FDA-filed SPL labeling · retrieved through openFDA

Psyllium

Psyllium is a bulk-forming fiber laxative used across multiple products to treat occasional constipation and restore regular bowel movements.

Brand names AlramucilCiliumFiberallGenfiberHydrocil +11 more
OTC Forms 5 Routes Oral · Topical
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Reviewed by Last reviewed Jul 10, 2026
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand

The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 37 clinical label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →

At a glance
Linked label effectiveJul 17, 2026
Clinical labels in scope ⓘ37
AvailabilityOTC
Earliest approval/marketing year ⓘ1989
FDA-listed product records ⓘ140
Boxed warningNone found in compared labels
How we combine label and product data →
✓No current FDA shortage listed · checked Sep 17, 2026
⭐ Psyllium at a glance The quick version — the full detail is in the Patient Information Guide below.
💊
HelloPharmacist Editorial Team Bottom Line
Psyllium is a well-established bulk-forming fiber laxative available in capsule and oral powder forms that reliably treats occasional constipation within 12 to 72 hours. The single most important rule: always take it with a full glass of liquid to avoid a dangerous choking hazard. If your constipation lasts more than a week or you notice rectal bleeding, stop using it and see your doctor.
How we write & review this content — our editorial policy →

📖 Psyllium: Patient Information Guide

A plain-language walkthrough of Psyllium — what it treats, how it works, how it’s taken, side effects, warnings and interactions. Tap any section to expand it.

🎯What it's used for▾

Psyllium is a bulk-forming fiber laxative used to treat occasional constipation across a wide range of capsule and oral powder products.

  • Treats occasional constipation and restores regularity — supported by capsule products including Best Choice, Careone, fiber laxative, meijer fiber laxative, Premier Value Fiber, and Publix
  • Relieves occasional constipation (irregularity) — supported by oral powder products including Best Choice Fiber Therapy, Careone, Daily Fiber, Dr. Fibra, meijer fiber therapy, and Meijer Natural Daily Fiber Sugar Free
  • Most products note that a bowel movement generally occurs within 12 to 72 hours of the first dose
💊How it's taken▾

Psyllium capsules and oral powders are both taken by mouth, up to 3 times daily for adults and children 12 and older. Oral powder products must be mixed into a full 8-ounce glass of liquid and drunk right away — never swallowed dry. If you are new to psyllium, start with one serving per day and slowly work up.

  • Always take oral prescription medicines at least 2 hours before or 2 hours after psyllium, as it can affect how those medicines are absorbed
  • Children 6–11 years: use half the adult dose with a full glass of liquid
  • Children under 6 years: check with a doctor before use
  • Follow the directions on your specific product label for exact serving size, since powder products may specify either a rounded teaspoon or a rounded tablespoon
🤒Side effects — in detail▾

Most people tolerate psyllium well, but some effects are common as your body gets used to more fiber:

  • Changes in bowel habits (more frequent or different stools)
  • Minor bloating, especially in the first few days
  • Allergic reaction in people sensitive to psyllium

Seek immediate medical attention if you have chest pain, vomiting, or difficulty swallowing or breathing after taking psyllium — this could mean it is lodged in your throat. Stop use and call your doctor if constipation persists beyond 7 days or if you have rectal bleeding.

⚠️Warnings & precautions▾
  • Choking hazard: Psyllium — especially the powder form — can swell and block your throat or esophagus if taken without enough liquid. Always use a full 8-ounce glass. Do not take psyllium if you have difficulty swallowing.
  • Allergy alert: Psyllium can cause allergic reactions in people sensitive to inhaled or ingested psyllium. Stop use if you have signs of an allergic reaction.
  • Consult a doctor first if you have had a sudden change in bowel habits lasting 2 weeks, or if you have abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting before starting.
  • Stop and see a doctor if constipation lasts more than 7 days or if rectal bleeding occurs — these can signal a serious underlying condition.
🔀What it interacts with▾

Psyllium can interfere with how your body absorbs certain medicines taken by mouth.

