Background: To reduce patientsâ?? unnecessary suffering, Opioids Induced\nConstipation (OIC) should be identified and treated as early as possible with\nthe most current treatment. Aims: to investigate the effectiveness of prophylactic\nlaxatives in reducing the severity of OIC and its impact on cancer patientsâ??\nquality of life. Methods: A Randomized Clinical Trial design was used.\n57 cancer patients from one oncology clinic at a governmental hospital participated\nin the study. Patients in the intervention groups were given an oral\ncolonic stimulant laxative (i.e. Bisacodyl, Dose = 3 tab/day) or an oral colonic\nosmotic laxative (i.e. Lactulose, Dose = 15 ml three times per day), while patients\nin the control continue receiving their routine care as usual. Results: A\nsignificant decrease in the severity of constipation symptoms among the intervention\ngroup at four weeks post-intervention was noted (p < 0.001). In\naddition, there was a significant improvement in QOL among patients in the\nintervention group (p < 0.001) and no significant difference in the control\ngroup (p = 0.887). Conclusions: It can be concluded that the use prophylactic\nof first line laxatives concurrently with opioids decreased the severity of OIC\nand improved the QOL for cancer patients.
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