17 and Constipated - Magnesium/Calcium Question!
#16783 - 08/09/03 08:01 AM
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Hi there! I've been constipated for about 1 month now (ever since I started birth control pills)and after trying a number of different things to naturally have a bowel movement, the only thing that has been working is laxatives.
I bought a magnesium supplement which contains 100 mg of magnesium per pill. I just started them yesterday and took 4 pills, so about 400 mg of magnesium. I have not noticed any difference in how I feel - how long do you think it should take to work?
I'm also wondering if I should have bought the 2:1 ratio of calcium/magnesium b/c I don't think I'm getting enough calcium in my diet anyway. Maybe that is why I am so consipated, b/c my body is lacking in that mineral.
Do you think that I should take a supplement which includes calcium, or do you think that it doesn't matter?
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Hi, Laura! I've been trying to figure out the mag/cal deal too. There are some good posts in the thread "How to Get Calcium in My Diet" (posted around 7/29), or do a search on Calcium. Good luck with this!
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Hi - Ask your doc about switching brands of birth control pills. If you know the drug is causing the problem, you shouldn't stay on it, especially if you're resorting to laxatives as a result. Yasmin is getting really bad word of mouth for IBS. Other brands have lactose as a filler ingredient, and that can cause problems. Ask your doc for ideas about other brands, and about other pill formulations that are less likely to cause constipation.
Best,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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 I didn't know Yasmin was bad for IBS...maybe that's why it hasn't caused me any problems! Seriously, though, Ortho Tri-Cyclen caused nausea; Yasmin doesn't, and it's supposed to have the least effect on one's mood, as well. Too bad it's more expensive than the others! 
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Hey Tess! I don't know if this will help you out or not, but when I was on the pill I used femscript and got mine much cheaper (I think it was like $19 compared to almost $30...not exactly sure). It doesn't cover them all though, so you may have to check, but it's free to enroll. They cover other stuff also - I even used it for Diflucan once. You can check them out at www.femscript.com.
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Hey, thanks! I'll keep that in mind. On September 1st I'll switch from my mother's excellent insurance coverage to my own not-so-excellent coverage, and my prescriptions are going to go up from the $10/month I was paying before....
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I was on Yasmin and I felt horrible on it and it did make my IBS worse. I switched to Mircette and feel much, much better. Also, have you tried switching your fiber supplements to another brand or type? You might try this as I found switching from Metamucil to Fibercon to be very helpful. Good luck.
Leah
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