# Pencil thin stool



## andyroxxxxx (Mar 3, 2013)

Because I've already consulted Dr. Google, I see this seems to be a hot topic. So I won't make the amazing Kathleen repeat how pencil thin stools don't always mean tumors. (Kathleen, you are incredible).

Long history of ibs c. Been under control for the last 18 months with miralax, better than my whole life. 41 year old female.

But my question is this. I've been successfully on the miralax for about 18 months. The last week or two, I noticed my stool was beginning to come in smaller, thinner pieces. As the last few days have gone on, it appears to be getting worse and it's making me nervous. This morning, it was like spaghetti. My sigmoid is sore and I'm very, very, very, very anxious. I stopped the miralax yesterday, and still had the thin stool (even thinner) as I mentioned, this morning.


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## lgonzales8 (Aug 4, 2014)

get on a magnesium supplement and off miralax..it did the same to me.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Since the miralax is mixed in with the stool and it can take up to 3 days for the stool to come out, it may take a couple of days before you pass some stool without that added to it.


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## CanadianGuy (Aug 11, 2014)

I took Miralax between Spring 2011 and stopped it June 2014. I noticed that when my IBS symptoms flared up stools would become very thin. Having a bowel movement felt like squeezing toothpaste out of a small tube (well maybe not that narrow). If, for whatever reason my IBS flare up cooled off, the stools would return to a normal width.

Without miralax or any laxative my IBS-C gives me small type 1 stool chart rocks that irritate and nearly get impacted, a nightmare to deal with.

I've since switched to magnesium citrate 300mg 2x per day which results in a looser stool. Sometimes I need more. I find that only the brands like Natural Factors Stress Relax Mag Citrate powder, or Natural Calm type work for me. The NOW Foods powder doesn't work for me. I think it might be because the NF and Natural Calm combine citric acid powder with magnesium carbonate, and then when hot water is added the drink fizzes up and the magnesium citrate is created and it tastes like citric acid. The magnesium citrate you can get in powder or tablets often doesn't have the same citric acid taste and doesn't work for me at all.


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