# New Here! ? about Dulcolax



## 20661 (Mar 17, 2007)

I became horribly constipated about 8 years ago after having my gallbladder removed. I have tried everything...literally. Including going to numerous doctors who never really helped me and ultimately just wanted to remove my colon.My constipation directly affects my skin, causing me to have horrible cystic breakouts when I am backed up. If I stay fairly cleaned out...my skin looks great. I had perfect skin my entire life until I had my gallbladder removed and began struggling with constipation. Osmotic laxatives don't work well for me because my colon is prolapsed, which means it hangs down in the center and the fluid gets stuck there. I saw it myself on the X-Rays â€“ it was literally hanging down almost to my bladder and full of ####. When I take an osmotic laxative, the only thing that gets all that fluid out of me is a colonic...which is my holy grail.I am intrigued by the fact that so many people take Dulcolax on this forum and that I seem sot be a popular choice for long-term use. Stimulant laxatives do work well for me but we are all always warned about their safety for long term use. When I take laxatives for too long, I develop pretty bad heart palpitations because it screws up my electrolytes. I can usually down a couple bottles of Pedialyte or V8 Low Sodium (very high in potassium) and they go away.Anyway, I just found this forum and can already tell you I will be up half the night reading. And tomorrow I am off to get some Dulcolax.Take care and God Bless


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## 22282 (Jan 31, 2007)

Hi Andrea2289I take Dulcolax and it works for me but I try not to take medication unless it is necessary.Have you tried alternative methods like prune juices and carrot juice to help in constipation?Not sure if this helps but wanted to share this with you and to say you are not alone.terence


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## SpAsMaN* (May 11, 2002)

Dulcolax can turn IBS-C to IBS-D chemically within few hours.A necessary evil periodically.


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## 13876 (Mar 19, 2007)

Hello. I'm also new here, and I'm currently taking Dulcolax.I'll might end up hijacking this thread, but well.. here's my secret story about my guts (haha)I moved to the US when I was 6 or 7, and soon after I moved, I discovered I really love milk and cheese in the US. I recall eating a slice of American cheese everyday, and drinking milk and eating cereal quite often.. so.. I'm not sure if this sudden change of diet was the cause, but around then, I also started to suffer from constipation. At first, since I was young, it was frightening, and my parents sure didn't help as they threatened to beat me unless I dropped a brown one by bedtime lol. Yeah, because "scaring the ****" out of a kid works.







Well, it uhm.. didn't work, and here I am, nearly 20 years later, still suffering from large sparse poops. I've tried a lot of stuff for the past few years: I've tried exercising (left me 10 pounds lighter than when I had started, but my poops were still about 3~6 days apart), diet changes (vegetarian, vegan, salad for breakfast and lunch, yogurt for breakfast and lunch, eating prunes before and after meals, drinking a lot of water, living with no coffee), habit changes (sleeping regularly, sleeping on different sides, sitting up straight, slouching, wearing tight clothes, loose clothes).. I think I should have found an answer by now!It is only lately that I've considered researching my condition intensively using the amazing powers of the internet, in which I discovered even the large intestine can suffer problems, such as IBS. I'm too scared to go see a doctor (a camera up my butt to see what isn't there? ...) but I'm not afraid to try some drugs I can buy at the local supermarket with less intense embarassment. So, long story short, I've been taking Dulcolax for a week now but...uhm.. it's not working. Instead of making my stool soft and regular, it's just uhm.. huge and still irregular. I'm still not pooping for 3~4 days, and my stool are not "softer". I'm down to 13 pills, so I think I will try something else. Or perhaps.. maybe it's normal for me to have one big poop every few days, although my husband, who poops 1~3 times a day, tells me otherwise by bragging about his poop accomplishments every time he drops one.Little orange pills aren't doing the magic for me.


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## 14529 (Feb 1, 2007)

oh my, gers. please see a doctor. i'm sure you feel physically horrible being backed up so many days. im usually backed up one day and feel terrible! or try acupuncture. expensive, but more of a hollistic approach.


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## 13876 (Mar 19, 2007)

It actually doesn't really bother me except for when my period's close or starting, but lately I've felt somewhat motivated to do something about it...


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## lorilou (May 9, 2003)

wow, one day of not going good and im sick... might as well go to bed all day- Im amazed you can take it and it doesnt really get to you- thats a blessing.


