Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult – patient leaflet, side effects, dosage

1 What Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult are and what they are used for

Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult contain calcium sennosides which work as a stimulant laxative for the short-term relief of occasional constipation. Sennosides are hydroxyanthracene glycosides derived from Senna leaf.

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.

2 What you need to know before you take Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult

Do not take Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult if you:

• are allergic to calcium sennosides or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6)
• have blockage or narrowing of the gastro-intestinal tract or bowel (ileus, intestinal obstruction or stenosis)
• have appendicitis, inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis
• have paralysis or lack of muscle tone in the bowel (atony)
• 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 severe dehydration
• have already taken a laxative and you are still constipated
• have had a sudden change in bowel habit that has lasted for more than 2 weeks
• have kidney or heart problems
• are pregnant or breast-feeding
• are under 18 years of age.

If you are not sure whether any of the above apply to you, consult your doctor before taking this medicine.

Does this help with weight loss?

Stimulant laxatives (including Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult) do not help with weight loss. They do not reduce the absorption of calories or nutrients. They can cause watery stools (diarrhoea), abdominal cramps and dehydration. Dehydration can seem like weight loss.

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
• Causing the colon to stop reacting to usual doses of laxatives so that larger amounts of laxatives may be needed to produce bowel movements.

Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before taking Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult if you:

• suffer from kidney disorders
• are taking medicines for a heart condition (e.g., cardiac glycosides, antiarrhythmic medicinal products e.g., quinidine) and medicinal products inducing QT-prolongation
• are taking diuretics, adrenocorticosteroids or liquorice root preparations.

When administrating this product to incontinent adults the pads should be changed more frequently to prevent extended skin contact with faeces.

It is recommended to use changes in diet and bulk forming medicines to control constipation before using this medicine.

Other medicines and Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines including those listed above (Warnings and precautions) and any medicine obtained without a prescription.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding

You should not take Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.

Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult contain Lactose

If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicinal product.

3 How to take Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult

Always take this medicine exactly as described in this leaflet or as your doctor, pharmacist or nurse has told you. Check with your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if you are not sure.

Do not exceed the stated dose.

New users should start with the lowest dose and increase it to the maximum dose, if necessary. Once regularity has been regained dosage should be reduced and stopped.

For oral use only

For adults and the elderly:

The recommended dose is one to two tablets at night. The tablets should be taken with a glass of water.

This medicine should not be used by children or adolescents under 18 years of age.

Do not take more tablets than the leaflet tells you.

Overuse can be harmful.

Duration of use:

Not to be used for more than 1 week.

Normally it is sufficient to take this medicinal product up to two to three times that week.

Consult your doctor, after taking this medicine:

• If symptoms worsen or persist
• If abdominal pain persists
• If there is no bowel movement within 3 days of use or laxatives are needed every day.

If you take more Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult than you should:

Consult your doctor or pharmacist for advice, if you accidently take too many Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult.

It may be harmful to take too much of Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult or take Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult for too long

This is because it may lead to:

• Imbalance of fluid 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 an uneven heartbeat.
• A 'lazy bowel', where the muscle in the bowel becomes too relaxed. This means that bowel emptying happens less often. This can lead to long-term constipation.
• Dehydration, making you thirsty, feel faint and giving you headaches. It can also mean you cannot pass enough urine.

If you forget to take Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult

If you miss a dose, take your next dose when it’s due.

Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.

If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.

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 medicine and contact a doctor or the nearest hospital accident and emergency department immediately:

• Difficulty breathing, swelling of the face, neck, tongue or throat (severe allergic reaction)
• Severe, raised, red itchy skin that may affect all or part of the body

• Asthma or worsening of asthma symptoms.

  If any of the following side effects occur, stop taking this medicine and consult a doctor or pharmacist:

  • Allergic reactions such as local or more widespread skin rashes, hives (skin bumps) or itchiness around the anus.

The following effects may also occur:

• abdominal pain, spasms and diarrhoea, in particular in patients with irritable colon. In these cases, a reduction in dose may be necessary.
• chronic use may cause pigmentation of the gastrointestinal tract which usually recedes when the product is no longer taken
• chronic use may cause problems with the body’s balance of fluids and salts and may lead to albuminuria and haematuria which is albumin (a type of protein) or red blood cells in the urine
• yellow or red-brown discolouration of urine may occur during the treatment but is harmless and usually disappears when treatment is stopped.

The frequency of the effects occurring 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 www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard 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 Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult

Keep all medicines out of the sight and reach of children.

Do not use this medicine after the expiry date stated on the carton and blister after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.

This medicinal product does not require any special storage conditions.

Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.

6. Contents of the pack and other information

What Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult contain

Each tablet contains calcium sennosides equivalent to 7.5 mg hydroxyanthracene glycosides, calculated as Sennosides B.

The other ingredients are lactose monohydrate, anhydrous calcium hydrogen phosphate, maize starch and magnesium stearate.

What Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult look like and contents of the pack:

Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult are light green to brown colour, round (about 8 mm) convex shaped uncoated tablet, plain on both sides.

Sennosides 7.5 mg Tablets Adult are supplied in blister packs of 20 tablets.

Marketing Authorisation Holder

GLORAMP Pharma Consulting Limited

9 Alderson Close, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire,

HP19 8TA, United Kingdom

Manufacturer

LIQUIDSUN Pharma Ltd

Meadow Park Industrial estate, Bourne road, Essendine,

Stamford, PE9 4LT, United Kingdom

This leaflet was last revised in May 2026.

Blind or partially sighted? Is this leaflet hard to see or read? Please contact the Marketing Authorisation Holder listed above to obtain the leaflet in a format suitable for you.