# Metamucil...Should I Keep Hanging In



## scottyg354 (Jan 13, 2011)

Ok guys, quick question for ya's. I've been taking Metamucil now for roughly 5 weeks. I Initially started my with 1 tablespoon at lunch time, trying to bulk up loose and flat stools and help with constipation. It has helped fairly well. The following week I figured that since the bloating wasn't that bad, that I would take two teaspoons and try to get the rest of my 30g through food. Bad idea since my diet never really consisted of much daily fiber (maybe 5 grams or less per day.) So the bloating and the gas was horrible. I cut back for the past 3 weeks to 1 tablespoon at lunch and a teaspoon before bed, plus as much fiber through food as I could bare. Usually, a teaspoon of Kyo-Green in OJ when I first wake up, a cliff bar and naked berry smoothie for breakfast, some sort of veggie at lunch, and some sort of veggie at dinner. The past few days, I added whole leaf aloe vera and it was making my movements two loose.My question here is, the bloating FOR THE MOST PART has subsided. The metamucil is working as far as bulking up my AM movements. But, I get some serious stomach noises and gas. I pass gas probably every 10-20 minutes. The gas is usually worse during the day. Will this go away? Should I continue on my high fiber. The gas doesn't bother me, but my stomach gurgling is really annoying. I read somewhere that it could take months until your body fully adjusts. If that is the case I will ride it out, just need some opinions.


----------



## mania (Jul 29, 2010)

I've wondered a lot of if I should continue with fiber even though it was giving me bad symptoms. My nutritionist says that I should stay on a supplement/medication for at least 3 months to find out how well it works. It's a very good sign that you've shown some improvement so I'd definitely stay on it, if I were you.


----------



## scottyg354 (Jan 13, 2011)

mania said:


> I've wondered a lot of if I should continue with fiber even though it was giving me bad symptoms. My nutritionist says that I should stay on a supplement/medication for at least 3 months to find out how well it works. It's a very good sign that you've shown some improvement so I'd definitely stay on it, if I were you.


Yep, the flat stool is what was really freaking me out, I still get them but the metamucil has helped me have at least one bulky bm a day, usually in the morning, although sometimes the come out like Diarrhea it's def getting better. Anything after that is usually small and either C or Flat and Loose. Never google that always shows up colon cancer. GP reassured me that my blood came back perfect except for hypothyroid and I had a Colonoscopy like 5-6 years ago and that was perfect, that there def isn't anything majorily wrong.


----------



## mania (Jul 29, 2010)

scottyg354 said:


> Yep, the flat stool is what was really freaking me out, I still get them but the metamucil has helped me have at least one bulky bm a day, usually in the morning, although sometimes the come out like Diarrhea it's def getting better. Anything after that is usually small and either C or Flat and Loose. Never google that always shows up colon cancer. GP reassured me that my blood came back perfect except for hypothyroid and I had a Colonoscopy like 5-6 years ago and that was perfect, that there def isn't anything majorily wrong.


It must be a weight off your mind to know there isn't anything worse going on though.If you feel like things don't improve you could always try another fiber like Citrucel (Methycellulose). Every fiber I have tried upsets my bowels a lot, very frustrating. I wouldn't touch Metamucil again with a ten foot pole. IBS makes life so fun


----------



## scottyg354 (Jan 13, 2011)

mania said:


> It must be a weight off your mind to know there isn't anything worse going on though.If you feel like things don't improve you could always try another fiber like Citrucel (Methycellulose). Every fiber I have tried upsets my bowels a lot, very frustrating. I wouldn't touch Metamucil again with a ten foot pole. IBS makes life so fun


My IBS isn't really severe. I kind of blame it on my weight and diet (If i could drop a few pounds and eat a little healthier i think I would be fine) and constant traveling. I had my worst bout of it this past December, thats when I decided to go to the doc. Been decent recently, maybe its the thyroid meds kicking in.I'm thinking of switch to all natural psyllium once my metamucil is gone, something about orange poop just doesn't sit right with me. But your right, at times it can definetely be overwhelming.


----------



## mania (Jul 29, 2010)

The all natural is a good idea, the added ingredients in metamucil could be a possibility for upsetting your bowels but if you need to mix it into water, the natural one wont mix in as well as metamucil will.


----------



## scottyg354 (Jan 13, 2011)

mania said:


> The all natural is a good idea, the added ingredients in metamucil could be a possibility for upsetting your bowels but if you need to mix it into water, the natural one wont mix in as well as metamucil will.


I hear ya. Smoothies are the key with the natural psyillium. 1 or 2 tablespoons, some berries, some greek yogurt a scoop of protein and maybe some honey to sweeten it up and it works wonders, used to do that before my IBS got crazy. I also recently started throwing in some Kyo-Green. Used Aloe Vera for three days and had horrible results, was almost like someone gave me peptic soda.Food wise i've been doing alot of squash, sweet potatoes, all fruits, green beans, rice and whatever meat i really want and a little dairy in the mornings with breakfast . I noticed that leafy greens tend to kill me with gas and I cut back my coffee intake and quit smoking. If i stick with that during the week usually on a Saturday night if I have a few beers and a little bit of junk food (avoiding anything spicy) I'm not that bad come Sunday-Monday, maybe a little D but that's it. I've been reading some of the horror stories on here and can say I do consider myself kind of fortunate.


----------



## mania (Jul 29, 2010)

Oh that's a really good idea putting it in smoothies.I'm very jealous that you can get away eating those foods. You'll be able to find lists of gas causing foods on google, but my nutritionist specifically warned me about green peas, and he was right


----------



## PD85 (Aug 19, 2010)

I hate metamucil except that it's great for curing the occasional hemorrhoid. I never adjust to it no matter how long I take it for.


----------



## scottyg354 (Jan 13, 2011)

PD85 said:


> I hate metamucil except that it's great for curing the occasional hemorrhoid. I never adjust to it no matter how long I take it for.


Yea, the discomfort sucks. My main pain area is in my mid left abdomen. Metamucil was give me pain everywhere, my back my groin, my butt. So I'm going all natural.


----------



## scottyg354 (Jan 13, 2011)

mania said:


> Oh that's a really good idea putting it in smoothies.I'm very jealous that you can get away eating those foods. You'll be able to find lists of gas causing foods on google, but my nutritionist specifically warned me about green peas, and he was right


If you put it in a smoothies you just have to make sure there is enough liquid in it. The natural psyllium gets pretty thick.


----------



## mania (Jul 29, 2010)

scottyg354 said:


> If you put it in a smoothies you just have to make sure there is enough liquid in it. The natural psyllium gets pretty thick.


Yeah I've seen that. I tried putting it in my oatmeal, but it overpowered it so much it made me gag so I couldn't eat it. Can't stand the taste of psyllium.


----------



## TVgirl (Sep 16, 2009)

I liked metamucil for awhile but then every once in awhile I would have this big gassy explosive BM and the smell was so bad it stunk up the whole house...like air freshner in the bathroom was not enough, I had to spray down the hallway too and sometimes into adjacent rooms....ha ha...may sound kind of funny but it was so true. I am not a gassy person at all, in fact I think I don't produce enough gas. So I didn't like those attacks so I stopped taking it and am trying to just get my fibre from my food. I hear people had better luck with benefibre with gas, you could also try adding simethicone which helps reduce gas.


----------

