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Original poster

to just want a STRAIGHT ANSWER so I can stop worrying about Movicol in pg?

57 replies

emeraldgirl1 · 13/08/2012 08:40

I am getting totally conflicting advice and getting more and more worried and in a state.

I was diagnosed with slow-transit constipation last year which basically means I have very little peristalsis in my colon (nerve endings are 'faulty' IYSWIM). The ONLY thing that works for me is Movicol - I spent almost a year prior to diagnosis trying everything else, from prunes to bran to exercise to water to vegetables... also tried lactulose, Fybogel etc. Movicol was and is the only thing that makes my colon function. My gastroenterologist put me on a regime of Movicol twice a day and lactulose four times a day which worked fine until I got pregnant.

I am now almost 9 weeks and that regime is barely working any more. I have had to increase the movicol to 3 times a day and I am only just barely managing to keep 'moving' on that.

I knew movicol is 'not advised' during pregnancy but I really have no choice. But I had hoped I might be able to cut it down at some point, maybe to just once a day, but now that the hormones are kicking in, as I say, I am on 3 a day.

Gastro (who doesn't seem even remotely concerned about use of movicol in pregnancy which should reassure me but doesn't because he is quite gung-ho and I don't think knows anything about pregnancy stuff) is unconcerned about the movicol... Midwife is VERY concerned about the movicol and says she never recommends it. She did understand when I explained that this is a long-standing problem and that movicol is my only solution, but still pulled faces and said we'd have to keep an eye on it. I stupidly didn't ask her WHAT the problem with movicol is and now am imagining terrible damage being done to the baby and don't know what to do.

GP is vague and just says 'we'll keep an eye on it' - am not sure what that is meant to mean!!!

Does ANYONE have any advice about this, whether because they used Movicol in pregnancy or whether they have any medical knowledge? My impression was that movicol is not advised as a regular thing but if mother's health requires it then it is OK - but I am just so worried that in the amounts I am having to use atm I am harming the developing embryo in some way :(

OP posts:
Original poster
emeraldgirl1 · 13/08/2012 13:54

Thanks Jenny.
Mere thought of this getting worse is just too awful - I've suffered with such bad constipation before (until I got diagnosed) and it's frightening when you just don't go for days... weeks...

OP posts:
Jenny70 · 13/08/2012 13:50

And it is hard to do "tests" on pg women that are designed to see if it's safe. Sure, in ideal world you'd stop & use fibre etc. But the real world is that if you stay constipated you may lose control of your bowel contractions, get impacted etc, which could lead to surgery, colostomy bag etc. These scenarios hold more risk to you & baby.

When midwife gets all snooty, ask her what this is based on as your research & that of your specialist suggested this is the least risk for you & baby.

Original poster
emeraldgirl1 · 13/08/2012 13:15

thanks whyohwhydowebother - it hadnt actually occurred to me that virtually all medicines say not safe in pg... I feel much more reassured after reading this but may try to have a word with an obstetrician just to be absolutely sure that I can stop worrying. :)

OP posts:
whyohwhydowebother · 13/08/2012 11:19

you'll find that no medicine will ever say 'yes! use in pregnancy, it's totally fine!' mainly because the drug companies can't do any trials in pregnant women (for obvious reasons), so they err on the side of caution..

I'd be very surprised if your midwife has the pharmacological background to answer questions for you about movicol, your gastroenterologist is the most experienced in this area, although if you think they don't have all the answers surrounding pregnancy, you could always ask to see a medical obstetrician (if they have them in your area)

BionicEmu · 13/08/2012 10:31

You're absolutely right, you want to do the best for your baby, but nobody will tell you what that is! It's very frustrating.

I'm now pregnant with DC2, but that's made things more complicated as DC1 was born 6 weeks early, so nobody's sure when I should stop certain meds to minimize withdrawal risks as I'm more likely to have another early baby.

While I appreciate totally that it's unethical to do trials on pregnant women, surely they could set up some kind of pregnancy medication register where meds and pregnancy outcomes were recorded? The scale of data should lead to some fairly certain indications.

I have no idea how to go about suggesting it though, or who to suggest it to, or how.

Original poster
emeraldgirl1 · 13/08/2012 10:16

bonzo - hi and thanks so so much for posting... like you I was worried and then reassured... Glad to hear you got the OK from your GP and your obstetrician, that makes me feel much better about taking it. I too have fluctuated (before pregnancy) with between around 1 and 4 sachets a day, I try to cut it down sometimes but it always ends up being a mistake. Right now I am still hoping that 3 sachets a day is only a temp thing and I can go back to my usual dose when hormones settle a bit, I hope so anyway!
I think things were also made worse by fact that for the last 2 weeks I have felt so sick that my usual high-fibre diet went out of the window; I have been living on ginger biscuits and dry white toast, NOT a good anti-constipation diet and nothing like what I normally eat (5-6 veg a day). I really can't face veg at the mo but think I will have to find a way to re-introduce some asap.

OP posts:
bonzo77 · 13/08/2012 10:11

This thread has worried me, then reassured me. I'm also on movicol for constipation and anal fissure, and 19 weeks. I've been on between 1 and 5 sachets a day since long before I was pregnant. Both my gp and obstetrician were fine with me having it.