  • Oral prescription medicines: Psyllium may reduce how well they work by slowing their absorption — always take any prescription medicine at least 2 hours before or 2 hours after your psyllium dose

This is not a complete list of interactions. Always talk with your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.

📋Before taking it▾
  • Tell your doctor if you have difficulty swallowing — do not use psyllium in that case
  • Ask a doctor before use if you have a sudden change in bowel habits that has lasted 2 weeks or more
  • Ask a doctor before use if you have abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting
  • Do not use if you have a known allergy or sensitivity to psyllium
  • Children under 6 years: do not use without consulting a doctor
  • Children 6–11 years: use only the child dose (half the adult amount) and check with a doctor if unsure
🚑If you take too much▾

In case of overdose, get medical help or contact Poison Control right away at 1-800-222-1222.

📦How to store it▾

store at room temperature. protect from humidity ▪ contains a 100% natural, therapeutic fiber

📄 Written from Psyllium’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Every point is grounded in that labeling — nothing is invented. How we use AI →

17

Supplements & herbs that interact with Psyllium

17 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Psyllium in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.

Severity mix
  • Major · 1
  • Moderate · 7
  • Minor · 9
ACTIVATED CHARCOAL Major COFFEE CHARCOAL Moderate EUROPEAN MANDRAKE Moderate GLUCOMANNAN Moderate GUAR GUM Moderate GUM ARABIC Moderate SLIPPERY ELM Moderate TRAGACANTH Moderate +9 more
Every supplement checked against Psyllium — ranked by severity The full interaction hub: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor · every one linked to its full report. Check Psyllium against your exact supplements

Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — see our data sources & update cadence. Not medical advice: an interaction being documented does not mean it will happen to you; do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.

🩺 Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Psyllium — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.

What is psyllium actually used for? ▾
Psyllium is a fiber laxative used to treat occasional constipation and help you get back to a regular routine. It comes in capsules and oral powders under several brand names. Most people see results — a bowel movement — somewhere between 12 and 72 hours after taking it.
How do I take the powder correctly? I've heard there's a choking risk. ▾
Yes, this one is really important. Always mix the powder into a full 8-ounce glass of water or another liquid, stir it well, and drink it right away before it thickens up. If you swallow psyllium without enough liquid, it can swell and get stuck in your throat or esophagus. If that happens and you have chest pain, vomiting, or trouble breathing after taking it, get emergency help immediately. If you have any trouble swallowing in general, psyllium is not a safe choice for you.
Will it interfere with my other medications? ▾
It can, yes. Psyllium can slow down how your body absorbs medicines you take by mouth, which may make them less effective. The simple fix: take any prescription medicine at least 2 hours before or 2 hours after your psyllium dose. That gap gives your body time to absorb the medicine properly before the fiber gets in the way.
I just started and feel bloated. Is that normal? ▾
Very normal, especially in the first few days. As your body adjusts to more fiber, you may notice changes in your bowel habits and some mild bloating. Starting with just one serving per day and gradually increasing your dose helps your system get used to it and usually cuts down on that discomfort.
When should I stop using it and call my doctor? ▾
Stop taking psyllium and reach out to your doctor if your constipation is still there after 7 days — that's longer than this product should need to work. Also stop right away if you notice rectal bleeding. Both of those things can be signs of something more serious that needs medical attention. And check with your doctor before you even start if you've had a sudden change in bowel habits lasting 2 weeks, or if you have stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting.
Can children use psyllium? ▾
Children 6 to 11 years old can use it at half the adult dose, mixed into a full glass of liquid. For children under 6, you should talk to a doctor before giving them psyllium — it's not recommended for that age group without medical guidance.
Is Psyllium available over the counter? ▾
Yes — Psyllium is available over the counter (without a prescription) in at least some forms, according to its FDA labeling. Follow the package directions and ask your pharmacist if you're unsure which product is right for you.
When was Psyllium first available? ▾
Psyllium has been available in the United States since at least 1989, based on FDA approval history (Drugs@FDA) and product marketing records.
Who makes Psyllium? ▾
Psyllium is supplied by 26 manufacturers listed in the FDA NDC Directory, including Raritan Pharmaceuticals Inc, Meijer Distribution Inc, Best Choice (valu Merchandisers Company).

