title: Gastrointestinal transit times of cathartics combined with charcoal.
abstract: Oral activated charcoal usually is administered in toxic ingestions along with a cathartic. A study was done in volunteers to determine the rapidity of gastrointestinal transit when activated charcoal was administered with various cathartics. A control of activated charcoal was compared to the gastrointestinal transit times of activated charcoal plus the cathartics magnesium citrate, magnesium sulfate, or sorbitol. Activated charcoal alone produced a mean transit time of 23.5 hours; magnesium citrate catharsis occurred in 4.2 hours, magnesium sulfate catharsis occurred in 9.3 hours, and sorbitol catharsis occurred in 0.9 hours. Sorbitol clearly was the most rapidly acting cathartic.
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D002400:Cathartics / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D002606:Charcoal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002951:Citrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019343:Citric Acid; D004064:Digestive System / Q000378:metabolism*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008278:Magnesium Sulfate / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011041:Poisoning / Q000628:therapy; D013012:Sorbitol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002400:Cathartics; D002951:Citrates; D002606:Charcoal; D019343:Citric Acid; D013012:Sorbitol; D008278:Magnesium Sulfate