# My constipation + starting treatment with MiraLAX+Metamucil



## CG117 (Oct 5, 2018)

I am new to these forums and made an account specifically so I could discuss my path forward. Long story short, I have been dealing with constipation for most of my life, and only in the past year and a half have I tried to do something about it. I have been drinking more water and adding fiber to my diet via food. However, it's quickly become clear that, even after a year, added fiber and water isn't helping my constipation. All water does is reduce and even eliminate my abdominal bloating, and my food choices are just making me eat, well, healthier. The only thing that has helped is MiraLAX, which I only take when necessary (and even then, I only need to take one dose every other day for two days to get the stubborn stool out of me and feeling human again until it happens again). I tried psyllium powder (generic Metamucil) but that only added to my constipation even though I was still drinking lots of water. I even tried two different probiotics over the past year. One didn't do anything, and the other did make me poop once a day but it was mushy and uncomfortable, so I stopped taking it.

Unfortunately, something very weird started happening to me since May. I was suddenly having a lot of bowel urgency, the feeling of needing to have a BM even if, when I reached a toilet, I couldn't go or could get barely anything out. Some of these instances did result in looser stool, but there's been no rhyme or reason to it. It mostly happens as I'm trying to leave for work, or when I'm commuting. It got so bad at one point that, if I came into work, I took Lyft instead of the bus. Or I worked remotely from home because the frequent trips to the bathroom were making me run late. This, as a result, has given me extreme anxiety, to the point where some days I was literally afraid of leaving home. It's been coming and going, worse some days and fine other days. No one believes I have any viruses or bacteria and all my tests are normal.

I have been seeing a nutritionist for the past year, but I think it's safe to say that I may not be needing to see her much longer since diet doesn't seem to be part of my constipation problem (I definitely am not dairy sensitive since we tried that for a few months with no improvement). I also had seen two gastroenterologists. One wasn't sure what my issue was, and an MRI showed nothing wrong with my colon (at least that was a relief to know). Blood and stool tests also tested negative for the nasty things doctors would instinctively want to check for. The second gastroenterologist I saw the other day had looked over all of my test results and notes and felt confident enough to declare that all I have is IBS and that the constipation could just be a motility issue that diet will never change. When I told her about the urgency issue above, she viewed that as being a part of IBS, that something triggered some sensitivity/stress and I'm locked in a bad loop.

So, she suggested that, over the next 8 weeks, I take both MiraLAX and Metamucil every day in order to make me not only poop every day but also have the softness and bulk I need. I took both last night, both with 12 ounces of water. But I am wondering if I should change the time I take them. My thought right now is to take Metamucil at night before going to bed (so it doesn't interfere with my morning supplements), and the MiraLAX in the morning before I leave for work. Does that sound like a decent plan? How have others here taken their dosage of both products?

Sorry for the long post, but I felt that giving my backstory was an important thing to do in this post rather than in a separate one.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

hi

welcome to the board. so sorry for your problems.

to answer your questions: when i took mirlalax, i always took it at night. it made me bloat and gurgle so taking it at night worked better for me.

because i had colonic inertia (slow motility) and some other problems, metemucil and the other fiber products only backed me up all the more and made things worse so i didn't take them at all. i did better on a diet low in fiber. but that's me.

good luck with everything. hope you can find some relief.


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## DavidG (May 7, 2017)

This site talks about one way to add fiber slowly to your diet Cureconstipationnow.com . Dr. Wes Jones recommends starting with benefiber and slowly increasing the amount of fiber, and then adding Metamucil. There are reviews of his book on Amazon.


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

Hi CG117 -

Sorry to hear about all your constipation woes.

Read this whenever you have the time, it should answer any and all of your questions & comments (click on below link to read):

"The ABC's of Chronic Constipation (aka IBS-C)"

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/325690-the-abcs-of-chronic-constipation-aka-ibs-c/

Good luck & keep us posted!


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## CG117 (Oct 5, 2018)

flossy said:


> Hi CG117 -
> 
> Sorry to hear about all your constipation woes.
> 
> ...


I just took a look at it and it's everything I already know about myself. Diet and water didn't help me. Only MiraLAX seems to make any actual difference (after a few days, of course). I won't resort to taking any other medicines unless if the suggestion made by my newest gastroenterologist ends up not working after the 8 weeks.


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

CG117 said:


> I just took a look at it and it's everything I already know about myself. Diet and water didn't help me. Only MiraLAX seems to make any actual difference (after a few days, of course). I won't resort to taking any other medicines unless if the suggestion made by my newest gastroenterologist ends up not working after the 8 weeks.


Okay.

Your gastro will most likely not recommend the Intestinal Formula # 1, but I certainly do. Docs & surgeons don't get any perks recommending non-pharmaceutical products, but oftentimes it isn't that way the other way around.

Good luck & keep us posted.


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## CG117 (Oct 5, 2018)

*UPDATE:* It has not quite been a week since I started this combo, and already the Metamucil is aggravating my constipation, even though I'm taking the Miralax and still drinking plenty of fluids and eating healthy. I know it's the Metamucil because when I first started taking it on my own initiative a few weeks ago, on its own (no Miralax consumed at all), it made me more constipated after the same amount of time. I'm taking both at night. Sure, my stool is soft when it comes out thanks to the Miralax...but it's the small, hard to pass stools that I'm used to having while going through a bad bout of constipation.

Unfortunately, I don't know whether or not to ask my gastro if I should stop taking the Metamucil for the remainder of the trial period (7 more weeks to go) and focus ONLY on taking Miralax daily. And to reiterate, when I'm taking the Metamucil, I am taking half the suggested dose and mixing it with lots of water, so it's not an issue of me taking too much/not having enough fluids to go with it.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

sorry that this regimen that the doc told you to try isn't working for you.

well, if it were me and i had 7 more weeks (!) to go on this regimen, i would definitely call the gastro's office and tell them that metamucil is just making things worse. no way would i suffer for seven more weeks....just my opinion. fiber always made my C worse--even if i took it with lots of miralax.

hopefully the doc will have something else to suggest.

good luck with everything. hope you feel better soon.


