# Using glycerin suppositories chronically



## fizzixgal

After trying lots of things including both Zelnorm and Amitiza, alone and in combination with other things such as Activia, prune juice, Equalactin, etc., I've found that the critical ingredient that keeps me regular now now is Fleet glycerin suppositories. If I insert one after breakfast, in a half hour or so I have to go, sometimes urgently. I know it acts as a saline laxative but since it's mildly irritating to the rectum I was wondering if any damage could result from using it every day, long term. I have already been using it for about 4 months, and at this point I'm not sure whether anything else I'm taking has any effect any more, so I'm planning to continue it and experiment with cutting out the other meds one by one, provided it's safe to use a suppository every day. Does anyone know if it is?


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## Kathleen M.

They seem to be pretty safe, especially if it is just the glycerin, and not one with added stimulatory laxatives (although those are a lot safer than people worry about).


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## annie7

yeah i've used them for years--take them as needed--sometimes daily. i just use the plain glycerin ones. at first i was worried about using them a lot so i searched out info on this board. like kathleen says, most people say they seem safe. i remember flux saying (remember flux?) they were harmless--they are "just soap" and someone else mentioned they must be safe for people to use frequently because they sell them in such big tubs which i thought was kind of cute because that's what i buy---the big ol tub.


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## fizzixgal

Ha! Yes, me too, I buy the big tub of 50. Plain glycerin only -- if I want a stimulant laxative I'd rather take it orally. The label does say "Use for relief of OCCASIONAL constipation" though, so I was a little nervous about daily use.Thanks Annie and Kathleen.


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## Kathleen M.

Usually the thing with "occasional" is that if you have it from time to time you are good to just treat it on your own.They don't want to encourage people to use something every day rather than go to their doctor for a diagnosis.So I think it is more of a legal CYA statement. If you say only for occasional use you can't get in trouble if someone with something that needed medical attention avoids the doctor by using your product for a few year and only getting seen after it is way too late for medical intervention to help.If your doctor agrees you have IBS with constipation then you can use "occasional" products regularly. If you have never seen a doctor and find any "occasional" use becomes regular use then see the doctor to see why you have whatever it is chronically rather than just an acute bout any human can get.


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## amg

I have been using stimulant suppositories regularly to control my IBS-C. Sometimes it's the only thing that gets me out of the house and off to work. But often I don't need to let it absorb all the way; things begin to move after just a few minutes. I've been thinking about trying the glycerine ones, can anyone tell me how they compare?


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## twonK

I used a glycerin suppository last night for the first time and nothing happened! If I start getting a sugary taste in my mouth, I'm gonna get worried... lolWould anyone advise against trying two at once?I will also try a stimulant suppository next. Any favourite brand suggestions out there?


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## annie7

about the suppository not working...i've had that happen too. i remember reading quite a while ago on this board that the glycerin supps just work on the stool in the rectum--and i'm thinking maybe they also might work on stool in the lower colon right before the rectum??? just a guess-- maybe not. anyway the way it was explained was that if you had stool in your rectum the supp would get it out but if the stool was higher up, then it wouldn't.never tried the stimulant supps for some reason. maybe i should. i've always felt everything is worth a try--you never know..might just find that magic bullet or the magic bullet that works well with another magic bullet...making perhaps a magic cannonball...which sometimes is what i feel i need to get unplugged.good luck!


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## twonK

annie7 said:


> ..might just find that magic bullet or the magic bullet that works well with another magic bullet...making perhaps a magic cannonball...which sometimes is what i feel i need to get unplugged.good luck!


I think I found your magic bullet lol Magic Bullet


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## Glenda

When I was a toddler , I use to get constipated from time to time , My pediatrician told My mother to take a Bar of Dial Soap and put warm water in the sink and take the bar and swish it around in the water till it became soapy and then use the ball syringe and fill it.Insert the syringe and deploy all the soapy water.This worked Excellent.I even used this little trick on my own baby when he was little.It works great and is safe.You could give it a try.


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## annie7

The Magic Bullet--hooray!!! i'm ordering a truckload--make that two truckloads!Too Much Fun. thanks!!


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## twonK

Glenda said:


> When I was a toddler , I use to get constipated from time to time , My pediatrician told My mother to take a Bar of Dial Soap and put warm water in the sink and take the bar and swish it around in the water till it became soapy and then use the ball syringe and fill it.


what's a ball syringe? do you mean a football pump!?!?


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## twonK

Well I can heartily NOT recommend CVS own brand bisocodyl (Dulcolax) suppository. Not only was the packet surrounding the suppository impossible to open but the bloody thing had melted into a pulp, like toothpaste... So, after a largely messy five minutes (I'll spare the details) I forgot to clean myself up and now have bisocodyl gunk all over my undies. Great start to the day...


