# Best supplements for a lazy bowel?



## Luna93 (Jul 7, 2016)

Hello, I'm new here and thought it'd do me good to post something in order to reach out to others suffering with my condition. I'm having trouble figuring out how to start...How do you explain an issue you have dealt with pretty much your entire life? For starters, it is comforting stumbling upon this forum--knowing that I am not alone and reading all your stories nearly brings me to tears.

*[My experience with IBS]:* I remember being a shy child in elementary school, and whenever I got nervous my stomach would tense up and I'd get awful stomach attacks. I typically had to run away to the bathroom, like on Halloween when all the other kids were dressed scary and wearing masks. I drank a lot of soda and ate pizza and ice cream and I usually ended up on the bathroom floor all night sick. Fast forward to high school, I still suffered from stomach pains and I never really had a problem "going" until I was in my twenties when I noticed I didn't feel as hungry as I used to (I love to eat, lol). At restaurants I would order something that looked good but then I could barely get it down and felt so bloated and beyond full afterward.

The past couple years, maybe since I started college in 2014, have been the WORST. I can never empty out, my crap is never solid and if it is all I get is "pebbles," which doesn't give any relief and aggravates my hemorrhoids. My belly has always been very flat, and now it just sticks out and feels packed all the time. I have become so sluggish, even walking around I feel like I'm dragging all this weight. I've felt so lousy that whenever I go out or see friends or family I feel like I have to put all my energy into just being there. Sometimes gluten/wheat products cause severe bloating, other times an ice cream or milk will do it, and red meat is really aggravating my IBS symptoms.

*[Current condition]: *So to summarize my current condition, I have had something bulging out of my left side under my rib for a long time now...I'm assuming its my intestine? My lower back hurts often, I developed hemorrhoids that feel like they are internal and effect my sex life...

I've been trying various things, but it is so difficult for me to monitor my diet when I live in a house with 4 other people and we have red meat, potatoes, bread, etc. for dinner. My stomach's felt so sore and swollen since I accidentally accepted a late-night meal from Burger King....which I only have on rare occasion.

*I have tried:*


Probiotic pearls for a month with no change
Milk of Magnesia (diarrhea, hate this stuff)
Magnesium tablets for a few months straight (I read it was good for stomach muscles)
Benefiber (for a few weeks with no results) and high-fiber cereal (makes me FULL)
Olive oil + lemon every morning (to lubricate intestines)
Coconut oil (orally for same effect)
Senna capsules (worked for a week or two, I took 2-3 of them daily for a month, oops)
Stool softener (again, worked a few times, then nothing)
Apple cider vinegar (for bloat and soreness, it helped)
Suppositories (but I'm not backed up down there)
Bananas and spinach (worked well then stopped working)
HTP+ 200 mg (vitamin b-6, tryptophan, serotonin - half a month)
Massages, squatting, stretches, exercise/walking, water, etc.

*[Questions]:* How long do these things take to show that they're working? What supplements/vitamins in your experience have noticeably helped your chronic constipation? I have been unable to go for 2 weeks at a time, then I take a laxative (Senna/stool softener) and get diarrhea (which I hate). I have read that vitamins B-1, B-6, and B-12 aid your digestive tract, but B-Complex can contribute to constipation? What is L-Glutamine and is it effective? Vitamin C + D? I am currently unemployed so I can't exactly afford to keep dishing out money to TRY remedies. Any advice I'd appreciate...and sorry if this was a long post. =/


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## Howl (Jul 6, 2016)

I have pretty much tried all that you have.

I have found relief in black cohosh. It works to relieve me 80% of the time within a day and 20% within 3-4 days. Im currently taking natures way black cohosh at 540mg per dose. taking 1-2 a day.https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Way-Black-Cohosh-Capsules/dp/B001ECQ9CG mostly at night because they can cause drowsyness. But if constipated i would take one before im most likely to poop.

