How long you should wait depends on the type of suppository. If you’re using a laxative suppository like glycerin, you typically need to hold it for 15 to 60 minutes before it triggers a bowel movement. If you’re using a medication suppository (for hemorrhoids, inflammation, or other conditions), you should avoid having a bowel movement for at least one hour so the drug has time to absorb.
Laxative Suppositories: 15 to 60 Minutes
Glycerin and other laxative suppositories are designed to stimulate a bowel movement, so having one is the whole point. The suppository needs time to melt and do its job first. Most suppositories soften within 2 to 11 minutes at body temperature, but the laxative effect takes longer to kick in. You’ll typically feel the urge within 15 to 60 minutes.
Try to resist the urge for as long as you comfortably can within that window. If you push the suppository out before it fully dissolves, it won’t work as well. Lie on your left side for about 15 minutes after insertion to keep the suppository in place and give it time to melt completely. After that, you can get up and go about your day while waiting for it to take effect.
If you haven’t had a bowel movement within one hour, something may be off. The Cleveland Clinic advises contacting your care team if a glycerin suppository hasn’t produced results within that timeframe.
Medication Suppositories: Wait at Least One Hour
Suppositories used to deliver medication, such as those for hemorrhoids, ulcerative colitis, or pain, work differently. They’re not trying to trigger a bowel movement. They’re delivering a drug through the rectal lining, and having a bowel movement too soon can push the suppository out before your body absorbs enough of it.
For these types, the standard recommendation is to avoid having a bowel movement for at least one hour after insertion. This gives the medication enough time to dissolve fully and absorb into the surrounding tissue. If you have a bowel movement shortly after inserting one of these suppositories and you can see remnants of it in the stool, the dose was likely incomplete.
How to Keep a Suppository In
The biggest challenge most people face is the immediate urge to push the suppository back out, especially if they’re not used to the sensation. A few simple steps make retention much easier.
- Lie on your left side with your lower leg straight and your upper knee bent toward your chest. This position aligns with the natural curve of your lower bowel and helps keep the suppository in place.
- Stay lying down for at least 15 minutes. Getting up and walking around too soon increases the chance the suppository slides out before it melts.
- Insert it deep enough. Push the suppository past the sphincter muscle with your finger, about one inch in for adults. If it sits too close to the opening, your body will treat it like something to push out.
- Squeeze your buttocks together for a few seconds after insertion to help hold it in place while the initial urge to expel it passes.
If you’re using a laxative suppository, you can get up after 15 minutes of lying down and wait for the urge to come naturally. For medication suppositories, staying still for the full hour is ideal but not always practical. At minimum, stay lying down for 15 minutes, then avoid straining or sitting on the toilet until the hour is up.
What If You Go Too Soon
If you have a bowel movement within the first few minutes and the suppository comes out mostly intact, it didn’t have time to work. For a laxative suppository, you can try again with a new one. For a medication suppository, the question is trickier because some of the drug may have already started absorbing. Inserting a second one could mean getting too much medication, so check the product instructions or call your pharmacist before re-dosing.
If the suppository has been in for 30 minutes or more and you have a bowel movement, most of the active ingredient has likely been absorbed. You probably don’t need to insert another one, but again, this varies by medication. When in doubt, your pharmacist can give you a quick answer over the phone.
Timing Your Suppository Around Bowel Habits
One practical way to avoid the whole problem is to time your suppository around your natural schedule. If you typically have a bowel movement in the morning, try inserting a medication suppository at bedtime. Your bowels are usually quieter overnight, giving the drug a long, uninterrupted window to absorb. For laxative suppositories, the opposite approach works: use them when you have time to stay near a bathroom for the next hour, and ideally when your bowels haven’t moved recently so there’s less competing pressure.
Having an empty rectum before insertion also helps with retention. If you feel like you need to go before using the suppository, try to have that bowel movement first, then insert the suppository afterward.