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## Glenda

A ball syringe are those little blue bulb syringes you see in the baby dept's , they are also used for extracting nose fluid on stuffy baby's.They were 1st designed for rectal use and then Nasal use also.As a baby , my mother used this on me all the time.I inturn used it on my baby.It works great.Suppisotorys are Ok , but they cause air to build up in the lower rectum by the opening and the pedia doc said that can cause pain. That's WHY supp's tend to blow back out of you after insertation.So , to use the warm water with regular Dial soap swished in the water till it becomes soapy.


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## joani

twonK said:


> I used a glycerin suppository last night for the first time and nothing happened! If I start getting a sugary taste in my mouth, I'm gonna get worried... lolWould anyone advise against trying two at once?I will also try a stimulant suppository next. Any favourite brand suggestions out there?


not a very good idea. You should only take no more than 3 to 4 a day, never 2at a time. Wait maybe 6 to 8 hours because there is always some residual effect to the one you first used


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## RYANBOZ7

Glenda said:


> When I was a toddler , I use to get constipated from time to time , My pediatrician told My mother to take a Bar of Dial Soap and put warm water in the sink and take the bar and swish it around in the water till it became soapy and then use the ball syringe and fill it.Insert the syringe and deploy all the soapy water.This worked Excellent.I even used this little trick on my own baby when he was little.It works great and is safe.You could give it a try.


Wouldn't this be just like an enema like Fleet?


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## PralineMelts

fizzixgal said:


> After trying lots of things including both Zelnorm and Amitiza, alone and in combination with other things such as Activia, prune juice, Equalactin, etc., I've found that the critical ingredient that keeps me regular now now is Fleet glycerin suppositories. If I insert one after breakfast, in a half hour or so I have to go, sometimes urgently. I know it acts as a saline laxative but since it's mildly irritating to the rectum I was wondering if any damage could result from using it every day, long term. I have already been using it for about 4 months, and at this point I'm not sure whether anything else I'm taking has any effect any more, so I'm planning to continue it and experiment with cutting out the other meds one by one, provided it's safe to use a suppository every day. Does anyone know if it is?


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## PralineMelts

I have been using glycerin suppositories for constipation almost daily for over twenty years inserting sometimes as many as four one after the other. I consulted several specialists who did not seem unduly concerned as my colonoscopies were normal but I felt very bloated and uncomfortable a lot of the time and worried that I had damaged the nerves in the rectum forever which they said might need to be reeducated.However, last month I started taking a high dose of probiotics pills everyday and almost instantly the pain and the bloating subsided enormously. I also have been to the loo without using suppositories several times which is to me quite new! I sometimes do use the suppositories though but it's more out of habit , I think that I could wait and go naturally if I wanted to. The other thing which might have helped is eating a copious amount of porridge everyday. Until last month I was on a very low carb semi-vegetarian diet: mostly protein and vegetables which cause very loose stools and I'm sure promote constipation. Also I have stopped eating anything with sugar in it: chocolate, cakes et c. this may have helped as well. So you don't need to worry about glycerin suppositories if you have taken them for only four months and you might want to try Probiotics, they have improved things a lot for me.


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## alxp

PralineMelts said:


> I have been using glycerin suppositories for constipation almost daily for over twenty years inserting sometimes as many as four one after the other. I consulted several specialists who did not seem unduly concerned as my colonoscopies were normal but I felt very bloated and uncomfortable a lot of the time and worried that I had damaged the nerves in the rectum forever which they said might need to be reeducated.However, last month I started taking a high dose of probiotics pills everyday and almost instantly the pain and the bloating subsided enormously. I also have been to the loo without using suppositories several times which is to me quite new! I sometimes do use the suppositories though but it's more out of habit , I think that I could wait and go naturally if I wanted to. The other thing which might have helped is eating a copious amount of porridge everyday. Until last month I was on a very low carb semi-vegetarian diet: mostly protein and vegetables which cause very loose stools and I'm sure promote constipation. Also I have stopped eating anything with sugar in it: chocolate, cakes et c. this may have helped as well. So you don't need to worry about glycerin suppositories if you have taken them for only four months and you might want to try Probiotics, they have improved things a lot for me.


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## alxp

What probiotic do you use?Did you have trouble with gas and bloating when you first started taking the probiotic?I was so tired of being bloated everyday with chronic constipation that I researched foods that are easy to digest. A high fiber diet wasn't working for me. If you have chronic constipation, bulking up the colon with fiber and it going nowhere is miserable. When I switched to canned veges and fruit and no gluten or dairy, I felt so much better quickly. It's really difficult to stick to such a restrictive diet, and I have not been faithful. When I return to it strictly for a few days, I feel better.


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## kojbats

joani said:


> not a very good idea. You should only take no more than 3 to 4 a day, never 2at a time. Wait maybe 6 to 8 hours because there is always some residual effect to the one you first used


I've used several in the morning and it seems to work okay. not every day but maybe 5 days per week. just need to drink a little gatorade so you don't deplete sodium


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