# extremely constipated -taking antibiotic and now more constipated



## mossflower (Jan 21, 2017)

Hi all: I have a 25 year history of extreme constipation for which I take magnesium which works great. However, in the past week I was diagnosed with a severe urinary tract infection which went into my blood (bacteremia); I was on IV antibiotics and now I was switched to oral antibiotics. Unfortunately, according to the infectious disease docs, the only drug of choice is Cipro: I resisted taking it due to multiple side effects but if I don't take it I will have to have a PiCC line which is something nobody would choose if there is an alternative. The CIPRO is extremely constipating to the point that I took a very large dose of magnesium last night with little result. I am wondering if I should switch over to a stimulant anbiiotic ( like Dulcolax) or combine the Dulcolax with the Magnesium- I am very troubled as I have to take this Cipro for 10 more days.

Bacteremia is a life-threatening condition : otherwise I would never take the Cipro, which I resisted. I tried another type of antibiotic before Cipro, but it caused urinary bleeding and nose bleeding. This is a terrible situation I know but I can't imagine hardly pooping for 10 more days.

Thanks for your suggestions.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh dear--so sorry for all your problems! yes, cipro is a miserable drug and it's unfortunate that you have to take it but like you said, you have no choice. and picc lines are no fun either--i've had to have a number of them.

you definitely want to take something to make you go so you don't develop an impaction. you could try a stimulant like dulcolax and also try taking it with magnesium. or combine it with miralax if you magnesium supplements don't work. and i'm assuming you are referring to magnesium supplements and not milk of magnesia. like the instructions on the dulcolax box say, don't take it at the same time as dairy products or any antacids (like milk of mag) because that will cause cramping. take milk of mag at least an hour apart from dulcolax.

good luck. i do hope that, miserable as it is, the cipro works and clears up your infection. take good care.


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## Tiss (Aug 22, 2000)

Well that just sounds miserable but sounds like your life is possibly on the line. Ask your doctors if you can take a laxative or milk of mag (my preference) a little bit each day or larger amount every few days if you can stay near a bathroom. Sounds painful and I hope you feel better very soon!


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

I would drink prune JUICE, take senna pills and also stool softer (docusate sodium). That should do the trick.


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## mossflower (Jan 21, 2017)

Annie: could you please advise how I should take the Dulcolax and mag citrate pills: what I may do is take 5 dulcolax and 3 or 4 mag citrate pills- does that make sense?

do I take them together or separate and if so, how much time between both

Cipro is a hideous drug but I just can't bear the thought of a PICC line and the doc told me there are a lot of potential complications with a PICC line

what happened is I had a raging urinary tract infection with no symptoms; when I was admitted to the hospital with Atrial fib (newly diagnosed) they picked up the UTI which then went into the blood. I

spent several days in the hospital ( no fun for sure). Cipro's main side effects are gastrointestinal with constipation as a major one. There are other issues with Cipro and I resisted taking it

but the inf disease docs told me there simply is no other drug to treat what I have ( kind of unbelievable)

Thanks for caring


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

idk...five dulcolax is a lot. the instructions on the box say take 1-3 pills.

and the instructions on the dulcolax box say do not take it within an hour of taking dairy or antacid products. milk of magnesium is an antacid. i honestly don't know for sure but i really don't think mag citrate supplements are considered an antacid.

one thing magnesium supplements do interact with is certain antibiotics-- cipro is one of them. i remember that from when i was taking antibiotics. you have to take mag supplements no less than one hour before taking cipro or two hours after cipro. you might want to check with your doc or pharmacist about this. or if you got an instruction sheet about cipro from the pharmacy, this should be on there.

http://www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement-interaction/possible-interactions-with-magnesium

i sure do understand what you mean about antibiotics. about 18 months ago i had open abdominal surgery. my incision became infected, with pockets of infection inside my abdomen as well. they put in a picc line and the ID doc put me on two IV antibiotics, one of which was flagyl, which, although not as bad as cipro, is a horrible antibiotic with lots of nasty side effects and made me very ill. two weeks later they discharged me, still with the picc line, and had me on the same IV antibiotics for another month at home . it was a thoroughly miserable time. i didn't want to take flagyl but my ID doc said i had to--no other choice.

good luck with everything. i do hope you get better soon. you've been through way too much.


