# Is it safe to take daily senna tablets for chronic constipation?



## aac159 (Feb 13, 2018)

Hello,

I am 25 years old born with spina bifida. I am able to walk mostly unassisted but I am dealing with chronic constipation for years now. I only recently started watching my diet, adding a lot of fruits and vegetables along with drinking plenty of water but it seems that I am still having a very low frequency of bowel movements. On my current diet, even though my stools may be softer than without it, it seems that my bowel is not active enough to propel the stool past a certain point. The stool ends up staying in my colon long enough for a lot of the water leading to constipation. In the past when I wasn't watching my diet, I would go for over a week at certain times without a single bowel movement. This would result in what I called unexpected "emergency evacuations. It would usually start in the morning where I would feel extreme pain and contraction of what I thing is my descending colon traveling down. The pain would begin and intensify within seconds and the contractions would travel down trying to push the stool. This would last for about an hour or two, until I was finally able to expel the dried stool, followed by more normal consistency stool and then watery diarrhea. All of this leads me to think that my biggest issue is that I don't have consistent bowel movements to propel my stool, leading to the situation described above. I want to try taking senna before bed every night in order to guarantee a bowel movement in the morning and I was wondering if it is safe to do so?


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

aac159 said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am 25 years old born with spina bifida. I am able to walk mostly unassisted but I am dealing with chronic constipation for years now. I only recently started watching my diet, adding a lot of fruits and vegetables along with drinking plenty of water but it seems that I am still having a very low frequency of bowel movements. On my current diet, even though my stools may be softer than without it, it seems that my bowel is not active enough to propel the stool past a certain point. The stool ends up staying in my colon long enough for a lot of the water leading to constipation. In the past when I wasn't watching my diet, I would go for over a week at certain times without a single bowel movement. This would result in what I called unexpected "emergency evacuations. It would usually start in the morning where I would feel extreme pain and contraction of what I thing is my descending colon traveling down. The pain would begin and intensify within seconds and the contractions would travel down trying to push the stool. This would last for about an hour or two, until I was finally able to expel the dried stool, followed by more normal consistency stool and then watery diarrhea. All of this leads me to think that my biggest issue is that I don't have consistent bowel movements to propel my stool, leading to the situation described above. I want to try taking senna before bed every night in order to guarantee a bowel movement in the morning and I was wondering if it is safe to do so?


I take Dr. Schulze's Intestinal Formula # 1 every day and it has senna in it. I have been taking it for about 3 years now and have had no problems whatsoever with it. There are those who will disagree with me but I think it's much safer to take something natural to help you go then something pharmaceutical.

Read when you have the time (click on links below):

*Finally A Product I Can Recommend:*

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/239065-finally-a-product-i-can-recommend/

Quick reads:

*Adverse effects of laxatives: fact and fiction:*

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8234421

*Is chronic use of stimulant laxatives harmful to the colon?*

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12702977

Good luck & keep us posted!


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

Hi aac

so sorry for all your problems.

i agree with Flossy.

i was dx'd with colonic inertia, pelvic floor dysfunction, a long twisted colon, megarectum and rectal hyposensitivity. since none of the constipation meds available helped me, my gastro docs told me to take stimulant laxatives daily to help me go because that was better than developing an impaction. it sounds like you've been developing impactions, and yes, you definitely want to avoid those at all cost because they can turn in to an obstruction, which is an ER situation. having an impaction is a miserable experience, isn't it. of course you will want to check with your doc about taking laxatives daily, but like i said, my docs told me taking them daily was better than developing frequent impactions.

senna is safe to take. so is dulcolax. all the laxatives that had been considered unsafe to take were removed from the market years ago. i remember when that happened.

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


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## sjw596 (Feb 19, 2014)

Senna and Dulcolax are safe when taken periodically. Nether is safe to take daily for extended periods, as they are stimulant laxatives. Whether a product is all-natural or entirely chemical makes no difference, as with the supplements mentioned above. Hence, they can cause irreparable bowel damage. Given your medical condition, it is particularly important for you to consult a physician. There are exceptions to every rule, and everyone may react differently to a given treatment. Some people may do fine by taking medications in a way that that ignores medical medical standards, but that's not a green light for others o follow suit. Things like OTC and "herbal" supplements are not subject to rigorous FDA reviews and warrant closer scrutiny. I've had CIC for more than 30 years and really need a long term treatment. However, while I'd try almost anything that could help, I don't want to use or try anything harmful.


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## Phata4 (Apr 8, 2018)

I took senna for years, it did work but was told it was very bad for you, I have been off it for a year and feel I have issues without it- I think it did damage to my system.

I was told to use Miralax instead, I never did but was told that it was a much safer alternative.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## stefan00790 (Jan 9, 2018)

Stimulant Laxatives can cause a damage to the bowels if used daily in same dosage (high ) , you may try to use it but if it starts to hurt you or there is pain when using it cut it off instantly and try different therapy there are tons of them like Resolor , now the new Trualance try Milk of Magnesia or Magnesium Hydroxide i think will be a lil bit safer than Senna and Dulcolax but if you you them long term with the same dosage you can develop so called "lazy bowels" so try to disguss this with your GI and expirement with other things also to see which is the best therapy for you .


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## aac159 (Feb 13, 2018)

Thank you all for your input. I am currently finishing my first year in medical school abroad and I am not able to seek good medical advice the past year. I am taking the time this break to consult with a good GI doc and see what the recommendations are. I suspect that I may need some imaging done since I feel like there are some structural changes in my sigmoid colon or rectum that may be impeding some of my functions and see what they recommend. The only problem I anticipate with daily laxatives is the timing and the proper emptying. At the moment I have mandatory classes at 8 am every day and I need to be sure that I will be able to have a bowel movement before I have to leave for school at around 7:40 every day in order to prevent accidents during the day. Thank you so much and I shall keep you posted.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh good--glad you'll be able to see a good gastro doc.

yes, i know what you mean about laxatives and timing. it takes some experimenting and figuring out. laxatives always took a long time to work for me. i took mine at 5 :30 pm so i could have a bm between 5:30 and 6:30 am the next day and be able to leave for work at 7:30 am.

good luck with everything and yes, do keep us posted--thanks.


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