Oral mannitol is mainly used for gastrointestinal preparation before surgery or before colonoscopy. Its main function is to increase osmotic pressure, dehydrate tissues, dilute feces, and achieve the effect of eliminating gastrointestinal excrement. After taking 250ml of mannitol, a lot of cold water should also be drunk to help defecation. Generally, defecation occurs within 30 minutes to 1 hour after taking the medicine, and it takes about 3 hours to empty the gastrointestinal tract. During this period, nothing should be eaten.

The time for diarrhea after drinking mannitol varies from person to person, and it is not clear, usually about 1-2 hours after drinking. Mannitol is a hygroscopic purgative, which can relieve edema by intravenous injection and has a purgative effect when taken orally. After taking mannitol, water should also be drunk to adapt to the intestinal peristalsis and eliminate food residues in the body. The time and frequency of diarrhea after drinking mannitol vary depending on individual physical condition and cannot be predicted, and diarrhea usually occurs.

It is recommended to replace purgatives with regular diet, such as bananas, tomatoes, yogurt, and other easily digestible foods that can promote digestion, and minimize the use of purgatives to avoid harm to the body or other side effects. To recover as soon as possible, it is necessary to strengthen exercise, maintain a positive mood, have regular meals, and reduce the intake of medicine.

Drinking mannitol and about 2000-2500ml of water, mannitol belongs to a common purgative in clinical medicine, which is particularly effective in treating unconscious constipation. After taking mannitol, patients need to drink a lot of water, about 2000-2500ml, which can gradually increase the pressure in the gastrointestinal tract, and due to the irritant nature of the medicine, the moisture in the gastrointestinal tract will also gradually increase, making defecation easier and more complete. Therefore, after taking the medicine, the intestinal peristalsis is stimulated to accelerate, and at this time, patients should drink more water to help the contents in the gastrointestinal tract be expelled quickly. Before taking the medicine, it is also recommended to follow the doctor’s advice, and try to eat more liquid foods to facilitate defecation and achieve the effect as soon as possible.