# How soon does Linzess work?



## anne72 (Feb 2, 2014)

I've been taking 290mg Linzess for about 2 weeks now and I'm still waiting to have a bowel movement. My gastro doctor told me LInzess works best if you "clean out" first. Only thing I've had with the LInzess is a whole lot of bloating and painful gas. When is this going to start working? I'm concerned as I also have a rectocele and cystocele, need to get things moving before surgery. If I can't get it cleared up, it makes no sense to have them repaired because they will most likely reoccur with the constipation. I'm also using miralax, align and fibercon. Still nothing. Should I continue the Linzess in the hopes that eventually it will work? 
Thanks for any advice!

Anne


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

Anne--sorry linzess doesn't seem to be working for you.

from what i've read in reports and clinical studies on linzess, "improvements started within the first week of treatment". of course we're all so different in how our bodies react to meds, so your mileage may vary somewhat...

and yes your gastro is right about the advice that it works best if you do a cleanout first.

some people find they have to do some tweaking with it to get it to work. like taking it with miralax (which it sounds like you're doing) or even taking it with a stimulant laxative like senna (start with a small dose of the stimulant). taking it with coffee, taking it different times of the day--at lunch or at night...etc.

i personally found that for the first few days it did work for me then it quit. i did quite a bit of experimentation with it and finally found that taking it WITH food--a warm meal with some healthy fat in it--instead of taking it as directed--a half hour or more before eating--makes it work for me. i'd read about this in the prescribing information on the linzess website--that taking it with food with some fat in it increases the diarrhea effect. anyway- when i take it this way i go about four or five times during the day--once every three or four hours. so that means i have to stay home all day. i also have a lot of gas, abdominal pain and bloating during all this for the entire day so it certainly isn't optimal to say the least. so because of all this, i only take it when i need to do a cleanout.

another thing--as many people say, it does help to drink a lot of water with it too.

good luck to you. i do hope you can get linzess to work for you. it has helped some people but unfortunately not all of us...take care...


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## ABNormal (May 24, 2006)

As Annie7 wrote, one has to experiment with it. I take it 1/2 hour before breakfast with a glass of Miralax. It works most days, but my issue has been incomplete evacuation.

When I first started taking Linzess, I took it at night. It was working like gangbusters, but that lasted about 2 weeks. Then nothing. I was ready to give up, but then saw a post that recommended using it with Miralax in the morning.

So, don't give up Anne72 because we are all different. Try what Annie7 wrote or try what I wrote. Good luck.


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