What pill Laxative works best?
#46917 - 02/27/04 09:33 AM
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StephS
Reged: 09/11/03
Posts: 2123
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Anyone have an thoughts on pill laxatives? Correctol or sennacote? Just wondering what others have tried!
Thanks! 
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Senna, Correctol, and all other laxatives can cause bowel dependency. If they're stimulant laxatives. they can trigger IBS attacks as well. And all laxatives can cause rebound constipation as they interrupt the natural function of your gut, which is what you're always trying to keep as stable as possible with IBS.
- 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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What about stool softeners? They sort of work the same way that laxatives do (bring water into the intestines), only less so, and I know that's not the way to go, but I'm up to 12-16 glasses of water a day, and on a diet that nutrionists and doctors alike say should have me pooping up a storm, and yet nothing gets me going! Absolutely nothing except the stool softeners (which I took all last week) that I know of, and my appointment with a new GI is still a week away, and I have school to think about. Is it alright if I depend on them 'til then at least?
*evie
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STEPH if i would suggest would be fibercon. or alvera juice. alovera would cause dirrea . but it reaally works the best it seems like. jasper
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ive had ibs for 8 years now. im learning alot on this web board. thanks again everyone
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Hi - Stool softeners do seem to be a safer bet, and some folks on the board have had much better luck with them than laxatives. If you have a GI doc you trust, and he/she says these are safe for you and won't cause bowel addiction, I'd go with what they say.
One thing though....what diet do they have you on? If it's super high in insoluble fiber, this could be a problem. For people with normal guts, insoluble fiber will definitely have them pooping up a storm (love that phrase!) But if you have IBS, you do NOT have a normal gut, and insoluble fiber can cause such spasms and cramps of the colon that motility actually slows or even halts, and constipation worsens. I'd double check on this, and make sure they've got you on a high soluble fiber foundation first and then have you incorporating insoluble fiber as carefully as you can so that you can eat a lot of it, but safely.
- h
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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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Thanks for replying! My first GI specialist was actually a temporary one (back in my home town over christmas break, who pretty much did nothing but give me my diagnosis (IBS, idiopathic ulcers, and dilated colon). Oddly, he said this: no bread, diet high-fiber, non-specified (he's got nothing on you, there - he didn't even specify which type, except to say that low-glycemic vegetables and fruit are always the way to go). I go ahead and have a strong basis of rice, stewed fruit (like peeled apples), sometimes banana in small quantities, mangoes, etc with all the soluble fruits. I eat a lot of carrots, too. I eat spinach, sprouts, berries and cherries, as well as frozen vegetable mixes for my insoluble. I also take pro-biotics and small doses of benefiber (a bag of your acacia is in my possession and is next in line after the benefiber's through).
Now, my use of stool softeners is my decision, because for some reason, I just won't poop, even though I've never abused laxatives (hardly used them at all, actually), drink almost twice the recommended water intake, and get lots of exercise. Such a mystery - but I know I've been through too many extended periods of constipation to go through that ever again (I think that's how I got into the dilated colon mess to begin with). So, while I wait patiently to finally see a GI doctor in my college town and who I hope will be my salvation, I'm taking the matter into my own hands. Laxatives are too strong for me, and the stool softeners are saline like non-stimulant laxatives, but don't give me the runs. I'd rather not risk using anything my body might become dependent on, but I much, much rather poop than not poop! Thanks for listening! It means a lot.
*evie
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Evie,
Have you tried taking magnesium? Just a little bit (500mg) can make a BIG difference because magensium helps bring water into the bowel like other stool softeners. My GI recommended this for me because my colonoscopy revealed some extremely sharp turns and narrow areas which can cause real trouble if they get blocked up.
Taking a magnesium supplement is a more natural and less extreme way to go than taking full-on laxatives. It may be all you need along with perhaps cutting back on the insoluble foods like Heather was suggesting.
Ash
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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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Evie!
#47308 - 03/01/04 11:30 AM
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jenX
Reged: 08/11/03
Posts: 3252
Loc: Richmond, VA
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Evie, get in touch with me if you don't like your doc out here. I've got a pretty good practice right in downtown Bmore. In fact, Dr Posner, who forwarded Heather's book, is one of the Docs.
*j
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Oh thanks very much, jen. I sure will let you know how it goes. I can't wait. You know, I had forgotten all about that forward. I actually did wonder if I could find him.
*evie
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