severe constipation

ohbygod

Hi all

im in my late 20s and have been suffering with constipation for the past few weeks. Im in the process of loosing weight . I reguarly excerise and i eat fruit etc on a daily basis. There doesnt seem to be much movement of my bowels sometimes it could be days before id have to go. I took senecot and that did the trick for one day i dont want to keep taking them. Im not looking for advice just want to hear other peoples experiances and is there something else i can do with my diet

Splendour

Dark chocolate-at least 70% cocoa.

delw

prune juice that'll cure what ails ye

madmaggie

Aldi do a great range of milled linseeds with added berries. They are in the cereal aisle, I add a dessert spoonful to my bran flakes, and to ice cream. The do work, and are much more gentle than the likes of Senokot, believe me.

Sir Arthur Daley

A good Guinness diet works well.

Gael23

I understand you don't want to take Senokot for too long but one day isn't enough when things are that bad.
I think you should take 2 at night for maybe 5 days and see what happens. Duphalac is also good but takes a few days to work and is harmless.

thomas anderson.

Lots of water and a a course of Senokot for 6 weeks

Chrisita

is the best cure I know.

sullivlo

If you've increased fibre (fruit, veg, whole grain), you will need to increase your water intake. Fibre without enough water can really slow things down. Talk to your pharmacist and ask for advice - there are many, many different types of laxatives available OTC.

Senna / dulcolax are stimulant laxatives and aren't great in the long term. They are okay to take for a short while but if you find you are not having much joy, take a trip to your GP.

Lactulose is an osmotic laxative which causes your bowel to absorb more water and make the stool more loose and in theory makes pooing easier. It's essentially a sugar.

Fybogel increases bulk fibre to the stool, but if you are getting enough fibre with fruit and veg, this may not be the best option.

There are also some suppositories available too that will loosen things up if that's the problem.

If you're on a health kick and losing weight and have cut some foods out of your diet (high sugar / fizzy drinks / sweets / chocolate / fats), that may impact your bowels for a while. If you don't get relief from some OTC laxatives and increasing water, go to your GP. There are plenty of other safe prescription laxatives.

Source: personal experience of chronic, long term constipation for years - I take ~6 different types of laxatives daily to produce maybe 2 or 3 poos a week max, and I've been in hospital with bowel obstructions, so please get it sorted before it gets to obstruction stage!!!!

Gael23

sullivlo wrote: »

If you've increased fibre (fruit, veg, whole grain), you will need to increase your water intake. Fibre without enough water can really slow things down. Talk to your pharmacist and ask for advice - there are many, many different types of laxatives available OTC.

Senna / dulcolax are stimulant laxatives and aren't great in the long term. They are okay to take for a short while but if you find you are not having much joy, take a trip to your GP.

Lactulose is an osmotic laxative which causes your bowel to absorb more water and make the stool more loose and in theory makes pooing easier. It's essentially a sugar.

Fybogel increases bulk fibre to the stool, but if you are getting enough fibre with fruit and veg, this may not be the best option.

There are also some suppositories available too that will loosen things up if that's the problem.
.

Source: personal experience of chronic, long term constipation for years - I take ~6 different types of laxatives daily to produce maybe 2 or 3 poos a week max, and I've been in hospital with bowel obstructions, so please get it sorted before it gets to obstruction stage!!!!

I've been suffering for a while now too but thankfully starting to see the other side.
I find the lactulose makes it softer when I go but I'm still not pooing as often as I think I should be. It is getting more regular and passing more each time though.
When I got this problem forts, Movicol saved my life, you will need a Prescription for those though and they do take a few hours to work. I've since stopped them and now just take lactulose and will do for a while as I'm almost afraid to stop. My GP examined me not so long ago and thinks I'm almost clear but I never want it to happen again!

sullivlo

ryanf1 wrote: »

I've been suffering for a while now too but thankfully starting to see the other side.
I find the lactulose makes it softer when I go but I'm still not pooing as often as I think I should be. It is getting more regular and passing more each time though.
When I got this problem forts, Movicol saved my life, you will need a Prescription for those though and they do take a few hours to work. I've since stopped them and now just take lactulose and will do for a while as I'm almost afraid to stop. My GP examined me not so long ago and thinks I'm almost clear but I never want it to happen again!