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## CG117 (Oct 5, 2018)

annie7 said:


> sorry that this regimen that the doc told you to try isn't working for you.
> 
> well, if it were me and i had 7 more weeks (!) to go on this regimen, i would definitely call the gastro's office and tell them that metamucil is just making things worse. no way would i suffer for seven more weeks....just my opinion. fiber always made my C worse--even if i took it with lots of miralax.
> 
> ...


I just now sent a message to the gastro explaining the situation, so we shall we what she says. All I know is that fiber supplements can make it worse for me, but fiber obtained through food doesn't affect me either way (doesn't improve or worsen, just makes me eat a healthier diet I guess). I'll update when I hear back.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh good--glad you sent a message to your doc.

that's interesting that fiber from food doesn't bother you. maybe that has something to do with the type of fiber--soluble vs insoluble?? don't know...

thanks for keeping us updated.


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

CG117 said:


> *UPDATE:* It has not quite been a week since I started this combo, and already the Metamucil is aggravating my constipation, even though I'm taking the Miralax and still drinking plenty of fluids and eating healthy. I know it's the Metamucil because when I first started taking it on my own initiative a few weeks ago, on its own (no Miralax consumed at all), it made me more constipated after the same amount of time. I'm taking both at night. Sure, my stool is soft when it comes out thanks to the Miralax...but it's the small, hard to pass stools that I'm used to having while going through a bad bout of constipation.
> 
> Unfortunately, I don't know whether or not to ask my gastro if I should stop taking the Metamucil for the remainder of the trial period (7 more weeks to go) and focus ONLY on taking Miralax daily. And to reiterate, when I'm taking the Metamucil, I am taking half the suggested dose and mixing it with lots of water, so it's not an issue of me taking too much/not having enough fluids to go with it.


I would stop the Metamucil immediately.


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## CG117 (Oct 5, 2018)

annie7 said:


> oh good--glad you sent a message to your doc.
> 
> that's interesting that fiber from food doesn't bother you. maybe that has something to do with the type of fiber--soluble vs insoluble?? don't know...
> 
> thanks for keeping us updated.


That is just my theory so far, since I never tried taking anything like Metamucil until just recently. I had tried flax (in the form of meal added to, say, yogurt and oatmeal), tried fish oil, all those kinds of stuff that feel more like actual food-derived products, but none help. Spinach and tomatoes are my most-eaten veggies since they go well with lots of meals. My constipation has always seemed to have a mind of its own. It likes to make its own mind when I will be backed up and when I will have no problem having a bowel movement. All I know is that Miralax definitely helps, but this will be the first time a professional has given me clear instructions to take Miralax daily.


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## CG117 (Oct 5, 2018)

Update: I know it may be a few days before I hear back from my gastro, but last night I went ahead and took only the Miralax, no Metamucil, and this morning when I used the bathroom I had a comfortable BM. Soft, easy to pass, and good size (not small). I didn't even feel urgency to go. So, with just taking Miralax, there really is no need for me to add more bulk to my stools. They only get small when I go through constipation.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh so glad to hear that ! that was a smart idea to quit using the metamucil.


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## APR (Jul 15, 2015)

CG117, it seemed like you already figured this out on your own, but my experience with Miralax is that it worked out much better to just take it every day to try to head off or at least ease constipation to the point that you're really backed up. I found that while taking Miralax daily didn't cure anything, it somewhat eased IBS related symptoms and perhaps degree of constipation.

I feel like it's generally worth a try because in my experience, it really didn't have any serious side effects. Even when my IBS would alternate to D from C, I found in the long term it was better to just continue to take Miralax daily, rather than trying to back off of it when I had a couple of weeks of a D flare up.


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## CG117 (Oct 5, 2018)

I have an update now that it's been a few weeks, but I really need opinions. I'm not going to be speaking with my gastroenterologist until our pre-planned phone appointment later in November.

I'm taking one full dosage of Miralax every day before going to bed, and it has been producing a soft bowl movement each morning. However, the stool that I'm passing, though soft, is not at all what I want it to be. It is small, narrow (as in, no bulk, no sausage size/shape), and not always easy to pass despite being soft (small pieces are the worst to try to pass, from my experience!). Normal color. But always being left feeling that I still have stool in my rectum/anus that could come out if only it had the means to, and then I have another smaller, BM later in the day that still has the small pieces that are soft and normal colored. Always having stool on the toilet paper every time I wipe (so, similar to when having, say, diarrhea or other loose stool).

This is extremely frustrating in a different way. I just don't want to be taking Metamucil to bulk up my stool because I know that it ends up constipating me after only a few days every time I try it, even if I'm also taking Miralax. All I want is to have stool that is not only soft and easy to pass, but also that perfect size/shape and to leave no mess behind when I wipe (miraculously, I have experienced what that's like a few times in my life, and I wish that could be the norm...but zero rhyme or reason as to why it's happened).

Granted, my stool was a nice shape and size when I first started taking the Miralax, but now it is what it is ever since a few weeks ago. I'd almost want to switch to taking the Miralax every other day to see what would happen, but...that would be the opposite of what I've been told to do during this trial period.

Anyone have any ideas as to why my body is acting this way? I'm still eating the same way I was before, and still getting lots of water, so...nothing I'm doing is altering the results. The only new thing I've been doing is taking the Miralax every night.


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

Incomplete evacuation is normal for those of us who have chronic constipation. I have it every day.


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