💬 Answers drafted from Psyllium’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Grounded in that labeling — nothing is made up. How we use AI →

🧰 Keep exploring

📊Psyllium supplement interactions17 checked — ranked by severity 🌿Drug & Supplement CheckerPsyllium vs. vitamins & herbs 💬Ask a PharmacistFree answer, usually < 24h 🔎NDC & pricing lookupFind Psyllium NDCs & costs 🅰️Browse Drugs A–ZLook up any medication

💊 How Psyllium comes

Psyllium is available in 5 forms. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.

Oral powder

By mouth
Brands Metamucil
How this form is used
What it may be used for
  • Treats occasional constipation and restores regularity
  • Generally produces a bowel movement within 12 to 72 hours
Important instructions
  • Put one dose in an empty glass, mix with at least 8 ounces of water or other fluid, stir briskly, and drink promptly — never take without a full glass of liquid
  • Best Choice Fiber Therapy and Careone oral powder: adults and children 12 and older may take up to 3 times daily; children 6–11 use half the adult dose
  • New users: start with one serving per day and gradually increase as needed
  • If taking prescription medicines by mouth, take psyllium at least 2 hours before or 2 hours after
Available strengths 9 strengths
2.45 g/5 g 3.4 g 3.4 g/5.8 g 3.4 g/5.78 g 3.4 g/5.79 g 3.4 g/7 g
Show 3 more strengths Show fewer strengths
3.4 g/12 g 3.5 g/5 g 6 g/6 g
101 FDA-listed product records ⓘ

Capsule

By mouth
Brands Best Choice Careone fiber laxative meijer fiber laxative Premier Value Fiber Publix
How this form is used
What it may be used for
  • Treats occasional constipation and restores regularity
  • Generally produces a bowel movement within 12 to 72 hours
Important instructions
  • Take by mouth with at least 8 ounces of water or other liquid
  • Can be taken up to 3 times daily for adults and children 12 and older
  • Children under 6 years: consult a doctor before use
  • If taking prescription medicines by mouth, take psyllium at least 2 hours before or after
Available strengths 1 strength
0.52 g
34 FDA-listed product records ⓘ

Oral suspension

By mouth
Available strengths 1 strength
3.4 g/5.8 g
2 FDA-listed product records ⓘ

Oral solution

By mouth
Available strengths 1 strength
3.4 g/100 g
1 FDA-listed product record ⓘ

Topical powder

On the skin
Available strengths 1 strength
3.5 g/5.8 g
1 FDA-listed product record ⓘ

📊 Psyllium across the U.S. market

How Psyllium appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.

5
Dose forms ⓘ
26
Manufacturers
40
Brand names
140
FDA-listed product records ⓘ
1989
First marketed ⓘ

FDA-listed product records by dose form (tablet variants merged) — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.

Also listed with the FDA, not a patient dose form: Powder (1) — bulk drug substance sold to compounders/manufacturers and multi-item kits. These aren’t counted in the dose-form total above.

Raritan Pharmaceuticals Inc12%
Meijer Distribution Inc11%
Best Choice (valu Merchandisers Company)9%
Target Corporation9%
Publix Super Markets, Inc6%
Pharmacy Value Alliance, Llc6%
Other makers47%

Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.

🔍 Compare Psyllium products

A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Psyllium — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)

Showing 140 of 140 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 140 Psyllium NDCs →

RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength

This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.

Ingredient (IN) Psyllium RxCUI 8928 3 dose forms · 14 strengths
  1. Dose form (SCDF) Oral Capsule RxCUI 204593 In current FDA listings
    Clinical drug / strength (SCD) 400 MG RxCUI 1791065 500 MG RxCUI 199180 520 MG RxCUI 581417 525 MG RxCUI 1150284
  2. Dose form (SCDF) Oral Wafer RxCUI 373696 No current FDA listing
    Clinical drug / strength (SCD) 2000 MG RxCUI 2277603 2500 MG RxCUI 1989202 3400 MG RxCUI 283215
  3. Dose form (SCDF) Powder for Oral Suspension RxCUI 1873468 In current FDA listings
    Clinical drug / strength (SCD) 2450 MG RxCUI 2049453 3000 MG RxCUI 2637101 3400 MG RxCUI 824586 3500 MG RxCUI 1095545 4100 MG RxCUI 849683 4200 MG RxCUI 2636943 6000 MG RxCUI 1095534

Look up RxCUI 8928 in the RxCUI Atlas →

RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.

