDF]
- [3]Health Canada (DPD) · 00854409 · revised March 22, 2025
- [4]OpenFDA adverse-event reports (US), 12 months ending June 4, 2026.
Information on this page is compiled from public regulatory records. Drugvu is not affiliated with any regulator or pharmaceutical manufacturer. This is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.