Yeah, when things get rough I take 8 movicol a day on top of my regular regime. My current "maintenance" dose is 4 movicol plus other meds. My GI is at a loss as to what to do next :P

Gael23

sullivlo wrote: »

Yeah, when things get rough I take 8 movicol a day on top of my regular regime. My current "maintenance" dose is 4 movicol plus other meds. My GI is at a loss as to what to do next :P

The most I ever took was 4 in a day but that was only because I couldn't get out of bed with the pain. At that stage my Doctors advice was to take 2 a day and also 10/15 ml Lactulose twice a day to soften it.
Now that I'm at a maintenance stage I either take 1 Movicol a day or 1oml Lactulose, thats gentler and easier to take I find.
A few times out of desperation I went the other way with Microlax, but at that stage I felt nauseous and could not move. Senokot do work well too but you can't take them for more than a few days

amdublin

ryanf1 wrote: »

Senokot do work well too but you can't take them for more than a few days

7 days apparently http://www.senokot.com/faq/

Gael23

7 days would be max. When I bought my last pack the pharmacist said 3 days together was enough. The problem is the way they work, you should really take a stool softener at same time. If you feel the blockage us down fairly low then a suppository may be best.
Although at that point I would be paying my GP a visit

KTRIC

Try psyllium husk, I had the same problem last year with a high protein diet and this managed to correct a lot of the damage the likes of senacot did.

Gael23

KTRIC wrote: »

Try psyllium husk, I had the same problem last year with a high protein diet and this managed to correct a lot of the damage the likes of senacot did.

Im thinking of giving them a try. At the moment I'm taking Duphalac twice a day and using a few spoonfuls of linseed every day and feel fairly ok.

amdublin

ryanf1 wrote: »

7 days would be max.

Yes you can take them for 7 days.

Sir Arthur Daley

If one was constipated for more than 7 days i would suggest urgent medical advice.

aboysham

Do a 180 on your usual diet, it's obviously wrong for your metabolism.

SATSUMA

Caraway seeds- just swallow a small handfull or add to food.

Apple juice is also great.

Both organic and natural.

Babooshka

Magnesium in it's most pure form...you can get a tub of it in The health store, it is called "Magnesium Supreme" (known in the USA as "natural calm" for it's relaxing properties). It dissolves into hot water and you can add a splash of squash if you want to, it tastes fairly ok though a bit like hot alka seltzer, it has vitamin C also, half a teaspoon at night and it works wonders the next day. Be careful at the beginning try a very stingy half a teaspoon or you will have the opposite problem....

JP Liz V1

Aloe Vera colon cleanse tablets are quite good

Gael23

I recently went into a health food shop because now that I'm over the worse of it I still want to keep taking something to keep things moving and would rather it be more natural than lactulose.
The guy recommended psyllium for soluble fibre to add bulk and magnesium citrate for insoluble fibre to actually make you go. He said its really important to drink lots of water with psyllium or else it will make your poos hard.

Mr_Red

Coffee

Pumpkinseeds

Orange juice goes right through me. But I also find popcorn very good. I usually get a 6 pack of the bigger bags but you can also get a popcorn maker that uses air popping instead of oil so it's healthier and they're very cheap, I think Lidl have them in for about 12 euro for the 4th July week. I have one but tbh it tastes like cardboard, my husband likes it though.

sunnyt

Hi op. If you only want a little help and you want to keep it up in the long term you can get flaxseed capsules in most health food shops. I take two a day and it does the trick. I do find the seeds work really well also but they can get stuck in your teeth! Good luck with it.

Gael23

sunnyt wrote: »

Hi op. If you only want a little help and you want to keep it up in the long term you can get flaxseed capsules in most health food shops. I take two a day and it does the trick. I do find the seeds work really well also but they can get stuck in your teeth! Good luck with it.

Im at that stage now. I feel I'm not constipated but still want to take something to keep things moving. Im kind of afraid to stop taking the lactulose but want to try and switch to something more natural

sunnyt

I know what you mean! I was told to take Fybogel by my GP but I found I often didn't something as strong as that. I just have a sensitive bowel...flights, stress etc all effect it. I do find the flaxseed capsules work well to keep this moving along everyday and they are quite gentle and natural. I know you can't give medical advice here so I'm approaching with caution! The capsules are not very expensive so maybe you could give them a try. Hope you figure out something that works well for you.

Gael23

At the moment I'm taking the seeds mixed with soft food like Weetabix for breakfast or a yoghurt as a snack but I'm not happy that alone is enough.
I went into a health food shop and the guy I got talking to said take magnesium citrate capsules along with a Bulking agent but the cost adds up
I couldn't stomach the taste of Fybogel but some people swear by it.
I got impacted so will do whats needed to spare myself that again