# Laxatives ok for everyday use with chronic constipation?



## StacyP (Jul 18, 2013)

Is there any laxatives that are ok to use for everyday chronic constipation? I have been told to keep taking fiber, and it doesnt seem to be doing much.Any suggestions?


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## rita41 (Oct 8, 2012)

Sometimes I really think fibre makes one feel even more bloated. Try probiotics. Take care


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Osmotic laxatives are usually considered safe for daily use. They help hold water in the stool. Magnesium salts, miralax, lactulose...

Stimulatory laxatives are sometimes considered unsafe for daily use, but mostly because of some worries from one that is no longer on the market. There isn't any evidence the ones currently used will cause dependence or make the constipation worse than it would get on it's own. Some of them can cause dark deposits on the lining of the colon, but that doesn't seem to cause issues, but they will see it whenever they do a colonoscopy.


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## Maegwin (Nov 11, 2012)

I take exlax every day (senna based laxative and a stimulant). I also take probiotics and a herbal formula with cascara. I have been taking senna daily for 15 years. Doctors were always cautioning me against it, saying I would become dependant on it. I have severe constipation. For six years before I discovered senna I used to have a BM maybe 3-4 times a month. Eating was painful, I couldn't be active, I had frequent migraines, acid reflux, and even went through anorexia. Senna helped with my symptoms a lot. At that point I did not care if I became dependant on it, my body was not working any ways.

Doctors never understood that but I did see a gastroenterologist that said exlax was fine in my case. With the severity of my symptoms I was better off on it. Osmotic laxatives rarely work for me. They simply pull all the water past the compacted stool and give me diarrhoea while doing nothing to move the solids. I end up with a severely dehydrated bowel.

Depending on your symptoms you have to decide what works best for you. My symptoms stem from muscle tension brought on by stress. Even now, if I'm stressed out the senna may not work but it's better than nothing.


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## Hayleyhuk (Jul 30, 2013)

My dics have just given up with me for the third time in ten years after speaking to my consultant the one type of laxative that he said i was fine to take long term (i've been taking it for most probably 8 yrs now) is movicol sachets. They do help but only really if i drink plenty of fluids everyday. What medication are you on for the chronic constipation? My consultant prescribed me pruclopramide and it has made a small difference, i do suffer from a lot of the side effects but weighing up the improvement to these we both decided I should stay on this drug. It is apparently a relatively new drug in UK and expensive which is why it took my so long for it to be prescribed but it maybe worth a go if you haven't tried it yet.


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## StacyP (Jul 18, 2013)

Hayleyhuk-I am on fiber suppliments, and just started taking miralax again..problem is I have diverticulosis as well, and that complicates things.


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## Hayleyhuk (Jul 30, 2013)

Stacy P - I'm sure i am not as up to speed as I should be with the diverticulosis as my doc told me yester i have diverticular ( I do know there is a difference between the two) but he assured me that i would be fine with the movicol. I do hope this helps.

The only other thing i could suggest is flaxseed if you haven't tried it, I have 1 - 2 tbsp a day of milled flaxseed, as I am unable to digest seeds, this has seemed to make a slight difference with my constipation (for me any difference even the slightest improvement helps) and I am always trying to find the organic/herbal remedies for my problems.

I really do hope you find a solution to your problem.


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## pathwaytorecovery (Jul 25, 2013)

Hi Stacy,

I'm right there with you--I have chronic constipation and the other night, I took two metamucil tablets before bed, and the next day i didn't even have a bm...i also tried to induce something with a spicy mexican lunch, but that didn't do anything either. i didn't take anything last night or this morning, and then after dinner tonight, i've been practically crying in the bathroom from how much i have to go and how bad my stomach hurts. it gets so bad that i have panic attacks and am sometimes scared of even eating. I'm trying to find the right balance in laxatives. i'm gonna try a cup full of miralax everynight this week and see what happens. i'll report back.

best of luck!!


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## StacyP (Jul 18, 2013)

Thanks for the advice! At this point I am temped to do senna daily... I am frustrated with all this because it seems little helps


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

i have colonic inertia (dx'd by sitz marker test) and pelvic floor dysfunction (dx'd defogram and anal manometry) and a moderately sized rectocele.

after failing the sitz marker (had no bm the entire time) my gastro told me to "take what i need to go" which for me is 15 mg dulcolax and three TBL milk of magnesia every night. i have found that combining an osmotic laxative (milk of mag--since mirlax doesn't work for me) with a stimulant (dulcolax) is more effective than taking just the stimulant alone.

and yes--fiber just makes me worse. when you have colonic inertia, fiber is not your friend.

a month ago i had to have an emergency subtotal colectomy because my ascending colon twisted 720 degrees and was beginning to perforate. so the ER surgeon took out my ascending colon and half the transverse. and even with my "semi colon" (lol) i still have to take laxatives to go. without them, nothing happens. so the surgeon also told me to take what i need to go.

good luck, Stacy. hope you can get some relief. and hope you can find a good gastro who will be proactive in helping you with all this. have you tried linzess (linaclotide)? that's a new med that's out that has helped some people with constipation problems.


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## StacyP (Jul 18, 2013)

Frankly I would love to try it, but it appears that the docs wont prescribe anything until after the colonoscopy, which is around 2 weeks away *a little less now*. I npoticed yesterday when I took the senna mixed with the fiber and miralax..that really helped alot. Having said that, you arent supposed to take senna daily. I feel like the docs wont do anything until after the colonscopy..which I understand but is also strange since to prevent diverticulosis, you also prevent constipation.. I found out I can use Colace everyday, and I am willing to try that. My docs at this point seem to be refusing to do anything until the colonoscopy so I am hoping that will change things, otherwise I can only think of taking senna daily too and that can lead to dependancy..so lets hope they help. Thank you all for your suggestions, and advice. I will try the Colace since the pharmacist reccomended it, and see where that leads..a prescription would help but I guess they don't want to do that yet.


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