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## mossflower (Jan 21, 2017)

Hi Annie: you have been through quite a bit yourself. I have been reading on line reviews of Dulcolax and have seen horror stories of severe and horrible cramping even with one pill-- did you have that problem? I think I would take two pills and the rest magnesium but I have to tell you last night I took 2000 mg of magnesium pills plus 6 tbs of mag citrate liquid and went a little bit. normally that would clean me out for a week. I have thought about taking milk of magnesia, that is what I used to take for years but it made me kinda sick - it is horrible tasting- anyway I took like 4 tbs and it cleaned my clock - I wonder if I should just try that. MOM seemed to work no matter what ever other meds I was taking. I don't know I am so confused. I bought enema, biascodyl suppositories and the tablets and I still don't know what the hell to take. tonight I am going to try and get by not taking anything so I can get a good night's sleep.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

no, i never had problems with cramping with dulcolax. i took 3 pills nightly. i have friends who take it and they don't get cramping either.

one thing you can count on is that the internet is full of drama, negativity and horror stories. when people have problems with a med, they go online and post about it , often quite dramatically, whereas usually when people have success with a med, they don't post about it because they are out there enjoying their lives. we're all different but the only way you're going to know how something affects you, is to try it for yourself.

if milk of mag helps you, trying that sounds like a good idea. good luck


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## mossflower (Jan 21, 2017)

Thanks Annie for some perspective: you are right about internet drama. I appreciate your advice

Marilyn


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

thanks.... if you want, you can always try another stimulant like senna or cascara sagrada. a number of people here have had good luck with Dr Schultz intestinal formula #1. you can get it on amazon as well as from their website.


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## mossflower (Jan 21, 2017)

Hi Annie: I decided to try the milk of magnesia since it states it is for acute constipation: I took almost 4 tbs and it worked decently. I used to take it many years ago but I thought it

made me sick but I was fine taking it. I think I will consider using it occasionally even when I am over this horrible problem I have now. one good thing about it is you take at before you go to bed- whereas with the mag citrate pills I take those after dinner and it takes a little more time to work. I really don't like taking enemas and anyway I just don't feel great enough to get on the floor and do all the acrobatics necessary to give myself an enema. these damn Cipro pills are so constipating; at first I didn't think the MOM would work but it did.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

thanks for the update. so glad to hear that milk of mag worked for you! that's wonderful! what a big relief it is to finally be able to go.


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## mossflower (Jan 21, 2017)

Hi Annie: it is good that MOM worked but here is another problem: because the CIPRO is so constipating, the MOM worked but I was left with a lot of poop in the anal area that would not come out very well. how can I say this, I could squirt out a bit here and there but I am left uncomfortable. I have to take this vile drug for 8 more days and I have to figure out how I am going to deal with this wretched constipation problem, which right now is ruining my life.

I thought about an enema or Biascodyl suppositories or maybe glycerin suppositories to get the rest of the poop out of there. I am seeing my family doc tomorrow so I will see what he recommends.

Constipation is a terrible problem, but manageable as long as a person doesn't have a bunch of other stuff going on with it, like I do now. Thanks for listening: you are a good and caring person.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

thank you for your kind words







.

oh dear--sorry about the poop left in your rectum. that's always a miserable feeling. you're right--a fleet enema or suppositories--either glycerin or bisacodyl---should get that out and yes, glad you're seeing your family doc today so he can advise you.

oh yes, i agree. constipation is a terrible problem and even worse when you're also having to deal with a myriad of other things as well. i do hope you can get some relief today. take care.


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## mossflower (Jan 21, 2017)

Annie: is there any other way to insert a suppository other than getting on the floor. I am in my 70's and it is not so easy to get on the floor in that position?


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

i know what you mean--i'm 65.

i've always inserted a suppository while standing up. i bend slightly forward, use one hand to pull my butt cheek out of the way, try to relax my anus as much as possible and insert the suppository up as far as possible. sometimes a little k-y jelly helps it slide up there easier.

you're right about the acrobatics involved with an enema. i do those in the classic "butt up" position. i put a towel on the floor for my knees. but it's sure no fun. the enema box shows that you can lie on your side to do it but that never seemed to work for me (messy).


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## mossflower (Jan 21, 2017)

Hi Annie: well the MOM stopped working pretty much; I am not surprised as these damn Cipro pills turn my poop into cement. so now I have to contact the doctor and see if

he can order an enema to be given in the ER. that is all I can think of.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh no--so sorry to hear that--that's terrible!

MOM never worked for me unless i also took a stimulant.

i do hope your doc can help you by ordering the enema. you could always try urgent care, too, for that-- less of a wait time.

hopefully your doc can also give you some other advice for dealing with this. other things you could try are magnesium citrate --drink the full bottle. or try taking half a colonoscopy prep. but your doc's advice is always best.

good luck. keep me posted. take care.


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## mossflower (Jan 21, 2017)

Hi Annie: well, things are not going too well. I stopped the Cipro, which by the way I consider to be poison, two days ago because my platelet count went up 3x higher since I went on that drug; the inf. disease doc told me to stop the drug. since then I have taken lots of magnesium but my bowel function remains abnormal and bizarre; how can I say this, the "stool" is more like sand: I normally have watery stool from the magnesium but this is so weird. I am worried I will never back to what I was before I took this damn drug. the magnesium is working somewhat but not anything like it did before all of this happened to me. I am so upset


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh i am so sorry to hear all this! i do hope that things get better for you soon!

i developed peripheral neuropathy while taking flagyl. it's a possible side effect of the drug.

these meds can really cause problems for some of us.


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