🏷️ Sold under these brand names

Alramucil Cilium Fiberall Genfiber Hydrocil Konsyl Maalox Daily Fiber Therapy Metamucil Natural Fiber Therapy Natural Vegetable Perdiem Fiber Reguloid Serutan Syllact Uni-Laxative V-Lax

🏭 Manufacturers & labelers

Raritan Pharmaceuticals Inc 17 Meijer Distribution Inc 15 Best Choice (valu Merchandisers Company) 12 Target Corporation 12 Publix Super Markets, Inc 9 Pharmacy Value Alliance, Llc 9 Foodhold Usa 7 Quality Choice (chain Drug Marketing Association) 6 The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company 6 Meijer Distribution, Inc 6 Konsyl Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 5 Paradigm Pharmaceuticals Inc 4 Cardinal Health 4 Rite Aid Corporation 3 Your Military Exchange 3 Sam's West Inc 3 Topco Associates Llc 3 Lidl Us, Llc 3 Chain Drug Consortium, LLC 3 Discount Drug Mart 2 Atlantic Biologicals Corp. 2 Akron Pharma Inc. 2 Pharmadel LLC 1 NuCare Pharmaceuticals,Inc. 1

…and 2 more on the FDA NDC directory.

🔬 Where this comes from

Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.

📄
FDA-filed drug labels (SPL) Uses, dosing, warnings & side effects from SPL records retrieved through openFDA; the linked representative set can be verified on DailyMed. ✓ Linked label effective Jul 17, 2026
🏭
Forms, brands & labelersAggregated from ingredient-matched FDA National Drug Code Directory product records for Psyllium.
📈
Real-world reportsThe FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), served through openFDA.
🚨
Recalls & shortagesopenFDA drug-enforcement reports and the FDA drug-shortage database.
🧾 Clinical label set — FDA-filed SPL labels retained for Psyllium after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching
Clinical labels in scope
37
NDC products indexed
140
Distinct labelers/manufacturers represented
26
Linked representative label ⓘ
Best Choice (valu Merchandisers Company)
Linked label effective
Jul 17, 2026
Composite sections available
7
Linked SPL Set ID
92b46689-b5fc-41f4-91ac-535699900b39
Linked SPL Document ID
53e6546d-3ae5-4396-acac-a0989026f0b3
Open the linked representative label on DailyMed ↗
NDC package records associated with this linked SPL 1

How we combine label and product data

HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records; we don’t author the underlying clinical facts. We identified 37 FDA-filed SPL label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. The representative label is the starting point for the displayed reference monograph; the 12 largest stored in-scope SPL records, which may include that representative, are compared section by section, and the longest available version of each section is retained. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, product-listed strengths, and product-record counts are aggregated separately from ingredient-matched FDA NDC Directory records; package records listed above are associated with the linked SPL; and the normalized concept hierarchy comes from NLM RxNorm.

For canonical ingredient pages, bounded product-attributed indication and administration excerpts may be added to the AI evidence, and the generator is instructed to preserve available product, brand, route, and form qualifiers instead of treating one label as universal. Where a section is identified as AI-written, its plain-language text is generated from bounded label evidence. New draft drug pages remain in the admin review queue before first publication. Best Choice (valu Merchandisers Company) is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates; it is not the sole source used for the page.

This is general education, not medical advice — always consult your doctor or pharmacist about your medications and any medical condition. For the exact wording of the linked representative label, view that label on DailyMed; some displayed composite sections may come from other in-scope SPL labels. Learn how we use AI and our data sources & update cadence.