Feedback on Linzess for Irritable Bowel-C or Chronic Constipation

I have IBD-Crohn’s. BTW

@bernadette8 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Sorry to hear nothing is moving, despite taking these medications. I could see where also arriving at the polar opposite, diarrhea all day, is also really undesirable. Interesting that the results with differing dosages are similar.

Have you taken any other medications or used any other tactics to alleviate your constipation? If so, how have they worked?

I find that it helps to manage my expectations. I take Linzess in the morning before my first meal as well, although usually with (lots of) plain tea, and find that 45-60 min before eating works for me. Also, I've added lots of fiber to my diet and really push fluids. My goal is not about frequency any more -- it was when I started -- but instead about stool quality (https://nafc.org/maintaining-a-healthy-bowel/). As long as I'm sitting at Type 3-4, I figure it's under control, even if it's several days between bowel movements. If it pushes into Type 1-2, I start adding more fiber to my diet, try to increase my exercise (which really matters, but that's easier for me to say than it is to act upon), and if necessary, add Miralax.

Agree that stress doesn't help. And that the brain/gut connection is real.

@bernadette8 Same thing happened to me with Linzess. I am now having success using Motegrity in the morning along with CALM magnesium oxide powder every afternoon/evening. Motegrity (prucalopeide) did not work initially but I stopped for 2 weeks and then tried again and it started working for the past month. I like that it hasn’t given me day-long diarrhea, just one or two usually normal bm’s in the early morning. Needed my gastro’s office to get my insurance to cover it as “necessary.” Not a drug usually covered.