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## 13876 (Mar 19, 2007)

> quote:Originally posted by lorilou:wow, one day of not going good and im sick... might as well go to bed all day- Im amazed you can take it and it doesnt really get to you- thats a blessing.


I've been like this since I was 6 or 7, so I don't remember what it feels like to not feel bloated. I can only imagine it must feel really great.. which is why I'm hoping I can find a way to make myself go regularly.. :/ who knows. Or maybe I will just keep being cranky and cynical :'(


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## 16636 (Sep 29, 2006)

I understand not wanting to go to a doctor and deal with testing. Unfortunately, the best medications are prescription and the only way to determine what's going on is to be evaluated. Colonoscopies are a great tool. They find and prevent cancer and exclude all kinds of other issues. They're a breeze, too. Given your issues, you might want to give in to the inevitable.Also, prescription medications are generally known not to make things worse -- even if they don't help. Laxative use is controversial and most GI's are going to strongly steer you away from them because if you need to use them every day there's a good chance that you're going to find, one day, that your colon won't respond to anything else. Of course, some people can use the same dose forever and get the same effect, but most often that's not the case, unfortunatly. As a chronically constipated person I think senna is the best thing EVER, but I've given it up for the moment.In the meantime you might want to try Miralax, recently approved for over the counter sale. It's pricey and definitely still cheaper by prescription. Especially since you might need a lot of it to work. You can essentially take as much as you need to get the desired effect. Dana


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## 20661 (Mar 17, 2007)

Definitely see a doctor to rule out anything serious, but with that being said...My holy grail is colon hydrotherapy. I had my first colon cleansing a few years ago. I had three sessions/one a day and, oh my gosh, is all I can say. At one point I teared up on the table because I simply could not believe what was coming out of my body. I remember thinking â€˜my stomach has not been this flat in my lifeâ€™. It was so flat it literally sunk in lolâ€¦in three days I was 9 pounds lighter and each day she sucked out #### continuously for almost an hour.My face cleared u instantly for the first time in 8 years. After being on every face cream, acne cream known to manâ€¦my face stays clears now as long as I can move my bowels and keep them somewhat clean.Colonics are expensive, but then help re-train the bowel in a way that enemas canâ€™t. Make sure you go to a licensed certified practitioner. Mine is in KY and she has been there for almost 20 years. While most traditional doctors are â€˜againstâ€™ natural therapy, she has been there so long that many of the physicians, recommend people to her.Also, some tips to make your self have a more successful cleanse. Think of a dinner plate with dried stuck on foodâ€¦you have to soak it to rinse the food off. Our colon is that plate. Years of build up collects on the walls of our colon. The first session you might just be soaking the plate. But my 2nd and 3rd sessions were amazing. Now I just have singe visits, but what I do is drink a magnesium citrate drink the night before my session because the draws water into my colon and â€˜soaks the plateâ€™ and I have a very very good cleanse.I now there is a lot of mixed feelings about colonics, but for me, they are a godsend. Anyway, this might be something that helps you feel better.


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## 14529 (Feb 1, 2007)

andrea, hello! how often do you do this? do you still have bowel movements everyday? are they complete? do you still maintain a healthy diet?


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## 20661 (Mar 17, 2007)

I only use colonics now when I just absolutely need relief. I maintain a very healthy diet. I love eating healthy, cooking healthy etc... I just feel better. ALL my problems started when my gallbladder was removed.I have days when I have complete BMs and days I don't. My body seems to rely on routine a lot. When my routine is messed up in any way, so are my BMs. Luckily, Fiber + stimulant laxatives seem to work better for me than osmotic type laxatives. I get bloated with the fiber but once things start moving, that goes away and the fiber seems to help it feel more complete. Osmotic laxatives leave me feeling very bloated with little release.I just take it day by day. I have good spells and bad spells. I am getting ready to go on vacation in 2 months and I always â€˜dreadâ€™ the â€˜vacation constipationâ€™â€¦lol


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## SpAsMaN* (May 11, 2002)

I LIKE DULCOLAX.I USE IT WHEN I'M OVERWHELM.IT WORKS BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE AS FAR AS I KNOW.NEW USER:EXPECT FEW CRAMPS(STILL WORTHED THO)POO DELIVERY 5-8 HOURS


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## SpAsMaN* (May 11, 2002)

I took 2 at 2PM and i have been now.I end up with major bloating before i went tho.Build up of gas and i had to do the upside down butt pose to evacuate the huge amount of gas.What is your Dulcolax routine?And why i have to be upside down to evacuate gas?


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