# Fiber worsens my constipation



## Guest (Dec 9, 2002)

Fiber is supposed to be God's gift to the constipated, but it always makes me much worse, even though I drink plenty of water (3 liters/day) and get plenty of exercise (2 hrs/day).Here is how constipated I am: several years ago, I drank a gallon of GoLytely to prep for a sigmoidoscopy AND IT DIDN'T WORK! I've tried many things, but the only thing that works is Milk of Magnesia. It's kind of uncomfortable and have to take a lot of it. For some reason doctors don't like it and keep suggesting useless substitutes. If this sounds like you, and you found a solution, please let me know! Thanks!


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## flux (Dec 13, 1998)

> quote:Fiber is supposed to be God's gift to the constipated


No, fiber is what healthy people consume in order not become constipated.Constipation that results from disordered motility will get worse by consuming fiber.


> quote:GoLytely to prep for a sigmoidoscopy AND IT DIDN'T WORK!


So you had a gallon of water just sitting in your gut? It had to come out at some point? How long did it take?


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## briland23 (Sep 11, 2002)

I totally agree with you! I recently started adding more fiber to my already rich fiver diet due to the Citrucel I take daily. I did this becuase I was what I though was terribly C. However, since adding more fiber in the form of veggies, bran and fruit I have become HORRIBLY C. I cannot pass these stuck together rock hard pellets without manual help now! This is terrible. I am thinking of cutting down the fiber because this is even worse! I don't know if I should stop the Citrucel or what. Maybe I have slow motility like flux said. Now what????!!!


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## ghitta (Jul 6, 2002)

hi again Briland23 - listen, i don't know if this will work for you but it has worked for me now for a long while so here goes: i avoid insoluble fibers such as pysllium and other fiber products as well. i stopped taking FiberChoice pills (FOS fiber) once my mag supps started kicking in. i eat stewed prunes every night, tons of cooked greens with olive oil, i take vit supps including Ester C, mag, fish oil pills and flax oil pills twice a day, with meals and keep my calcium supplement intake to a bare minimum and no iron supplements whatsoever. at this point in my life, i try to make Food My Medecine and altho that doesn't mean i don't have hard pellets once in a while, i have gotten used to manually pulling them out but this is only in the late afternoons or evenings, - i'm going every morning like clockwork, more or less, and i believe it's due to the mag supps, drinking enough water so the mag acts like it's supposed to (an osmotic laxative) and i try to keep busy physically as well. g-


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## lk (Aug 28, 1999)

Hi everyone, I am exactly the same as you guys, and as flux suggest I expect I have slow motility and not IBS - regardless this website is very helpful. After a few years of fiber and only minimum success, along with putting up with ridiculous amounts of gas and bloating, I eventually tried magnesium and it really helped a lot. (I take 400-600mg each night before bed and maintain a regular morning routine of drinking water and coffee to help be go). I began noticing that even with the magnesium helping, certain things I'd eat would bring back the C, and make the magnesium work less. After some experimentation I figured out that it was soluble fiber, but that insoluble fiber was still beneficial.Now I try to avoid soluble fiber as much as possible, while still eating insoluble fiber so that I get all my nutritional needs. I find if I screw up and eat something with soluble fiber, the C will come bakc, and increasing my magnesium dose will correct it.Janedoe, since your symptoms sound very similar to mine I highy recommend you try this. My doctor is completely happy with me taking magnesium suppliments, since your body needs it anyways, and any excess just gets flushed out (which is how it works). As for soluble fiber, its mainly found in fruits, but its also hidden in many thing that you wouldn't expect as "gums" which are added as thickners to many foods especially dairy products (ice cream, cream cheese, whipped cream). However, if you check labels you can avoid them, you just need to buy all natural products (i.e. Breyers ice cream, and Hagendaz - its a great excuse to only eat Hagendaz!) Hope this helps,Linda


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## Guest (Dec 10, 2002)

Hmm, it seems I can't reply to individual replies (except privately), only to the whole thread.I think I do have slow (almost nonexistent!) motility rather than IBS. I haven't been diagnosed with IBS, and I have only C (though I understand that's possible with IBS).I don't remember how long the GoLytely sat in my gut, only how much it hurt, and that I had to cancel the procedure an hour beforehand because there was no way I would be ready for it. The doctor's idiot receptionist told me curtly that I would "just have to drink some more!" even though she must have known that a gallon is all you get, and you cannot get more on such short notice. It comes from the hospital's Radiology Dept. by prescription. I didn't have room for any more, either. I felt like strangling her.I will definitely try avoiding soluble fiber. I'm an ice cream junkie, and I get most of my ice cream from a cafe. They make their own and say it's "natural," but they might consider some of the gums natural ... I love that place but I would GLADLY switch to a gum-free brand if it would solve my C problem!!!