The problem is with black cohosh is it estrogen based so can screw up your periods a bit. But i think my hormones are out of whack which is why im constipated in the first place.

Anyways its worked for me. It has made my periods a bit more unpredictable but tbh its worth it over being CONSTANTLY constipated and bloated and packing on weight!

If you do take it, then you should see results within a week. I found results in under 3-4 days. x

Are you on a hormonal contraceptive?


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

i hope you have a good gastroenterologist to help you with all this and to help figure out why you are having these problems. . a sitz marker test (colonic transit study) will diagnose if you have slow transit constipation (colonic inertia).

some people find that taking lots of vitamin C helps loosen their stools and helps them go. you have to experiment to find out how much to take.

i know you said you've tried magnesium but have you tried natural calm? it's a form of powdered magnesium that people say really helps. also i've heard that MagOx is good.

triphala can be helpful too. it has a lot of natural ingredients in it.

there are supplements for helping with constipation listed in this thread:

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/152106-the-great-list-of-remedies/

good luck. hope you can find some relief.


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## Luna93 (Jul 7, 2016)

Howl said:


> I have pretty much tried all that you have.
> 
> I have found relief in black cohosh. It works to relieve me 80% of the time within a day and 20% within 3-4 days. Im currently taking natures way black cohosh at 540mg per dose. taking 1-2 a day.https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Way-Black-Cohosh-Capsules/dp/B001ECQ9CG mostly at night because they can cause drowsyness. But if constipated i would take one before im most likely to poop.
> 
> ...


How did you decide to take Black Cohosh for constipation, is there more about it on this forum? I read there can be a lot of possible side effects. But I also suffer from female troubles (bad periods, possible ovarian cyst, cramps, swelling) so I might have an overabundance of estrogen, which Black Cohosh is said to regulate hormones for those going through menopause. No, I've never been on birth control. Being rid of constant bloat and fullness might be really worth looking into this, thanks a lot for your input, @Howl!



annie7 said:


> i hope you have a good gastroenterologist to help you with all this and to help figure out why you are having these problems. . a sitz marker test (colonic transit study) will diagnose if you have slow transit constipation (colonic inertia).
> 
> some people find that taking lots of vitamin C helps loosen their stools and helps them go. you have to experiment to find out how much to take.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tips, @Annie7! I haven't tried Natural Calm, nope! When I have the money I'm hoping to stock up on daily vitamins B & C, I do drink orange juice daily though which used to help me get things moving! I can't afford to see a doctor really, I'm unemployed with no real insurance...I'll check out the thread!!


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

This works pretty well for me, I've been taking it over a year now. You should take it every day (click on below link to read):

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/239065-finally-a-product-i-can-recommend/


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## sara1991 (May 13, 2017)

Hello,

I'm a 25 year old female whose issue first started when I wasnt eating very well and over exercising and my bowels completely stopped working and I couldn't go without an enema - this was accompanied with excessive gas and rectal fullness which depressed me so much. I've visited several doctors who diagnosed me with different things and gave me different medications (Resolor, Duspatalin, Probiotics, digestive enzymes) - eventually the gas subsided a little and I could have a bowel movement everyday but there was still a lot of gas and lower abdominla distention (felt like my intestines were going to burst). Now recently I've done a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with lazy bowel syndrome (Slow motility) and was given Ganaton which helps me go 2-3 times a day however the gas & abdominal distention is still there. Now my symptoms have been ongoing with the same severity for the past 5 months and I don't suspect I have IBS since this flare up is ongoing. My question is why is the gas still there even if I'm going 2-3 times a day and the lower abdominal pain which radiates into my lower back still there? I'm so frustrated and have tried EVERYTHING including GAS Stop, probiotics, digestive enzymes, peppermint caps, ginger, fennel etc without relief. Can slow motility I've also missed two periods for the first time in my life?? I can't live like this anymore!! Any response is appreciated!


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