Original poster
emeraldgirl1 · 13/08/2012 10:07

BionicEmu am sorry to hear that :( It must be very difficult and I hope they can all come to a conclusion for you! Best of luck with it. It feels very daunting trying to do these things 'right' when there seem to be so many conflicting answers and when it is (in my case as it is maybe in yours?) it is a first pregnancy it feels quite scary.

OP posts:
BionicEmu · 13/08/2012 10:04

:)

I sympathize greatly with this situation too. I have chronic back pain due to kyphoscoliosis as well as schizophrenia, and am currently 16 weeks pregnant. Trying to get pain management consultant, psychiatrist and obstetrician to agree on medications is proving impossible. My MW is "staying well out of it" though, in her words!

foreverondiet · 13/08/2012 10:00

I was given movicol when breastfeeding - and that was just as a "precaution" (I had anal fissure and colo-rectal surgeon didn't want it getting worse... but he told me not to use a specific cream which I was then told was ok by the Breastfeeding Support Network.

I think if gastro says its ok and you need it you'll have to go with that. I would ignore midwives concern she is not a doctor.

Original poster
emeraldgirl1 · 13/08/2012 09:48

sancerreity - thank you!!
I do feel a lot better about this now and will discuss with midwife when I next see her (in the hope that this time she'll avoid the disapproving face-pulling...)

OP posts:
sancerreity · 13/08/2012 09:43

its not really a drug .its just water absorbing granules

Original poster
emeraldgirl1 · 13/08/2012 09:36

BionicEmu - that's v interesting, thank you so much, I didn't know it was a 'kind of' sugar molecule though it makes sense as obviously lactulose is a sugar. I too was under the impression it was not actually a laxative (like senna etc) which is why I've been so thrown by the fact that GP and midwife (though I accept that midwife may not have expert medications knowledge) were so down on the whole idea and did all their face-pulling!!

OP posts:
Original poster
emeraldgirl1 · 13/08/2012 09:34

phlebas - thanks so much - again I am so happy to hear from someone who took movicol in pregnancy! Did you take it throughout the entire pg or just in the early stages?

OP posts:
BionicEmu · 13/08/2012 09:33

Movicol is basically a very large type of sugar molecule. It doesn't get absorbed by the body, it just passes through and attracts water molecules, making the stool easier to pass through. (That's how I've had it explained to me anyway!)

My DS has been taking Movicol since he was 2 weeks old on advice of his paediatrician, so it seems fine for newborn babies too.

phlebas · 13/08/2012 09:31

I was prescribed movicol while pg with my last child & ds1 (5yo) has been using it for nearly two years - both his consultant paediatrician & my consultant obstetrician agree that it is not absorbed & acts as a stool softener by absorbing water in the gut (it is inert, not even a laxative which stimulates the intestine). Midwives generally don't know much about drugs - they have very limited prescribing lists - & I would be looking for a doctor to give advice about medication in pregnancy rather than a midwife, it really isn't part of their remit.

Original poster
emeraldgirl1 · 13/08/2012 09:21

Alos thanks zzzmarchhare - that is a good suggestion, computer says no is exactly the problem I think I have been running into!!

OP posts:
Original poster
emeraldgirl1 · 13/08/2012 09:20

4aminsomniac thank you - what a great and clear GP you have!! I had heard this thing about it staying in the gut and not entering bloodstream but midwife seemed to contradict that.

BikeRace thank you - you don't know how much that has helped me!!

OP posts:
BikeRaceRunningRaceNoSkiing · 13/08/2012 09:09

I took about 3 sachets a day for about a month. Prescribed by hospital doc, then topped up by GP. That was in second pg, took Lactose in both PG. Both babies completely fine. Cobstipation cleared up in second trimester both times, but when I went, I really went!

Zzzzmarchhare · 13/08/2012 09:08

Most hospitals have a medicines information department, usually in the pharmacy. They will have access to studies etc and might give you info for you and your dr. If you phone the main switch board they should be able to put you through. They might be a bit less "computer says no" than the company.

4aminsomniac · 13/08/2012 09:04

I take Movicol and have dome for years for constipation connected to pain killers.

My GP has told me categorically that it is not absorbed by the body at all, it just stays in the gut and absorbs water. I was worried because I take loads of different drugs, and want as little as possible circulating in my bloodstream.

Every one is always cautious in pregnancy, but I really wouldn't worry about this one. Your Gastro doctor will have weighed up the risks for you and the baby and decided it is OK. Even if doctors seem gung ho they are always very careful about pregnant women, and the possibility of being sued, so if he says it is OK, I would trust him on that!

Original poster
emeraldgirl1 · 13/08/2012 08:59

BikeRace thank you for posting!!! You're the only other person I've found who took movicol in pg!!!
Can I ask how much you took and for how long?
What advice did you get from docs/midwife etc?
Was your baby OK...?
Oh and one final question, sorry - did the constipation go away a bit later in pg?

OP posts:
BikeRaceRunningRaceNoSkiing · 13/08/2012 08:56

I had movicol and lactulose when I was pg, all fine, but was also vvvvv constipated at 9 - 12 weeks.

Original poster
emeraldgirl1 · 13/08/2012 08:52

Sossiges thanks, I did use some supplements like that early on when I first got the constipation problem and at first they were a big help and then they stopped having much effect. Could try to add them, though, and see if that might mean I can cut the movicol down a bit.

OP posts:
Sossiges · 13/08/2012 08:52

Sorry I meant the best thing for constipation EVER

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