Shop products for Docusate 
Also indexed as: Colace®, Dioctyl Sodium Sulphosuccinate, Dioctyl®, Docusol®, PMS-Docusate Sodium®, Selax®, Soflax®
Docusate, which is available without a prescription, is used to treat constipation and is in a class of laxatives known as stool softeners.
Summary of
Interactions with Vitamins, Herbs, and Foods
In some cases, an herb or supplement may appear in more than one category, which may seem
contradictory. For clarification, read the full article for details about the summarized
interactions.
 May be Beneficial: Depletion or
interference—The medication may deplete or interfere with the absorption or
function of the nutrient. Taking these nutrients may help replenish them. |
Magnesium* Potassium* |
| Side effect reduction/prevention |
None known |
| Supportive interaction |
None known |
| Reduced drug absorption/bioavailability |
None known |
| Adverse interaction |
None known |
An asterisk (*) next to an item in the summary indicates that the interaction is supported only by weak, fragmentary, and/or contradictory scientific evidence.
Interactions with Dietary Supplements
Magnesium
A woman and her newborn infant experienced low blood levels of magnesium, which was possibly
due to chronic use of docusate throughout and after pregnancy.1 Controlled research
is necessary to determine whether people taking docusate for long periods of time need to
supplement magnesium.
Potassium
Taking docusate increases the amount of potassium excreted from the body in the
stool.2 Whether people taking docusate for long periods of time need to increase
their intake of potassium is unknown.
