# Alternatives to Milk Of Magnesia?Too many side effects!



## Matt b (Feb 27, 2011)

I don't know if anyone saw my last post about going on a vacation and getting constipated. Well I went on the vacation and wasn't constipated the whole time but the Milk of Magnesia had me feeling possible worse. I took the Milk of magnesia my first night there and had diarrhea every morning but one. I had no appetite the whole time there and felt pretty crappy. Still I guess it's better then being constipated. At least for me it is. I have had constipation problems seemingly my whole life but never felt pain from it no matter how long it went. Now that I am trying to have more regular bowel movements I am feeling all kinds of pains.I took milk of magnesia quite a few days the week before my vacation and got diarrhea pretty much every time I took it. I used to be able to take it and it would give me normal soft bowel movements and only diarrhea if I took for a long time without a stop. It seems now I get diarrhea the day after I take the milk of magnesia. I only take two tablespoons before I go to bed and I try to drink a lot of water.Before I went on my vacation I went a couple of days without taking the Milk of Magnesia and I even had a normal bowel movement the day before I left. The normal bowel movements are not that normal for me anymore. It seems it's either I take the milk of magnesia and have bloating and diarrhea or I take nothing and am constipated. I have gotten to the point where I feel like I can't go anymore without some kind of medicine.Why would the milk of magnesia all the sudden be doing this to me for the last few weeks? What I tried to do when I first started taking it was I would take it for three days and then go a few days off and still have bowel movements on those days offs. Then when I just went one day without being able to have a bm I would go back to the milk of magnesia. This worked good for a while but then all kinds of side effects started. I get pains in my right and left side. I can hear water in me sloshing around. It sounds like everything in me has been all churned up or something. Then obviously the diarrhea. I sit on the toilet first thing in the morning and I have a blowout of diarrhea immediately. I know this is gonna sound stupid but I like to know how much came out of me and with diarrhea its hard to tell. I don't know if I have tons of #### still in me or if I had a big bowel movement.The weird thing is I can only have one bm a day. No matter how much comes out or even if I feel like I need to go more I can only go once. Whatever happens on that initial sit on the toilet is the only thing that is going to happen for me all day. Like today for instance I sit down, have diarrhea for a few seconds and that's it. Even if my stomach feels like I need to go more nothing else will happen. I always feel like I need to go more.Is diarrhea that bad for you to have constantly? What kind of effects can it have on my health? I know i can't go on like this forever. I also can't go back to where only a fleet enema worked for me. I mean the milk of magnesia does cause bowel movements for me.So what else could I try that works as good as Milk of magnesia but doesn't have all these terrible side effects? Preferably a medicine that gives me normal bowel movements almost daily without a lot of side effects. My doctor wrote me a script for lactulose and told me to try it. I haven't even went and got it yet. Is it worth trying? I have also thought of trying miri-lax but figured it would do the same thing to me as Milk of magnesia.Any ideas?


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## Susannah (Mar 29, 2011)

I've tried the Miralax and it seems pretty gentle. I think it works well if you take it for a few days. My doc told me to start out with a Fleet Enema to get things moving and then use the Miralax. It didn't give me any 'blowouts'.I've gotten the same as you, once a day is all I get, take it or leave it. I know it's not normal for me, but then again nothing about my bowels is normal anymore.Anyhow you might try the Miralax. I know they give it to kids, since my friend's granddaughter took it for awhile when she was about 12. I didn't notice that it gave me any cramping or gas, just relief. I should actually try it again.







Susannah


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## humiliated (Mar 19, 2011)

Magnesium citrate. You probably need it anyway. I use calcium, vitamin d and magnesium citrate and since I started taking it the only thing left causing me problems is onions but onions have always caused me problems. Anyway I think the trick may be to find the right mixture for yourself.I have had C for years now along with gallons of gas. this last 4 weeks taking that combo is the first relief I have found. I am still amazed everyday when it works right again.


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## Stacey0731 (Dec 8, 2007)

Do you use the liquid magnesium citrate or the pills and what dosage? Thanks!


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## Stacey0731 (Dec 8, 2007)

Do you use the liquid magnesium citrate or pills and what dosage? Thanks!


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## humiliated (Mar 19, 2011)

I use the pills 250 mg but if necessary i take 2 so then 500mg but only for a day. its far below the recommended % so I know I'm not overdoing it, but I also take calcium with vitamine d at the same time. I'm just bent on making sure I never get backed up again cause that causes all kinds of problems.


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## Savannah5 (Jul 9, 2017)

Hi,

Have you tried Probiotic yogurt with BB-12 in it? Make sure it has live active strains such as BB-12, S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus and L. Acidophilus. Make sure you get the plain flavors such as "vanilla" or "strawberry" or "Banana" instead of the ones that say "fruit on the bottom" because they have alot of added sugars. Stay away from Activia or Yoplait. The best Probiotic yogurts are "La Yogurt" "Stony brook" "friendly farms". I eat one ceat one small container a day, and have gone from having one bowel movement and so much straining, to no straining and two bowel movements a day. It really works. Google it if you would like, type in yogurt with bb12. I also take 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed in coffee, water, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, which really helps too. Since starting doing this, have not had to use Miralax (which is poison, made from Antifreeze), or Senna.


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## DavidG (May 7, 2017)

Hello Savannah;

Thanks for the advice on yogurt. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find LA yogurt in Boston. However I'll keep trying.

You mentioned "Stony Brook" yogurt in this post, but called it "Stonyfield" in another post. I found "Stonyfield", but not "Stony Brook".

Which one would you recommend ? Also, what's wrong with Activia ? Isn't it possible that a person could benefit from that brand ?

They market it as a probiotic yogurt. I bought some because it was the only probiotic yogurt that i could find in Stop and Shop.


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