# milk of magnesia



## nogo (Dec 18, 2006)

is it ok to take MOM and colace every night?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

As long as you watch the dose on the MOM.Long term you want the max does to average about 1000 mgs of Magnesium from all sources. You can OD on magnesium and have heart rhythm problems if you do too much too long especially if your kidneys are not working at 100%


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## nogo (Dec 18, 2006)

I have polycystic kidney disease. Does that count as kidney problems with regard to the MOM?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I don't know much about that disease. I would check with your doctor who treats you for that.Does it effect how well your kidneys can excrete things?You might be better off with an osmotic like miralax that doesn't have the magnesium in it if you can't get rid of magnesium normally.K.


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## nogo (Dec 18, 2006)

as far as I know PKD doesn't affect how well my kidney's extract things. PKD is a condition with cysts all over the kidney and liver. I will call and check with the nephrologist re the MOM. I didn't think to ask that sort of question when I last saw him. Thanks for your help, though. This site is wonderful


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## janetmtt (May 28, 2007)

Can you take MOM every night if you don't take anything else and does MOM effect your electrolyte levels. Suppose I'm asking is it safe to take all the time and does it make you have a normal BM or watery diarohhea?


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## lorilou (May 9, 2003)

I take it daily plus miralax... i take enough to give me watery d. b/c tthats the only way i seem to go complete- been doing that about a year or so and bloodwork has been normal.how do they test your electolyes level?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Most people can regulate their Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium blood levels pretty well. (a simple blood test checks the levels, I'm not sure which detection technique they use, but it's one of the fairly standard blood tests)The kidneys play a role in maintaining the proper levels. If your kidneys can't do that, you need to be more careful with all of these normal things that you need to consume on a regular basis. If you can keep proper hydration levelsyou should stay out of trouble. (that is you avoid giving yourself watery diarrhea so bad you can't drink enough water to keep up, or you have to drink so much water to keep up you start diluting your bodily fluids and lose too many electrolytes) Most people aren't taking that much MOM that they would be endangering themselves assuming normal functioning of the kidney, etc. and reasonable amounts of fluid loss in the stool.


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## lorilou (May 9, 2003)

Kathleen,i just go 4 times in the morning then no more the rest of the day- that should be ok, right?I guess the watery d. would be bad if it werre all day and all food going right out of me...Lori


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

As long as you have no symptoms of dehydration or have to drink over a gallon of water a day to stay hydrated you should be ok.K.


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## janetmtt (May 28, 2007)

So how much MOM would you take on a normal day at bedtime to make you go the following morning and without making you run to the loo all day - I know we're all different but a general idea would be helpful.How do you regulate your electrolyte levels - by drinking more water or something else. I've had a potassium deficiency years ago and was given pills and that was diagnosed through a regular blood test. But my levels are fine now.Currently I'm just using senokot - but they sometimes don't make you have a complete bowel evacuation and you find everytime you go to the loo you are just passing little bits which everyone knows is a horrible feeling and frustrating.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Usually it doesn't take much work to regulate the electrolyte levels. The body does it pretty well by itself as long as you stay reasonably hydrated and eat a variety of foods.Usually the only times this is a problem is if you cannot maintain hydration, you overhydrate (like athletes who are sweating a lot, after the first gallon of water drunk they should go to something like gatorade) or you megadose on something your body can't clear (so people with impaired kidney function may need to limit intake of some things).The recommended amount of magnesium for proper body functioning is between 400-1000 mgs a day.I don' t think a normal what the package says dose of MOM is amount would cause the day long diarrhea like a full colonoscopy prep would do.Since everyone is different you would want to start at maybe 1/2 the recommended dose every day for a week then slowly add more for a week at a time until you find the level that gives you the relief you need.K.


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## lorilou (May 9, 2003)

nogo,i take a capful of the MOM and like i said i go 4 times in the am within 2 hours then done for the whole day. im also taking 2 doses of miralax- other s may not need that much- i have no cramping or running all day- I feel like a "normal" human except that its water...youre just gonna have to play around with what works for your body as God made us all differnt.hope this helpsLori


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## janetmtt (May 28, 2007)

Thanks for the answers - are there any other side effects from MOM?I've noticed that no one seems to resort to taking senna based products on this forum - why is that?I find that with senna it sometimes gives me a tight chest and although I'm not taking it every night by the end of the week I find I do have to resort to some form of laxative as I am getting a build-up. Then until I get used to it again I find it can also give me chills for a few days and I'm sure it makes me tired - any other experiences to taking senna that other people have experienced. I don't think it does a good job if I'm honest. I used to take a product called Nylax (UK) which was part senna based but I'm not sure what else was in it and it used to make me go once in the morning, complete evacuation and the rest of the day I was fine. Since they've took it off the market I've been having terrible problems finding something that suits. So I'm new to all of this and my greatest wish probably like everyone else is to have a complete bowel movement - naturally - without having to resort to taking anything. Dr. prescribed lactulose for me but I thought again if I take that every night when I go back to see him I'll just be in the same position again - not being able to go without resorting to taking something.I'm better than I was a few weeks ago and have found that adding some extra oil to my diet and a spoonful of treacle in hot water before I go to bed, along with sometimes prunes I am managing to have a BM but I need to find a dose that gives me a proper BM every morning instead of going about 4 times.Would MOM cause chills and tight chest do you think?


