Medical uses
Lubiprostone is a laxative used for the treatment of constipation, specifically:
Chronic idiopathic constipation (difficult or infrequent passage of stools that lasts for 3 months or longer and is not caused by diet, disease, or drugs).Constipation caused by certain opioid (narcotic) pain medications in people with chronic (on-going), noncancer pain, or in patients with long-lasting pain caused by a previous cancer or its treatment who do not need weekly increases in opioid dosage.The effectiveness of lubiprostone has not been established in patients who are taking a diphenylheptane opioid (e.g., methadone).Irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C; a condition that causes stomach pain or cramps, bloating, and infrequent or difficult passage of stools) in women who are at least 18 years of age.Lubiprostone has not been studied in children. There is current research under way to determine the safety and efficacy in postoperative bowel dysfunction. It comes in a liquid filled capsule and is available only with a doctors prescription. If one misses a dose it should be taken as soon as possible unless it is almost time for the next dose, in which case it should be skipped and the user should return to their regular dosing schedule. Adverse effects
In clinical trials, the most common adverse event was nausea (31%) . Other adverse events (≥5% of patients) included diarrhea (13%), headache (13%), abdominal distension (5%), abdominal pain (5%), flatulence (6%), sinusitis (5%), vomiting (5%), and fecal incontinence (1%).
Lubiprostone (rINN, marketed under the trade name Amitiza among others) is a medication used in the management of chronic idiopathic constipation, predominantly irritable bowel syndrome-associated constipation in women and opioid-induced constipation. The drug is owned by Mallinckrodt and is marketed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company. The drug was developed by Sucampo Pharmaceuticals and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006. It was recommended for use in the UK by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in July 2014. Health Canada approved the drug in 2015.The cost to the NHS was £29.68 per 24 mcg 28-cap pack as of April 2017. Lubiprostone received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in 2008 to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C), and in 2013 for the treatment of OIC in adults with chronic noncancer pain. It is available through prescription only.The drug is available in the United States, Japan, Switzerland, India, Bangladesh, United Kingdom, and Canada. In Bangladesh and India, lubiprostone is marketed under the trade name Lubigut by Ziska Pharmaceuticals, Lubilax by Beacon Pharmaceuticals, and under the trade name Lubowel by Sun Pharmaceutical.