Patient leaflet - SENNA 7.5 MG TABLETS 12 YEARS PLUS
Senna 7.5 mg Tablets 12 Years Plus
Senna fruit (pods)
Read this leaflet carefully because it contains important information for you.
This medicine is available without prescription. However, you still need to take Senna 7.5 mg tablets 12 Years Plus carefully to get the best results from it.
- Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
- Ask your pharmacist if you need more information or advice.
- You must contact a doctor if your symptoms worsen or do not improve after 3 days.
- If any of the side effects get serious or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
IN THIs LEAFLET:
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1. What senna 7.5 mg Tablets 12 Years Plus are and what they are used for
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2. Before you take senna 7.5 mg Tablets 12 Years Plus
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3. How to take senna 7.5 mg Tablets 12 Years Plus
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4. Possible side effects
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5. How to store senna 7.5 mg Tablets 12 Years Plus
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6. Further information
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1. W hat S enna 7.5 mg T ablets 12 Y ears P lus are AND WHAT they ARE USED FOR
Senna 7.5mg Tablets 12 Years Plus contains Senna/Sennosides which work as a stimulant laxative for the short term relief of occasional constipation. Constipation is a fairly common and uncomfortable complaint. It usually involves difficult or irregular bowel movements, accompanied by hard, dry motions which can be painful to pass. Laxatives do not help with weight loss.
What is constipation?
Normal and regular bowel movement is important for most people. However, what is “normal and regular” varies from person to person. Some may have a bowel movement every day, others less often.
Whatever it is like for you, it is best that your bowel movement has a regular pattern.
Constipation is an occasional problem for some people. For others, it may happen more often It happens when the normal muscle actions in the bowel (large intestine) slow down. This can mean that material is not easily eliminated from the body.
The cause of constipation is often not known. It can be associated with:
- Sudden change of diet
- A diet with not enough fibre
- Not drinking enough fluids
- Loss of ‘tone’ of the bowel muscles in older people
- Pregnancy
- Medicines such as morphine or codeine
- Having to stay in bed for a long time
- Lack of exercise
Whatever the cause, constipation can be uncomfortable. It may make you feel bloated and heavy or generally “off colour”. Sometimes it causes headaches.
It is recommended to use changes in diet and bulk forming medicines to control constipation before using this medicine.
These healthy tips are recommended to try to prevent constipation happening:
- Eat a balanced diet including fresh fruit and vegetables
- Drink enough water so that you do not become dehydrated
- Keep up your exercise and stay fit
- Make time to empty your bowels when your body tells you
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2. B efore you take S enna 7.5 mg T ablets
12 Y ears P lus
Do not take if you:
- Are hypersensitivity to the active ingredients or any of the excipients (for a full list of ingredients, see section 6)
- have blockage or narrowing of the gastro-intestinal tract or bowel (ileus, intestinal obstruction or stenosis, atony, appendicitis) or abdominal pain of unknown origin.
- have paralysis or lack of muscle tone in the bowel (atony)
- have appendicitis, inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
- have severe dehydration (water and electrolyte depletion).
- have persistent or undiagnosed abdominal complaints e.g. pain, nausea or vomiting
- have faecal impaction or rectal bleeding for which you don’t know the cause, or blood in stools
- have already taken a laxative and are still constipated
- have had a sudden change in bowel habit that has lasted for more than 2 weeks
- are pregnant or breastfeeding
- have kidney or heart failureare
- are under 12 years of age unless advised by a medical professional.
Overuse of laxatives may damage your health by:
- Causing disturbances of electrolyte and mineral balances. Sodium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus are electrolytes and minerals that are present in very specific amounts necessary for proper functioning of the nerves and muscles, including those of the colon and heart. Upsetting this delicate balance can cause incorrect functioning of these vital organs.
- Severe dehydration may cause tremors, weakness, blurry vision, fainting, kidney damage, and, in extreme cases, death. Dehydration often requires medical treatment.
- Laxative dependency occurs from overuse and can cause the colon to stop reacting to usual doses of laxatives so that larger and larger amounts of laxatives may be needed to produce bowel movements.
Tell your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if:
- you suffer from kidney disorders
- you are taking medicines for a heart condition (e.g. cardiac glycosides, antiarrhythmic medicines e.g. quinidine), medicines inducing QT prolongation, diuretics, adrenocorticosteroids or liquorice root preparations.
