EXCLUSIVE: Constipation pill that VIBRATES as it moves through the body could be remedy for America’s laxative shortage – and it’s already approved by the FDA
An easy-to-swallow vibrating capsule that provides relief from chronic constipation could provide a solution to America’s laxative shortage.
The gadget, called Vibrant, helps move things in the body by sending out pulses to stimulate natural movements in the intestines.
As small as popular fish oil supplements, the device is swallowed with water and moves along the digestive tract. Vibrant contains a small microchip that is programmed to vibrate approximately 14 hours after the pill is swallowed, when the pill has reached the colon.
Traditional treatment for constipation usually involves laxatives – medications that work by stimulating the muscles in the intestines or increasing the amount of water in the intestines to soften stools and aid the digestive process.
These are not treatments for constipation or designed for long-term use, which can actually cause other health problems.
Furthermore, its overuse among Americans has led to recent shortages.
Vibrant was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in fall 2022 for the treatment of chronic constipation without a known cause, particularly in adults who have not experienced relief from their bowel symptoms for at least a month with the use of laxatives. therapies .
In the spring, doctors were able to prescribe the capsule to patients, with patients taking the capsule every evening around bedtime.
A month’s supply costs between $69 and $89 depending on a person’s medical benefits and the manufacturer, Vibrant Gastro, works with insurance companies to get the treatment covered.
Vibrant Gastro has emphasized that the capsule is not a medicine, but a small device that mechanically helps the intestines to work normally with the help of micro vibrations.
Before the Vibrant capsule is swallowed, it is placed in a base station that is programmed to activate at a fixed time the next day.
It is then swallowed with a 250 ml glass of water. The vibrating capsule emits timed, pulsed micro-vibrations into the colon to stimulate the colon walls and get things moving on a consistent basis and predictable timing, so users aren’t surprised by a sudden bowel movement.
In clinical trials, only 1.2 percent of patients experienced diarrhea, a common and unplanned side effect of laxatives.
Developed by an Israeli manufacturer, the capsule is monitored in the patient’s body via a smartphone app, which records progress and the number of bowel movements produced.
Chronic constipation affects one in five people and is most common in women aged 40 and over. Rates are 30 percent higher among people of color
Each capsule lasts for a day and is later removed naturally from the body and thrown away in the toilet.
In a previous clinical trial, some users said they could feel the vibrations of the capsule during cycles, but no side effects were reported.
The study results suggested that Vibrant can double the number of weekly bowel movements in constipation patients.
Chronic constipation affects one in five people and is most common in women aged 40 and over. Rates are 30 percent higher among people of color.
Common causes include not eating enough fruits and vegetables, which contain fiber, and not drink enough water. Lack of exercise, stress and side effects of some medications can also be the cause.
Doctors sometimes recommend fiber supplements to help treat constipation, which makes stools larger and easier to pass, but these can cause pain from excess gas and bloating.
When a high-fiber diet doesn’t work and people turn to laxatives, which are easy to overuse and rely on. Users then have to deal with side effects, including sudden diarrhea.
Other effects of laxative overuse include kidney damage, dehydration, abdominal pain, electrolyte imbalance, and laxative dependence, which means that without laxatives a person can no longer have a bowel movement.
Vibrant Gastro CEO John Schellhorn told DailyMail.com that the company has seen a significant number of doctor inquiries about the capsule as more and more people seem willing to talk to their doctors about the condition.
Constipation has long been considered a “silent symptom” rarely brought up for fear of embarrassment, Mr Schellhorn said, but increased openness, including the rise of #GutTok – a hashtag on TikTok under which users discuss their gut health – has helped shine a light on the problem.
In addition to improving people’s intestinal health, Vibrant could also meet the high demand for laxatives, which is causing a shortage.
In the US, demand is beginning to exceed supply for polyethylene glycol 3350, the generic name for laxatives such as Miralax and Glycolax.
An aging population with more digestive problems is partly to blame, along with the fact that most Americans generally don’t eat enough fiber, a substance that makes stool easier to pass.
Lingering effects of the pandemic, which sidelined people’s healthy diets and caused Americans to exercise less — all of which contribute to intestinal disorders — may also play a role.
Remote and hybrid work may also be to blame, as more and more people follow these work schedules, leading to irregular meal and bathroom times.