My stool softeners and miralax aren't working, how come?

let me know.. i tried EVERYTHING for decades and Miralax is only thing that works and it is not a true "laxative" which is not good to take long term - just asbsorbs water into the gut. i am confident that with the correct dose/fluid intake you will be going regularly every day

Have a GI Dr order a Sitz study. You swallo a pill and after a few days you are x rayed. If the pill is still in a part of your intestine then your motility is slow. They call it slow transit. All said then gets your GI Doc to prescribe a Prokinetic. Examples: Linzess, Amitza etc. You still need to eat 60% like a rabbit, be active and drink lots of water. I take Linzess every am at 5 am but I also have to take miralax at 8 pm and I take magnesium twice per day. Also with my Linzess I have to drink 4 glasses of water then eat for exactly at 5:30 am without fail and drink more water. I have no movement in my colon. I have been able to avoid an obstruction. If not for this regimen I’d probably been dead it have a colostomy. When I get off my routine it fails so I have to be extremely consistent!

I have tried Miralax, Dulcilax, stool softeners, drinking more water (although now I can't because of a major issue with low blood sodium). Nothing has helped. Phillips Milk of Magnesia helps a little bit takes a long time to work! I even take Betaine HCL with Pepsin to help metabolize my food since my sigmoid colon was taken. I've had issues my whole life. I have recently used a Fleet liquid glycerin suppository (a little plastic bottle) which worked OK. But went to Gastro doctor this week as I'm really concerned with "lack of movement" and was given Motegrity (prucalopride) and took it yesterday at 2:30 pm and by 5 pm I was on the phone with his office having just had a bowel movement that was not forceful or explosive but emptied me!! I'm hoping now that I'm cleared out I won't be having such bad problems anymore. I will not rely on pills or meds to help me go other then once in a while. Just as information, I have always found taking laxatives dehydrated me, thus making my condition worse!

Thanks again Denise. I have been asking and asking about my Miralax/Dulcolax "gush and push" method with nothing until you replied. I'll try Miralaz twice a day and drop the Dulcolax.

(That said, I've not seen a study that shows the body develops tolerance to stimulant laxatives. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen, I've just never seen a study confirming it by the medical industry or FDA or whatever.)

None of those work well for my system. Miralax makes me nauseous and I fear Dulcolax will be too harsh and leave me wane for a few days.

I am 68 too. I do two things to combat what my body naturally does.
1. I take 1.5 teaspoons of mineral oil at bedtime. It is a lubricant.
2. I take a Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar pill three times a day with my main meals as it helps me digest my food, which moves things along.

Apologies if I said this earlier. Sometimes I don't check to see if I have.

At least your Doc cares! Mine told me take the stool softener and fiber supplement every day, then said gotta go, see you next year! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. No check up, or follow up! I have Parkinson’s, which is known to slow bowel movements! My entire digestive system is slow, and constipation and bloat have been big time problems for me, as my condition is progressing. Swallowing is sometimes difficult for me! I have to be careful. Once again, when I tried to talk to the Doc about that, he deflected, and said, “well, you seem to walk ok, albeit a bit slow, and then said “see you next year”. I’m just an old man, where, I believe, a palliative approach to my care, is what the Doc uses! Medicare doesn’t pay him much, so maybe he is stingy with his care, for me!

Hi @foundryrat743. Glad you found your way into Mayo Connect in search of friendship and conversation about medical care for those of us with digestive problems. I'm not likely to be a vibrant source of information yet, since my own digestive system treatment is only half-way into effect. After six weeks of reluctant digestion, I'm awaiting results of my stool sample analysis and a request for referral to a gastroenterology specialist. Like you my system is slow, constipated, and bloated with periodic shifts to diarrhea for a few days at a time. I think a specialist is needed to bring the full range of possibilities to the examination room so I can understand what's at work, when it might resolve, and how to get there. Let's keep in touch so we can both learn what we need to know and what our choices should be. Martin

Thanks Martin! Let’s keep in touch! The Docs I mentioned, are located at a regional hospital clinic, in Michigan, where I reside! I doubt that Mayo Clinic Docs would treat me the way, these Docs do! I just wanted to clarify that! Good luck Martin! Doug

Hi, so how are you feeling recently??

Hi, so what does Motegrity do?? I've never heard of it. Thanks, Deb