# Milk of Magnesia worked, but what next?



## Bill Z (Feb 22, 2009)

I'm at my wits end with my severe constipation, it's never been this bad. The last two weeks I survived on fleet enemas, twice a week. That helped adequately. Today I tried 2 tablespoons of Milk of Magnesia, and it seemed to help even more than the enemas, despite the fact that I STILL had to strain a lot. First "semi-formed" bowel movement in a while, despite running into the brick wall again.So I have taken Docusate Calcium for 8-9 months every day, one a day, and then 2-3 a day when it stopped working, then back to one a day so I didn't overwhelm my system. Now, Doc. Calcium does not work at all.Now I'm going to be tempted to do the same with Milk of Magnesia, by taking it twice a week or more. And I'm afraid that will just become another dependency and that will eventually stop working, too. Not to mention, as some of you point out, it can cause dizziness or weakness when used in excess. I also have concerns that I could have an undiagnosed kidney problem because my *albumin-globulin ratio was "one tick" out of range *at 2.2, which is on the high end. I haven't had it followed up because the doc never said it was a concern, and I don't have insurance; but either way, when you have kidney concerns, I would think it's best not to overdo the magnesium right??As other members have suggested, I could try tap water enemas twice a week, but that still won't help my system regain its natural function, and eventually I won't be able to go at all without an enema.I won't use any kind of stimulant laxative, as they ruin your natural functions worse than the other stuff. I have tried Citrucel before and I hated it, didn't work very well and bloated me up. I tried Miralax for a week, it worked okay but nothing special, and the cramping threw me off it.Maybe I could try *Metamucil*? Has anyone had success with this for IBS-C (or, severe constipation.) I could also try taking Probiotics every day, but from past experience that also causes a hell of a lot of bloating.Some members have suggested a Pelvic Floor Exam; *can that just be done by your GP *if you bring it up with him?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Osmotic laxatives usually don't cause dependancy (no matter what the lawyers make them put on the label).they pull water into the stool. They do not make the colon muscles work more. Even most of the warnings about stimulatory laxatives are based on ones from decades ago that aren't on the market and there is no proof the ones they sell now cause any of the same problems.Usually when constipation gets worse it is because it would have gotten worse even if you took nothing.You could try miralax again as it doesn't have magnesium issue and it is also an osmotic laxative. It might take some playing with the dose.Fiber can help hold water in the stool as long as the colon is moving things along OK and you can actually get stuff out, but it will not wet up the stools nearly as much as an osmotic laxative. Usually metamucil or other psyllium based products tend to cause more issues with bloating than citrucel, and for some people more fiber just sitting in the colon makes them more uncomfortable no matter what fiber it is.You could also try less magnesium but add vitamin C. There usually isn't a kidney issue with it as much and somewhere in the 1000-5000 mgs a day range it will start to loosen up the stools.You can ask the GP about the pelvic floor exams, but they will probably have to send you to a GI clinic to have it done as it takes special equipment. Usually you tend to find that larger hospitals tend to be where they have the equipment for the tests and the people trained to do them.


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## Bill Z (Feb 22, 2009)

Thanks again for continued correspondence.*I wanted to ask if you have any ideas about this:*I get a feeling of things moving around/crackling/pulling in my bowel area, and it's pretty much constant. It is aggravated by eating any kind of food. As soon as I eat, the pressure down there gets worse. Then I start getting spasms and all kinds of troubling sensations down there. And it feels like I have this "weight" down there. It actually affects my walking, sometimes I have snapping sensations in my lower back, and it's harder for me to walk. And I also get this pressure that "radiates" to the rest of my body, up to my neck and head and so on.I also can't sleep on my side anymore without getting stabbing pains on that side, usually I find it tougher to lie on my right side, but not always.Here's why I think most of this is connected to my bowel issues: Usually after a bowel movement, the pressure sensations in my abdomen/lower back "lessen" and the pressure in my neck and head is less noticeable, but then that goes away and the sensations get worse than ever for the entire next day. It's almost like having a bowel movement--despite very temporary relief for a couple hours--makes all the symptoms of my undiagnosed health problem worse.Any clues about this? Does the spasming/pressing/pulling sensation in the lower back sound like IBS-C?


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## Bill Z (Feb 22, 2009)

Any ideas on that?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

IBSers often feel all kinds of pains and sensations after they eat because that is when the colon is more active.There isn't some specific description of the pain or discomfort that is not IBS, so pretty much anything you can use to describe it will sound like IBS rather than something else.A lot of IBSers find the pain can also be felt in the back.When having a BM makes it go away that is extremely typical of IBS. A lot of IBSers (not every last one, but a lot of them) have a rectum that is too sensitive to being filled up. When you empty it all the discomfort from it being even a little bit full goes away.For some people taking peppermint tea or other peppermint oil 20-30 minutes before a meal helps with the increase in colon activity as it relaxes the muscles. You might also consider an SSRI antidepressant as they can block some of the inappropriate sensations and tend to loosen up the stools.


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