constipation due to medication

Well, my latest issue is constipation due to the medication(s) that i'm taking. The drug combination is working pretty good for me so i'd hate to have to change something due to this however I am becoming increasingly more uncomfortable!

Both of the prescriptions i'm on can cause constipation. I drink lots of water, eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and aside from sitting on my bum all day at work I get a good bit of exercise mucking stalls and taking care of the horses in the evening.

Stool softeners do not work for me and I eat yoghurt daily at breakfast.

Short term remedies only work short term. Any suggestions on something that I can take or do long term to combat this?

Thanks!
Debbie

a few prunes each day are marvelous, i have them from a tin insyrup, you need to eat some soluble fibre as well as insoluble.

Metamucil seems to work pretty well for me, Debbie. I do all the other things as well: tons of vegies and fruit, tons of water, plain yogurt daily, a little exercise. Depending on the meds, I can't get along without the Metamucil.

Hope it helps. I know how uncomfortable it is.

I used to have to take acouple of prescription helpers - one was a powder (poly eth something or other) and the other was a tiny orange pill. Each helped significantly.

Thanks! I did pick up some Metamucil yesterday and it helped

Richard ~ I also looked at the miralax which was something that used to be by prescription that contained "poly eth something" and is a powder. The pharmacist recommended that I go with the Metamucil first and then step up if that didn't help.

Misoprostol, a synthetic prostaglandin, taken four times a day will often prevent constipation. Metamucil can be dodgy if you are taking a long-acting opiate such as methadone or OxyContin; it can cause bloating that can make things worse. Frequent doses of doccinate (Colace or generic) are recommended, as is Miralax (polyethylene glycol or PEG) and once or twice daily senna laxative. Magnesium, taken at least twice a day, is sometimes successful as a preventive; if you push the dose higher, it will serve as an osmotic laxative, like PEG.

Unfortunately constipation is my middle name. I find glycerin suppositories very helpful. They don't give you diarrhea like some of the other laxatives. Usually they work within 2 minutes of using them, so you won't be surprised by the urgent need to go in the middle of an important business meeting. In case of a suppository resistant bout of constipation I swear by Epsom salt.

P

I had an interesting week last week. I ended up in the hospital with what they thought was either a hernia or an infected lymph node. It turns out I had 'severe constipation'. The strange part is I was having regular bowel movements though. But I guess I had a buildup stuck though, and it's likely related to the meds I have to take. I take fibre supplements and eat very well, so it's hard to imagine what else would do it.

They gave me a laxative called "Lax-a-Day" to take. It has some pretty impressive results (without getting too detailed). It hadn't caused any Diarrhoea or anything. I am only supposed to take it for a week at a time though.

I'm waiting for a call back from my Dr. right now on this issue.

I was using metamucil, only today to do more research and find out it's not the best plan of attack for opioid induced constipation. Bloating? I look like I'm ten months pregnant!

I'll let you know what the Dr. said.

I too am dealing with this issue. Don't you hate that all of the things that make us feel better always make us feel worse in some way!

Mary Anne

I have been tempted to do the miralax. I think I even bought some. But I am always on the go and I wonder when it works? How long does it take. Does it cause a potty emergency or can I take my daughter to a playdate at the park and not worry about having to be near a loo ?(I really like that word Thanks Brits!)

having to be near a loo ?(I really like that word Thanks Brits!)

We use that word an awful lot. And no one really knows where it came from...
No one here says bathroom or rest room. We would require a bath or a rest....
Lavatory is very upper U. Toilet is lower.....

Up north when my mum was a lass the outside ones were called a netty.
There is also Bog and Carsey (which are common parlance)
We have many others, but Loo is probably the most popular nowadays and you are welcome to it...

Pen

Perhaps water closet --> Waterloo --> loo?

Well, Dr. never called back. I talked to the pharmacist and he said "Noooooooooo, don't take metamucil with narcotics!" Umm...to late! He recommended at glycerin suppository for immediate relief (it worked within about an hour) and a stool softner combined with laxative for everyday use.

Yes, seems EVERYTHING has a side effect!!!

SandyLeff wrote:Perhaps water closet --> Waterloo --> loo?

That is one of the suggested origins yes. There are about 4 others I think.
I dont suppose we shall ever really know now.


On the constipation. I have IBS and am prone to it.
I often wonder if it exacerbates my head problems.
Does anyone find that please?

P

I'll have to look into the other suggestions.

I am certainly chronocally constipated. I can take 2 laxatives and be lucky to drop a pebble collection (sorry guys). I don't worry about potty emergencies as nothing seems to cause that with me - especially since all of this started!

I have been dealing with constipation since high school, so this is way before I even started daily meds. My body just doesn't produce daily bowel movements. Never has, never will.

I use the glycerin suppositories once or twice a week.

I have tried Miralax everyday for 3 weeks and it was starting to soften the stools about 2 weeks into the process, and this was combined with eating Activia yogurt everyday for 2 weeks to encourage a regular bowel pattern. I was finally having success and a regular pattern of once a day relief.

I chucked it all because I hated the Activia. My primary doctor and I just wanted to prove that my body could in fact get into a regular pattern and avoid me having an endoscopy to see why I was suffering the constipation, hemerroids, and rectal bleeding with the bowel movements.

Unfortunately I am now back to twice a week movements which are painful and often accompanied by blood. I should get back into the Miralax habit at least, and add in the Activia because it was helpful (but distasteful). But my glycerin suppositories help out to add to the twice a week count to make it more when needed.

Lynelle,

I like Activia, but not all of the flavours. However I find if I have it every day it causes gas pains and ultimately loose stool.
I tried every other day and it didnt help.,...odd.

I asked my grandaughter if she needed to use the loo the other day (we were at some Calgary Stampede festivities) and she asked me 'what is the loo?'. After explaining it to her, she now uses the word quite a lot, she (and her brother) are also picking up some of my British accent! I love it!

I've been eating the Activia regularly too - doesn't help.

My Dr. FINALLY got back with me. He recommended Sennakot-S. I started it yesterday and noticed a bit of a difference this morning.

Today I also started DanActive and Activa. Figured it couldn't hurt! (and I LOVE the vanilla DanActive)

Miralax seems to help. Available in drug stores.

Well ~ i've been taking the Mirilax for 9 days. After a double dose of exlax to get things moving the Mirilax seems to be taking over. Yea!

Finally having success with:

Sennakot - S +
Activa +
Miralax +
Two servings of fresh fruit a day

Taken all together and I have relief.