- you have been told you have an intolerance to some sugars because this medicine also contains lactose ( Each tablet contains 153mg of lactose)
- If you are unsure about interactions with any medicines, talk to your pharmacist. This includes medicines prescribed by your doctor and medicine you have bought yourself, including herbal and homeopathic remedies
When administering this product to incontinent adults, pads should be changed more frequently to prevent skin contact with faeces. It is recommended to use changes in diet and bulk forming medicines to control constipation before using this medicine.
Taking other medicines
You should consult your doctor or pharmacist for advice if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including those listed above and any medicines obtained without a prescription.
3. how to take senna 7.5 mg tablets 12 years plus.
New users should start with the lowest dose and increase it to the maximum dose for each age group, if necessary, by one half of the initial dose each day. Once regularity has been regained dosage should be reduced and can usually be stopped.
Adults, the elderly and children over 12 years: Take one to two tablets at night when required.
Do not exceed the stated dose
Duration of use
Not to be used for more than 1 week. Usually it is sufficient take this medicinal product up to two to three times a week.
Use for more than 1 – 2 weeks requires medical supervision.
Tell your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if:
- the symptoms worsen or persist during the use of the medicinal product
- there is no bowel movement within 3 days of use
- you need to take laxatives every day or if abdominal pain persists.
Do not take more than the leaflet tells you. overuse can be harmful.
If you take too many tablets:
Consult your doctor and take this leaflet with you.
- It may be harmful to take too much of this medicine or take it for too long. This is because it may lead to: a ‚lazy bowel‘, where the muscle in the bowel becomes too relaxed. This means that bowel emptying happens less often. This can lead to longterm constipation.
- imbalance of fluids and salts in the body. This can affect the tightness of muscles such as those in the bowel. It can also affect the salts in the blood.
- low levels of potassium in the blood (called ‚hypokalaemia‘). This can make you tired, dizzy, make your muscles weak and cause uneven heart-beat.
- dehydration, making you thirsty, feel faint and giving you headaches. It can also mean you cannot pass enough urine.
If you forget to take senna 7.5 mg Tablets 12 Years Plus:
If you miss a dose, take your next dose at the usual time. Do not take or give a double dose, just carry on with the recommended dose. If you have any further questions on the use of this product ask your doctor or pharmacist.
- low potassium levels in the blood leading to muscle weakness and/or cramps
- severe weight loss
- changes in the shape of the finger and fingernail, muscular spasms and inflammation of bones and joints.
May make you more likely to catch infections.
The frequency is not known.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. how to store senna 7.5 mg tablets
12 Y ears P lus
Keep medicines out of the sight and reach of children.
Store below 25°C. Store in the original package.
Do not use after the expiry date shown on the pack (EXP month/year).
Return any unused medicine to your pharmacist for safe disposal.
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6. F urther I nformation
Each tablet contains powdered Senna Pods (fruit) (Senna alexandrina Mill. (syn. Cassia acutifolia Delile and Cassia angustifolia Vahl)) equivalent to 7.5 mg of hydroxyanthracene glycosides, calculated as sennoside B
This medicine also contains: Lactose, sodium starch glycolate (Type A), Talc, colloidal anhydrous silica, magnesium stearate and bitter fennel.
Senna 7.5 mg Tablets 12 Years Plus are uncoated round biconvex greenish-brown tablets with a diameter of approximately 9 mm
Senna 7.5 mg Tablets 12 Years Plus are available in blister packs in pack sizes of 24 or 60 tablets.
Not all packs may be marketed.
Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer: Aspar Pharmaceuticals Limited, Albany House, Acrewood Way, St Albans, AL4 0JY, United Kingdom
PL 08977/0067
Leaflet last revised: April 2021
if you would like a version of this leaflet in an alternative format, please call 02082059846
4. possible side effects
Like all medicines this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
- If any of the following or other side effects occur, stop taking this product and consult a doctor or pharmacist abdominal pain, spasms and diarrhoea, in particular these effects may be experienced by patients with irritable colon. In these cases, a reduced dose may be necessary.
- hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions, hives (skin bumps), skin itchiness or local or more widespread rash, or asthma.
- chronic use may lead to albuminuria and haematuria which is albumin or red blood cells in the urine
- yellow or red-brown discolouration of urine may occur, which is harmless
- chronic use may cause pigmentation of the gastrointestinal tract which usually recedes when the product is no longer taken