Colace Review: The Reference Docusate Stool Softener, and Which Count and Strength to Buy

What it is. Colace Stool Softener, 100 mg, 30 Capsules is docusate sodium 100 mg per capsule, the strength printed in the listing title. The Drug Facts label lists relief of occasional constipation and states it generally produces a bowel movement in 12 to 72 hours. Directions: adults and children 12 years and over, 1 to 3 capsules daily; children 2 to under 12, 1 capsule daily; under 2, ask a doctor. Docusate is a stool softener: it lets water and fats mix into the stool rather than stimulating the bowel, which is why it is the product on postpartum and post-surgery instruction sheets for people who should not strain.

What the label says to watch. Take with a full glass of water. Ask a doctor before use for stomach pain, nausea or vomiting, or a sudden change in bowel habits over 2 weeks. Do not use if you are taking mineral oil unless a doctor directs. If pregnant or breast-feeding, ask a health professional before use. Stop and ask a doctor for rectal bleeding or no bowel movement after use. Owners consistently report the softgels are easy to swallow, which matters for the post-surgery buyer. The whole docusate shelf is ranked in the best stool softeners.

The middle bottle. Colace Stool Softener, 100 mg, 60 Capsules is docusate sodium 100 mg under the same Drug Facts label: 12 to 72 hours, 1 to 3 daily for 12 and over, 1 daily for 2 to under 12, ask a doctor under 2, not more than 1 week without a doctor. At $16.39 (verified via the Amazon Creators API on September 5, 2026) each capsule is about 27 cents ($16.39 divided by 60).

Same lines: full glass of water, no mineral oil without a doctor, ask a health professional if pregnant or breast-feeding, stop for rectal bleeding or no bowel movement. The Colace Clear soft gels, 60 count at $17.13 are a separate listing whose title does not state the strength; read the panel before assuming they match.

The big bottle. Colace Stool Softener, 100 mg, 100 Capsules is the same docusate sodium 100 mg under the same label, at $21.49 (verified via the Amazon Creators API on September 5, 2026), about 21 cents a capsule ($21.49 divided by 100). That is the lowest per-capsule price for the brand on Amazon at our check.

Same label, same lines, same 1 week clause. For a stool softener course in pregnancy or postpartum, the label's ask-a-health-professional line comes first; the shelf for that situation is covered in the best hemorrhoid treatments for pregnancy and postpartum, where straining is the thing everyone is trying to avoid.

Two actives, one tablet. Colace 2-in-1 combines docusate sodium, the stool softener, with sennosides, a stimulant laxative, per the Drug Facts label; the listing title states stool softener plus stimulant laxative and 60 tablets. The stimulant changes the character of the product: the label window is shorter than plain docusate's 12 to 72 hours, the directions differ by age band and are printed on the panel, and the stimulant's own line, occasional use and not more than 1 week without a doctor, governs. At $16.69 (verified via the Amazon Creators API on September 5, 2026) each tablet is about 28 cents ($16.69 divided by 60).

Read the dose by age off the panel; we do not restate a combination product's directions. Stop and ask a doctor for rectal bleeding or no bowel movement after use. The senna shelf is ranked in the best senna laxatives.

One capsule, higher strength. Colace Extra Strength is docusate sodium 250 mg per capsule, the strength printed in the listing title, 60 to the bottle. The Drug Facts label lists relief of occasional constipation, states 12 to 72 hours, and directs adults and children 12 and over to take 1 capsule daily, with under 12 sent to a doctor. At $22.97 (verified via the Amazon Creators API on September 5, 2026) each capsule is about 38 cents ($22.97 divided by 60).

Same lines: full glass of water, no mineral oil without a doctor, ask a health professional if pregnant or breast-feeding, stop for rectal bleeding or no bowel movement, not more than 1 week without a doctor. The oral-versus-rectal decision for someone who should not strain is covered in suppository vs oral laxative.

The active without the name. Amazon Basics Stool Softener, Docusate Sodium 100 mg is 100 softgels of the same docusate sodium 100 mg, with the strength and count printed in the listing title. The Drug Facts label is the docusate standard: relief of occasional constipation, 12 to 72 hours, 1 to 3 daily for 12 and over, 1 daily for 2 to under 12, ask a doctor under 2, full glass of water, no mineral oil without a doctor, ask a health professional if pregnant or breast-feeding, not more than 1 week without a doctor. At $3.09 (verified via the Amazon Creators API on September 5, 2026) each softgel is about 3 cents ($3.09 divided by 100).

Stop and ask a doctor for rectal bleeding or no bowel movement after use. The full value field, including Kirkland's 400 and 800 counts, is ranked in the best stool softeners.