# Linzess is NOT working :(



## ice cream (Dec 30, 2013)

Can anyone relate? Any advice?

thanks!


----------



## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

sorry it's not working for you. unfortunately it does not work for everyone.

everything i know about getting linzess to work--tips etc--i posted on this thread and on the other linzess threads we have here on the board:

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/249122-does-linzess-only-cause-diarrhea/

be sure you drink lots of water with it...

some people take it with a stimulant laxative like senna or dulcolax and get good results that way. or with miralax. it can help to experiment with different combinations of things.


----------



## ice cream (Dec 30, 2013)

Thank you. I don't want to get my body dependent on laxatives though. Should I worry?


----------



## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

in the usa, the stimulant laxatives that used to be considered dangerous to take have been removed from the market. i remember when that happened.

as far as dependency is concerned:

"A proportion of patients with chronic constipation is dependent of laxatives to achieve satisfactory bowel function, but this is not the result of prior laxative intake."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15654804

my thinking on the whole laxative dependency issue this is--IMHO, based on my reading and what my gastro docs have told me-- you didn't get to this stage by overusing laxatives, did you? I don't think any of us did. We use laxatives because we can't go otherwise. There's a school of thought among doctors today that if you become dependent on laxatives, it's because something was wrong to begin with, you didn't develop the dependence as a result of using them.

my gastro have always told me to take whatever i need to go because the alternative--not going at all and developing an impaction--is much worse than taking the laxative.

but again--that's just my opinion, based on my reading and on my experience.


----------



## ice cream (Dec 30, 2013)

Thank you Annie. You calmed me down. My GI told me to take the Linzess with MOM and mirelax. So she agrees with you lol.

This morning it worked so well, I cleared a 9-day backup. I feel so much better today. I'm so nervous that the cycle will repeat itself


----------



## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh good--so glad you got cleaned out. that's a wonderful feeling.

i know it's hard, but try not to worry. worrying never helps and only makes things seem so much worse than they really are. just keep doing what you doctor advised--maybe adjust the amounts of MOM and miralax up or down as needed---whatever works best for you.. good luck with everything... take care.


----------



## Stevect06 (Jun 20, 2014)

Following the advice of my general practitioner and gastrointestinal doctor - and hearing generally good reports about it, I stopped Miralax and tried Linzess last year for a week. I couldn't go for a week! Everyone is different, I've been back on Miralax since and have been doing OK. Good to hear you got things going on your own, I ended up impacted and had to go to the hospital.

IMO it's a good idea to stay on Miralax - or at least work with it to see how much you need. I take it daily. Many doctors say it's OK for daily use. As Annie said - becoming impacted is much worse than taking frequent medication.


----------



## ice cream (Dec 30, 2013)

Miralax with Linzess is not working. Should I take MOM or magnesium citrate?


----------



## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

sure, give it a try. milk of magnesia always worked better for me than miralax. seemed to pack more of a punch...

good luck!


----------



## Jade144 (Dec 19, 2011)

I have dealt recovered all of these symptoms. I was a sufferer for quite a few years, even after I identified all of my food allergies. This may sound a little strange. My mother gave me garlic. I know that this is one of the foods to avoid because of flatulence, but I am no longer constipated. I have daily, that right, daily bowel movements. On my own I was not taking enough, maybe a piece of a clove or 2 once or twice a week. She gave put the equivalent of what is in a portable fruit cup in each meal for dinner. I had also 2 very large vidalia onions. This was in spaghetti, kale, "sausage, peppers and onions". chicken noodle soup. She did this for months. It took about six for my body to adjust. I am so happy. I was having to prepare and have 3 hour bowel movements. I am down to 30-45 minutes and regular. To let you know I have food allergies: dairy, egg, wheat, red dye, yeast, yogurt, mushrooms....sensitivity to apples. So yes I have tried everything. Now that my body is healing, my uterus began to fall a few months back and I have recovered. Thanks to my mom once again she fed me and elevated my pelvis. Gravity was my friend. Got all tests done they came back clean. Now all the clothes I've worn just last year fall off. I hope this helps and spreads the wellness to anyone who wants to try this. I am being honest with so much garlic in my system I personally sweat a lot so after I am in the sun, I can smell a little musty, but it beats feeling sick and being ill. A year later all I have to do is eat a garlic infused meal once per month to maintain. The garlic I use is minced garlic in the jar that has the juice so I can easily drop 3 heaping gallops. I hope this helps greatly. I understand when desperate times calls for desperate measures. I was recently able to go to a museum and not feel self conscious about any BO or flatulence.


----------



## ice cream (Dec 30, 2013)

Is citrate better than milk of magnesia?


----------



## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

do you mean magnesium citrate supplements? or the liquid mag citrate that comes in a bottle?

we're all different but i found that milk of magnesia (4 TBL--the full cap full) was much more effective than magnesium citrate supplements.  but that's me. some people do find that mag citrate supplements help a lot--the dosage varies from person to person.

there's a lot of different kinds of magnesium formulas out there. i've read a lot of good reviews on natural calm (a powdered magnesium you mix in water) as well as MagOx and Mag07.

the liquid mag citrate that comes in a bottle is quite effective as a laxative. drinking a whole bottle of it is what people do for a good clean out. most people get diarrhea all day with it when they drink it that way. not something you'd want to do every day. i have read on here about people drinking a quarter of a bottle daily--not for the clean out effect but just so they could go easier.


----------



## ice cream (Dec 30, 2013)

Oh wow. Thanks for the feedback. I'll start with MOM and take it from there. It's so hard since my diet is 10000% low fodmap


----------



## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

good luck with everything .

yes being totally low FODMAP can be a bit of a problem when it comes to constipation. in my experience, a low fodmap diet does reduce bloating and gas but no, it does not help with constipation per se. a lot of fodmaps have compounds in them that in addition to being gassy also tend to draw water into the stool and so tend to loosen stools. these are the foods one often finds in diets recommended to help relieve constipation. so the whole thing is kind of tricky for those of us with chronic constipation.

i eat a moderate FODMAP diet since i've found that only certain foods bother me, which is good because my constipation was worse when i was eating totally low fodmap.

another thing that is important with FODMAP is quantity. many people --myself included--find they can eat a small amount of a high FODMAP food without problems. take broccoli for example. i can eat a half cup of it without problems but a whole cup of it gives me gas. i've seen lists like this too--which show some foods as being considered low FODMAP in small amounts but high FODMAP in large amounts. monash university has a great phone app for all this.


----------



## ice cream (Dec 30, 2013)

Interest Annie. I've been eating super low fodmap for the past week and change, and my constipation is worse than ever?! But my distention is way better. I need to find a happy medium. Any tips?


----------



## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh yes--i agree--we need to find the happy medium...

what i've read is that you're generally supposed to follow the FODMAP diet strictly for about four weeks. but if it's really making your C worse--well if it were me, i wouldn't want to wait that long--after all--misery is misery.

anyway--after the four weeks (or sooner







) what you are supposed to do is challenge each group--one food at a time. Wait a few days and then if nothing happens try another food from that group.. and then go on to challenging another FODMAP group, food by food. it's a slow process. some people find that only food from one or two groups bothers them. that's what i found.

when you do introduce a food, start with a small amount and see first how you do with that. then increase it a bit and see how that goes. that's what i did with everything. i found i can eat small amounts of broccoli, peas and even brussels sprouts without making my bloating and gas worse--and eating these things does help my C because these foods help draw water into the colon..

another thing-- studies have shown that it is a lot better for your gut microbiome if you can eat a variety of foods instead of following strict low FODMAP. and eating a wide variety of foods is better nutrition, too.

good luck


----------

