http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000230.htm
My mother used laxatives for 15+ years, she developed fecal impaction. After complaining of stomach pains for a long time her colon burst from the impaction. She now wheres a colostomy bag and poops into that.
A word to the wise--

For clarification, as I'm presently worried about my own stool softener use, if you don't mind my asking, which laxatives were your mother using that lead up to that? And did hers match what's outlined in the link in that she suddenly stopped them, which lead to her issues?
Truly sorry to hear that :(.

Sure, although the reference did not clarify either, my mom use Ducalox suppositories, not sure if she used them exclusively. And not sure she had stopped cold when her colon burst.
GL HTH

It's really important to distinguish between laxatives designed to stimulate the nerves in the bowel and stool softeners that are designed to draw water into the stool. Years of laxative use that overstimulate the nerves of the bowel and rectum will make the nerves dependent on that stimulation to produce a bowel movement. Osmotics that keep water in the bowel are not working on the nerves of the bowel. Ceasing nerve stimulating laxatives suddenly after years of dependency is definitely risky as the rebound constipation can be severe.

I hear you JR2
Yeah I'm seeing a lot of info out there and I wish they were more specific too. We just have to do our homework thouroughly as even these med sites can have conflicting reports.
Pros and cons, trial and error, all that plays a role right. If we see six med sites saying one thing vs three saying another, perhaps the wisest choice is t go with the weight of evidence huh.
A word to the wise...