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

Posted by pb0o7 @pb0o7, Mar 21, 2023

I've been struggling with stomach issues for a long time now and it runs in my family. I went to the hospital recently and had to have a GI clean out through an NG tube. When I was discharged from the hospital they told me to take one stool softener at night and one stool softener in the morning and one capful of miralax each day. But it stopped working. I'm in a crazy amount of pain. I had a CT scan done when I was in the hospital, it showed I had stool stuck almost half way through my colon. But before my stay in the hospital, I had been to many other hospitals. No one could find anything, until I had that CT scan. iv had both scopes done, but the doctor didn't see anything wrong. I have no clue if it has something to do with it but I have really bad hashimoto. I have no idea what to do now. Please help me with what I should do next. Please and thank you.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.

Dehydration can cause constipation. Some people can get dehydrated from drinking just plain water. My fluids need to have sodium and glucose in them for them to absorb. Drinking fluids with electrolytes in them helps me. 100% Apple juice before bed on an empty stomach helps when I am constipated.

REPLY
Profile picture for bb03 @bb03

I take a capsule form of magnesium citrate.

Jump to this post

@bb03 does it help you go daily.

REPLY

MiraLAX didn’t quite work for me but I found that senna helps me go along with stool softener

REPLY
Profile picture for tj @tjanet

Miralax makes me constipated because it takes fluids out of the body to work and I don't absorb enough fluids for Miralax to work. I also can get dehydrated from drinking plain water. I drink fluids with glucose and sodium in them for my body to absorb. Apple juice helps my constipation.

Jump to this post

@tjanet I have a sensitivity to additives, food coloring, etc. MiraLAX is a problem for me because of some of its ingredients. I was using it for a while anyway, but my recovery was very rocky. My surgery was July 7 for a colonectomy removing a foot of diseased bowel. It’s hard to know what’s helping and what’s making things worse…

REPLY
Profile picture for nancyclare @nancyclare

@tjanet I have a sensitivity to additives, food coloring, etc. MiraLAX is a problem for me because of some of its ingredients. I was using it for a while anyway, but my recovery was very rocky. My surgery was July 7 for a colonectomy removing a foot of diseased bowel. It’s hard to know what’s helping and what’s making things worse…

Jump to this post

@nancyclare
Foods don't bother me. I am on a high carb, moderate protein and low fiber diet because of my Short Bowel Syndrome. I get constipated because of dehydration.

REPLY

Have you seen a Gastroenterologist?
I would start there.

REPLY

I had to get my doctor to give me something . he gave me suppositories.

REPLY

I had the same issue. Magnesium citrate gets things going for me 400mg 1 or two hours before bed. Make sure they’re not ones that have a thick coating. Also I have to do exercises that release pelvic tension and that seems to help.

REPLY

I was born allergic to milk and nearly died!! All my life I have been dogged by constipation and you have to work hard emotionally mentally and physically to cope with it. I now guzzle bottles of water about 8 a day. I know I know it’s a lot just do what you can. MiraLAX does work if I sip on it and keep it in my system it draws the moisture into my stools that my body does not do as it should. And this may be very hard for some but eat BRICCOLI and lots of other veggies and fruits. I hate being constipated more than anything in the world it TRIES TO RUIN MY LIFE!! Good luck and prayers to all on this journey. Oh one more thing I buy my MiraLAX on Amazon I buy Miralax brand and I buy Clearlax. For some crazy reason I do better when I use one cap of each in about 12 ounces of water. Gulp 3-4 big gulps and then drink sips through the day. Don’t ask me I found this by accident.

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.