All Boards >> Eating for IBS Diet Board

View all threads Posts     Flat     Threaded

This may help
      04/04/06 09:56 AM
Augie

Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois

Here's an old newsletter that addresses this concern. You can find the information at the end of the newsletter...under number Frustrations with Constipation #1. Constipation

specifically, she says "If you've been regularly using laxatives, or artificially increasing colon motility through other means (enemas, colon cleanses, harsh stimulant herbs such as senna, cascara, aloe) the odds are pretty good that your bowel is dependent on them. If you suddenly stop using them, bowel motility might shut down and your constipation will seriously worsen. This would be the case even if you didn't add a SFS at the same time.

It is definitely possible to transition from a laxative or other unnatural methods of alleviating constipation to a soluble fiber supplement. But, you can't simply switch from one to the other in a single day and expect equivalent results. What you can do is keep taking your usual dose of laxatives while you begin your SFS and start to gradually increase your SFS dose. When you've been able to reach a fairly high daily dose (say, 2-3 tablespoons of the Acacia) you can start to gradually decrease your laxative.

Keep increasing the SFS and continue decreasing your laxative, taking each step slowly and carefully. This is not likely to be a fast process, but the slower and steadier you go the more likely it is to have a highly successful result. I've heard from numerous people who transitioned off of laxatives, senna, enemas, and even prescription constipation drugs and onto a soluble fiber supplement, with terrific results. But it took anywhere from one to six months, depending on how long their bowels had been dependent on the laxatives. Good things can be well worth the wait, and this is one of those situations where patience is truly a virtue. IBS is a lifelong problem for most people, so giving yourself a few months to make a tremendous improvement is not really taking too much time in the grand scheme of things".

good luck. This is really hard, isn't it.


--------------------
~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!

Print     Remind Me     Notify Moderator    

Entire thread
* senna and cathartic colon
mamallama
03/30/06 06:20 PM
* This may help
Augie
04/04/06 09:56 AM
* Re: This may help
mamallama
04/05/06 09:34 AM
* Re: senna and cathartic colon
mamallama
04/03/06 06:18 PM

Extra information
0 registered and 314 anonymous users are browsing this forum.

Moderator:  Heather 



Permissions
      You cannot post until you login
      You cannot reply until you login
      HTML is enabled
      UBBCode is enabled

Thread views: 1020

Jump to

| Privacy statement Help for IBS Home

*
UBB.threads™ 6.2


HelpForIBS.com BBB Business Review