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## janetmtt (May 28, 2007)

PS Does MOM help with the bloating?


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

hi Janet i take senna--in fact, because zelnorm will only work well for me if i take it three days a week, i've been trying to find something else to make my life endurable on my off-zelnorm days so i've started taking senna once a week--just the local pharmacy's generic form of exlax. i also take mom because, like Lori mentioned, i find that i as well go more complete by making the stool more liquid (the mom) but i also need the peristalic push (provided by zelnorm or a stimulant like senna) to get it out because mom doesn't always get all of it out on it's own--sometimes but not always. senna works well for me but it does give me some mild cramps--i may have to adjust the dosage.i googled nylax and found an ingredients list: "What does Nylax with senna contain?Each tablet contains active ingredient sennosides (total) 7.5mg plus maize starch, tricalcium phosphate, magnesium stearate. " exlax and the generic senna laxative i take also list sennosides as the main ingredient plus the fillers so really nylax sounds like the same thing as exlax. maybe the strength or amount of the sennosides varies with the pill--as in extra strength exlax vs the regular strength exlax but i don't think there's any other active ingredient besides senna in either nylax or exlax.ever since i read the following article in medscape --which link i've posted before but here it is again--i've decided that personally i'm not going to be so afraid to use stimulants as i was before. especially since they are the only thing besides zelnorm that can give me that peristalic push that i need. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/496828_printmy results with mom and bloating vary. if i take something like zelnorm or exlax to help push all the stool out i usually don't have bloat but with mom alone, if i don't have a complete evacuation, then i still feel bloated. i've never had the chills and tight chest with either mom or senna. good luck to you! it sure does take a lot of experimenting with dosages etc to find what works.


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## nogo (Dec 18, 2006)

does mom's effectiveness wear off after repeated use? I feel like I need a 'desperate measures', something to resort to using if nothing else works, so I want MOM to work when I need it. Nothing could please me more than finding that a single dose of MOM each night would make me regular. That would be a dream come true.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

It pulls water into the stool the same no matter how often you take it.However IBS and constipation can vary so the same dose may not always be effective, or may sometimes be too much.K.


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## janetmtt (May 28, 2007)

Thanks Annie - the article certainly dispelled a lot of myths we read about using laxatives.I'm not sure why they took Nylax off the market - although local chemists are saying it hasn't been taken off the market they are just not selling it so not sure why no chemist in my area or anywhere on the internet is selling it - searches come up with discontinued.Maybe I try Exlax if that is similar to Nylax. With Senokot I sometimes find the first night I take it nothing happens the next day so I have to take it a second night for it to work.I can also say too that I would like nothing more to just take one thing on a night to have a complete bowel evacuation the next morning but like all of us it's trial and error.So do people feel it is safe to take some form of laxative every night without damaging our health?I felt quite alone with my problem thinking no-one else was like me until I found this forum and for me it's been a godsend. I dream about bowel movements - will I won't I and I look at people out in the street and think to myself "do they also have problems". Whether or not I have a bowel movement the next day reflects in my mood - is anyone else like this?And what does everyone else do to get rid of the bloated stomach - I've read so many posts on here that say I'm thin but I have this stomach that makes me look 7 months pregnant - well that is me also!


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## janetmtt (May 28, 2007)

PS Is Ex-lax safe to take every night and is this classed as a stimulant laxative like senna based one.Annie 7 - if senna gives you cramps try taking some peppermint oil that has fennel in it - I have this in a tincture form.In the UK we currently have a new Senokot out called Dual Relief that contains senna, aloe, fennel and something else - do you have this in the USA? Haven't tried it myself yet because I've never had aloe before - have got aloe vera juice in the fridge but because I have so many sensitivities to drugs, supplments etc. (you really don't want to know) I have to be very careful and I'm always nervous of trying anything new.Would anyone know if I have a reaction to magnesium in tablet form would I have a similar reaction to MOM?Thanks everyone - the help is just so much appreciated.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

Janet thanks for the tip on the peppermint oil--i'll have to give that a try.exlax is a stimulant laxative--it is senna based. i honestly don't know if it's safe to take stimulants every day. that's a good question. i'm trying to find a way around that myself so i don't have to take them (stimulants) every day. my body seems to build up a tolerance to some things (like zelnorm) quickly so i find i have better success with alternating things. i do take mom every night and have been for the past 18 months but as i said, it needs a push added to get the stool out. i'm like you, thin but with the bloated stomach. the only thing that un-bloats me is a complete evacuation such as with mom and stimulants or zelnorm.i have aloe vera juice in the fridge too. i tried it once and it didn't do anything right away but might have helped me go better the next day. i plan to try it again but i'm leery about taking it every day after i googled it and read a lot of cautions about it from places like the mayo clinic and nih.gov/medline--don't have those web addresses anymore though....


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