Lactulose

Medication class detail with safety cues and nursing action focus.

Back to meds
GI / Liver / Pancreasneeds review

Lactulose

Examples: lactulose

Mechanism

Traps ammonia in the gut and promotes stooling so ammonia levels and confusion can improve.

Used for

  • Hepatic encephalopathy

Side effects

  • Diarrhea
  • Dehydration
  • Electrolyte imbalance

Nursing actions

  • Monitor mental status, stool frequency, hydration, and electrolytes.
  • Titrate to ordered stool goal if prescribed.
  • Teach that loose stools can be expected but severe dehydration is not.

Hold / question cues

  • Severe dehydration
  • Profuse diarrhea beyond order goal
  • Worsening mental status

Antidote / reversal

  • No routine class-specific antidote or reversal agent is seeded for this class; hold/question unsafe doses, support ABCs, notify the provider, and use facility or poison-control guidance for toxicity.

NCLEX pearl

  • Lactulose lowers ammonia by sending it out through stool.