Constipation: What helps you?

Posted by harithakur @harithakur, Feb 23, 2021

I am suffering from constipation please suggest

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Profile picture for electracat @electracat

@standinginfaith omg! Thanks for responding! Yes, where does it come from??! I feel like it’s not all meant to come out in a day, but it keeps WANTING to come out (of course not without lots of help ugh!)… does the Trulance help? I feel like I’m doing all the right things but I can never ‘finish’ with it!

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@electracat Yes!! Trulance has been a lifesaver for me...I was even hospitalized for constipation twice..I also miralax everynight ..unless I am having diarrhea (which I never complain about)..not sure if Trulance is causing it.. or what.. but atleast I am going.and going.. most of the time!! IDK where it all comes from!! I did read somewhere that 2 other people said Trulance did this to them.. Linzess and Amtisa.. produced nothing for me..what a delima..huh..? I'm like you .. feel like I'm doing all the right things ..but never finish and God help me if I don't go for two days..I had a CT for kidney stones and I showed I was constipated simply because I hadn't gone THAT day yet!! Ge whiz!! Do you take anything like the Trulance or Linzess..?? Praying for us to find a resolve on this.(and much more!!)

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Profile picture for bbest1010 @bbest1010

Me too! It has taken months for my constipation to improve; the constipation started after open-heart surgery. I eat one or two fiber gummies each day and take Miralax once or twice a week. I'm not back to normal yet, but those two steps have resulted in much less agony and angst.

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@bbest1010
Miralax once or twice a week?.............and it working.good news!
what quantity are taking?
stay well

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Profile picture for anniewee @anniewee

@peterose
Hi…Yes…I take Linaclotide…the Rx name is Linzess. I take the highest dose…290 mg. I started off at the lowest dose …75 mg…no effect at all. The highest dose doesn’t really do too much…it is not a laxative. It is taken in the a.m. 30 min. before breakfast…needs to be taken on an empty stomach. It definitely does not interact well with food. I tried taking it before dinner….oooo not good…very bad belly cramping . Recently I was only having a protein shake for breakfast so I took the Linzess with that…ooooo not good….bad belly cramping all day. Take as directed…you may want to give it a try. It takes a month or so to tell if it’s helping….maybe give it a 90-day try. Senna-S tablets may be helpful… senna is the natural stimulant laxative and the -S stands for stool softener. Easy to take, recommended by my PCP. I also drink a hot Smooth Move tea once in a while…it is senna leaves ..again, a natural laxative. Doesn’t taste that great…but if it helps, it is worth taking now and then. Hope this info helps a bit. 🙂💖

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@anniewee ..
thanks for the info!.........seems almost everything comes with a handle "take only for 7 days"......i require something long term to try to get back a normal life!.............hard stools jamming up in narrow small intestine ..near colon!

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Profile picture for peterose @peterose

@bbest1010
Miralax once or twice a week?.............and it working.good news!
what quantity are taking?
stay well

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@peterose

I'm taking the standard dose -- one envelope if I buy it in envelopes, or the recommended amount if I buy by bulk.

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does anyone have chronic constipation due to a permanent narrow intestine after colon surgery?.......what works for you? {first few months after surgery were ok ...now not so!......2nd colonoscopy showed no adhesions..... just a narrow intestine!} ANY INFO APPRECIATED!

ASKING MY SPECIALIST ABOUT USING LINACLOTIDE...HE IS NOT ENTHUSED!

Linaclotide is a guanylate cyclase receptor agonist that has shown promise in treating constipation caused by a permanently narrow small intestine. It works by stimulating water secretion from the intestinal epithelium, which can help alleviate constipation symptoms. Linaclotide has been found to improve colonic transit times and complete spontaneous bowel movements in patients with chronic idiopathic constipation (CC) and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C). It also improves functional abdominal symptoms, such as pain, discomfort, and bloating, which are major symptomatic complaints of patients with CC and IBS-C.
pharmacologysci.com

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Profile picture for flnance @flnance

I have started Magnesium Citrate and it is wonderful.

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Hi, @flnance. Welcome to Connect! You mention magnesium citrate is wonderful. How great you have found something that helps you so much.

What type of health challenges do you deal with? How do you use mangesium citrate, and how does it help you?

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I have constipation, the magnesium citrate fixes it in twelve hours. I am having a complete knee replacement in December. I thought I would get an idea of what I will be facing here.

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Profile picture for peterose @peterose

@anniewee ..
thanks for the info!.........seems almost everything comes with a handle "take only for 7 days"......i require something long term to try to get back a normal life!.............hard stools jamming up in narrow small intestine ..near colon!

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@peterose are there foods that can help you, in addition to any meds you are using ? One thing I do is eat apple slices every day and a single dried apricot- and rarely need colace or MiraLax…hope you and all here get good relief !

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stewed prunes help!.............cancer agency here says no Mirimax?

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Profile picture for peterose @peterose

stewed prunes help!.............cancer agency here says no Mirimax?

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@peterose interesting..my cancer team says to use MiraLax if gentler solutions don’t work…if i use it, usually just for colonoscopy prep,i mix it with Gatorade. yes, prunes work well for most people.

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