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## jimmye (Nov 13, 2001)

I gave up citrucel a few weeks ago after finding out that it has corn starch in it. I used some of the new kind (tasteless/colorless) one night and was in much pain the next day actually I think I did this 2 days before writing to the people who make this product and asking they to explain the ingredients. Anyway I'm feeling much better don't know if I was having a reaction to the ingredients or if it was just the wrong kindof fiber for me. I have also given up ground flax seeds but am still using a psyllium product that has triphalia and some other things in it. Also over eating is a big trigger for pain for me. Someone also suggested to me taking vit. B12 sublingually about 20 minutes before eating. He said it is a natural antihistamine and so if I have food allergies it is protective to the stomach lining. Don't know if this is true but I do it and have only had about 1 day of pain in the last 3 weeks since I made these changes. Good lunch to all. Jimmye


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## nordattack (Dec 11, 2002)

I too suffer from this horrible "C" curse. I did find a very helpful natural treatment that I would like to share with you all. It is the herb Chlorella. I prefer the "Now" brand 1000 milligram tablets. Take three a day after a meal. It feeds your intestines with everything they need for good bacterial activity and has the most chlorophyll of any plant. It also provides you with all the nutrients your body needs as well as DNA and RNA protein. I started to take it only for it's nutritional effects then bam a miracle! I became fairly regular with good full eliminations. I found I was able to also eliminate soluble fiber from my diet and could get by on just the small amount of fiber in frosted mini wheat's eaten every other day. This is from a person who was only having one bowel movement a week no matter what I did. Any good brand of chlorella will do but take at least 3000 milligrams per day. I hope this helps. Good luck all.


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## jimmye (Nov 13, 2001)

Thanks for the info. How long after you began taking the supplement did you notice the improvement? Jimmye


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## jo_2 (Sep 24, 2002)

i'm not sure if any of you remeber me but i m new and i mad my first and last post about 2 months ago and i have been to busy to post after that but now ican and well here is what i ahve to say i don't knwo about u but fiber tottaly works for me my gi told me that i should drink plenty of water and eat plaently of fiber and it helps my constapation alot plus she put me on miralax i got 2 bottles but i ran out of them and she won't perscribe me any more cause she doesn't wanting me depending on them and well iam gonna just buy fiber supplements from wal mart instead...anyways so yeah fiber should help your constapation cause fiber helps reatin more water to the intesties which helps with passing with stolls..........jo


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

what's this fiber with triphala?tom


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## mally (Jan 8, 2002)

This is a repeat of my reply to Jo-Jo in a nearby post, since both posts are about fiber.You may be interested in what the Life Extension Found. says about fiber (Fiber Is Not The Solution For Most People).Here it is: http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-038.shtml


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## laura123 (Aug 6, 2003)

I think I may have slow digestive motility as well. Are there any foods that can be eaten to strengthen those muscles and increase motility? Or any vitamin that can be taken?


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## 2btrue (Jul 22, 2003)

Is Benefiber any different? I heard that it doesnt get all thick and clogging like regular fiber. Has anyone tried this different type?


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## badger1 (Jan 26, 2002)

Re the C. Have anyone tried LACTULOSE?


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## wigglesmom (Dec 12, 2002)

I tried lactulose. It made me incredibly gassy and did nothing to help my constipation. I like Miralax better.


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## sprucecircle (Oct 29, 2002)

I have been taking lactulose every night for a couple of years and it works very well for me. I take it in the evening due to the gas.







I asked my doctor about Miralax because it is more convenient (no bottles to lug on vacation for one thing!) but she said it has not been approved for long term use and since the lactulose is working, to stick with it.


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