Final answer:
Patients on chronic opioid therapy should avoid stimulant laxatives due to potential bowel injury. Instead, osmotic laxatives or stool softeners are recommended for managing opioid-induced constipation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of laxative that should never be used in patients on chronic opioid therapy is a stimulant laxative. These types of laxatives can cause increased bowel activity and contractions, which might lead to bowel injury, especially in patients who have decreased bowel movements due to opioid use. Patients on medications such as Oxycodone, Morphine, Fentanyl, Vicodin, methadone, and other prescription pain relievers often experience reduced gastrointestinal motility, which is commonly referred to as opioid-induced constipation (OIC). It's important to choose a laxative that gently works with the body's natural processes, like an osmotic or stool softener, that can provide relief without causing harm. Osmotic laxatives, for example, work by drawing water into the bowel from the surrounding body tissues, providing a softening effect on the stool and promoting a bowel movement without stimulating the bowels too much.