Comparison of Taste and Texture of Metamucil, Volcolon and Psyllium Orange Generic

Background of the study:

A pleasant taste of a prescription improves patient compliance and adherence. According to the literature, only 50% of patients who suffer from chronic diseases adhere to treatment recommendations (1). This results in suboptimal outcomes (2). There are numerous factors that affect adherence, including characteristics of the illness, interaction between physician and patient, the complexity and duration of treatment, side effects of treatment and costs of treatment (3). Furthermore, medication palatability is also crucial for adherence. Several studies have addressed the palatability of medication for different disorders, like hypertension, HIV and Alzheimer's disease (4-6). Therefore, pharmaceutical companies pay attention to manufacture more formulations and add pleasant flavours which may improve the palatability. Fiber supplements are increasingly used for treatment of chronic constipation both in adults and children. In the Netherlands several formulas are available such as Metamucil orange®, Volcolon® en generic psyllium orange. These are effective and save formulas. Little literature is available concerning taste and laxatives or fibers, although many patients complain about taste and texture of the preparations. Studies with polyethylene glycol preparations performed by our research group demonstrated some differences in palatability between these preparations (7-9). There are hardly any studies about fibers and taste. The taste is mentioned to be acceptable; one study compares dried prunes with psyllium and concludes there is no difference in taste experience (10). In order to improve patient compliance, it is of clinical importance to know which preparations are the most acceptable to the patient, and use that as first choice. We hypothese that the taste and palatability of Metamucil orange® is preferable.

Objective of the study:

Comparison of 1. taste and 2. texture/palatability of Metamucil orange®, Volcolon® and generic orange psyllium.

Study design: