anyone tried movicol for their child

[miarosemum]

please please help me, at my wits end! nearly 4 year old dd has been toilet trained since she was 2.5. over the last couple of weeks has been pooping her pants, and then not gone for days and in pain trying to go. doc said she is constipated and that is what is causing her to soil herself too. prescribed her movicol two sachets a day and then to cut her to one a day when things are better but how long should it take to kick in? she has been on it since last wednesday and did'nt make a bowel movement till saturday and she kept pooing her pants. sunday the same with accidents and also at childminders today! is it helping or is it making her worse? childminder possibly thinks she is not settled there due to accidnents even though have told her about constipation, but dd loves it there and can't wait to get there in the morning! i don't want childlminder to get fed up of her pooping and thinking that she is just having accidents all the time....

[pooka]

Hang on in there with the movicol. But you could up dose if no progress in the next few days.

Ds1 was constipated from about 2.5 for about a year (god I can't believe was so long). Initially the docs prescribed lactulose which did nothing. After researching I pushed for a movicol prescription and stared him on a 2 sachet dose. Initially the idea is to try and promote a regular pooing habit with no pain and straining. We then went down to 1 sachet for a couple of months and then half until we were entirely confident that he was confident.

When he first became constipated it was just as wecwere going to potty train. It was so traumatic that we completely stepped back and in the end he managed to get into pants when on the halfvsachet dose, once he was happier and more regular.

I can't tell you how much happier, confident, positive and smiley he is now. Thinking back there really was a good 10 months to a year when he became grumpy and antisocial, a bit of a loner.

[thelittlebluepills]

speak to your GP or pharmacist again

what he has described is called overflow and is caused by faecal impaction (there is such a hard lump of poo stuck that the liquid poo from higher up flows over it). you can give your child 8 sachets to get the blockage cleared, then stick with 1 to 2 per day to keep thing soft and comfy for her

might be worth staying at home the day you administer the 8 sachets though - could be explosive!

if she is struggling try putting some vaseline on her bottom hole (or get her to do it) - helps it all slide out easier

sorry if TMI but I hope it helps!

[miarosemum]

ok that is worth trying more than the two sachets...but will be staying in, does this all sound quite normal then?

[thelittlebluepills]

IME - it's quite normal

[feelingpositivemum]

My DS went up to 12 sachets a day when he was 3, just to clear him out and then he reduced gradually to one a day. You really do need to persevere as it takes a while to clear out and then establish a routine.

He is now nearly 7 and still on one a day. We tried to reduce recently and he started soiling again.

I think it is brilliant stuff but needs time. HTH.