Lactulose
Brand names: Enulose, Generlac, Constulose, Kristalose, Lactulose
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 1,238,627
- Medicare drug cost
- $49.8M
- Average cost per prescription
- $40.23
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 37,462
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
For the prevention and treatment of portal-systemic encephalopathy, including the stages of hepatic pre-coma and coma. Controlled studies have shown that lactulose solution therapy reduces the blood ammonia levels by 25 to 50%; this is generally paralleled by an improvement in the patients' mental state and by an improvement in EEG patterns. The clinical response has been observed in about 75% of patients, which is at least as satisfactory as that resulting from neomycin therapy. An increase in patients' protein tolerance is also frequently observed with lactulose therapy. In the treatment of chronic portal-systemic encephalopathy, Lactulose has been given for over 2 years in controlled studies.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated May 2022). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Who prescribes it
- Internal Medicine 30.0%
- Family Medicine 23.9%
- Nurse Practitioners 18.8%
- Gastroenterology 6.9%
- Physician Assistants 4.7%
- Geriatric Medicine 3.4%
- General Practice 2.4%
- Nephrology (Kidney) 1.8%
- Hepatology 1.2%
- Hospitalist 1.1%
- Emergency Medicine 0.6%
- Pain Medicine 0.6%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions rose 2% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Nevada +40%
- Arkansas +30%
- Georgia +23%
- Texas +20%
- Florida +14%
- Connecticut (smallest change) −18%
- Rhode Island (smallest change) −18%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
Industry payments about this drug
Drug makers reported $166,900 in payments to clinicians that named this drug in 2025 (meals, speaking, consulting and similar).
- Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $166,900
Source: CMS Open Payments, general payments (not research), program year 2025. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing. Payments by doctor
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
No FDA-reported recalls since 2020.
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.