Is constipation a thing that happens as you get older?

[Pigwidgeon99]

Suffered with it while pregnant (10 years ago!), about to turn 40 and since last summer keep getting it on and off. It's not that I can't go, I go every day, it's just like pooing rocks. Some days it's so painful it can take me half an hour and I'm in tears with it. Spoke to GP a few months ago who was quite dismissive and recommended lactulose. If I take that, it improves its but then I go the other way so I stop and then constipation starts again. Is this something that we just have to deal with in our 40s?! Or should I go back to the GP? Anyone found a remedy that works? I think my diet is decent though like most people there are improvements I could make.

I think it gets more common as you get older.

A huge amount of water, fruit and veg, beans etc for fibre, limit things like gluten and meat that are harder to digest. Oats and flax seeds soaked in water are good too.

If that doesn't work, I'd go back to gp - you can have other stuff go wrong with your bowel. A friend had an issue in her 20s where muscles in a bit of her bowel dysfunctioned and wouldn't move the waste along. She ended up having an op to remove that but of bowel. All sorts of scenarios that could cause it.

I sympathise greatly op as I am a sufferer too. Mine was definitely stress related (suffered with severe anxiety on and off and some depression) I had to go into A and E once because I was so blocked and it was very painful and I had to have an emergency enema. Once I am unblocked it appears that with rest, relaxation (maybe mindfulness) combined with the right diet including lots of water, vegetables and maybe a supplement of Fibrogel, while the bowel "recovers" this has helped. I really don't suffer very much anymore. I have found that dealing with anxiety issues, water, exercises (walking is great, depending on your fitness levels running is better) but really it was a combination of things for me, but I really feel personally that it was linked to depression as well as diet and exercise. I think it is possible to improve it, but it takes time and maybe you need to find out what works best for you.

Maybe a food diary to work out for yourself which are your trigger foods? I am now following a GL diet, I don't eat sugars, wheat and lots of veg. White potatoes, white rice and white pasta, I have found, personally speaking are big "trigger foods".

I think also, just to add, while you are more chronically constipated, a gentle solution such as a glycerol suppository is helpful to some people. Also you can get small "micro-enemas" from pharmacists in the UK, I believe, but as always it's best to find a medical professional to talk to about these interventions and if they are healthy for you in your particular case.

Good luck and I hope you find a solution that works for you.

I have always struggled a bit but it's definitely got worse since I turned 40. I eat well, drink lots and get plenty of exercise. Thinking I need to ask about it at the GP.

Thanks so much all. The thing is when I ask for advice a lot of the advice is about how to get 'moving' which I think is what movicol etc does. Also suppositories I think? My issue is that I need to go and (poss TMI sorry) the poo is right there, it's just extremely painful to pass because it is so hard. I do suffer from anxiety so thank you to the pp who mentioned that. I hadn't made that connection but could definitely be related. I'll keep a diary of food and how I'm feeling etc and see if it lines up. Good to know I'm not alone!

Drink more liquids, eat more fibre.

Try taking a spoonful of olive oil a day.

I'm a lot older than you and don't suffer from constipation thankfully, so don't think it's necessarily something that happens as you get older. If you know your diet could improve start with that.

Magnesium glycinate supplement (helps with anxiety and sleep too)
Plenty of fruit and veg and enough fibre, but make sure you drink lots of water, especially if you up your fibre intake.

The thing that bungs me up most is sitting down too much and lack of exercise though. It makes a huge, huge difference.

Loads of water and try kiwi fruit. Also Ryvita crackers seem to work especially if you eat them for breakfast.

Magnesium supplements before bed. You may well be deficient and lack of it slows down the ‘transit speed’ so the stool dries out.

I thought any changes in bowel habit should be properly investigated not dismissed by the GP? Really you should have a a FIT (faecal immuno something or other test) to rule out anything sinister.

I've always suffered but it has got worse as I've aged. Unfortunately eating chocolate makes mine far worse.

You can get away with a lot less as you get older, in terms of bad dietary habits. Try much more fibre and water. Yoga in the evening including twists and inversions can also help move digestion along before bedtime.

I've really struggled since turning 50 and having a horrendous flare up of piles that took nearly 4 months to get rid of. I try to have either flax or chia seeds daily, drink lots of water and if I've had a hard set of nuggets will use DulcoEase for a few days. Don't confuse with Dulcolax which is the work of the devil!

I take 15mls lactulose twice a day but I am on strong painkillers though which slows down my guts. It keeps me regular. Plus eating a healthy diet and drinking loads of water.

Eggs seem to make me constipated now - I am 51. Never noticed before a couple of years ago.

You could try docusate sodium - bought over the counter - which is a stool softener.

I am similar post DC3, the pregnancy constipation never got better. Have you tried Movicol / Cosmocol / Laxido (different brands of the same thing) instead? Like lactulose they are a softener, but I found for me they work better in terms of being able to that in-between dose that is neither too much nor too little.

The thing that helped when I was as young as you are now was cycling for twenty minutes most days.
Nowadays, getting on a bit, I make sure I get at least 28g of fibre a day and drink a couple of litres of fluids. Baked sweet potatoes always sorts me out and white rice always slows me down.
Hard poos are not enough fibre, fluid and bulk.

I am in my 60s and have no issue so don't presume it's age . And l don't have an ideal diet and forget to drink water most days. Could you keep a food diary and see when it's worse. Also make a list of things that help and consciously add them to your diet every day.

There are lots of things that effect stools but I don’t think age is one. Are you on any medication as my antihistamine causes it.
First thing to try is eating a diet mainly based on fruit and veg. I don’t mean five portions a day I mean at least 10. Plenty of water and exercise. Sugary fruit like grapes can help but avoid bananas.

It's a lack of oestrogen apparently.

I take a dose of Lactulose every couple of days and that seems to have improved things for me recently.

I've always had poos like this, I'm once a week and can take me up to an hour, it's so painful, sorry you suffer too

Often a dairy intolerance can cause chronic constipation.
Cut out all dairy for 6 weeks and see. If so easy solution

I have grapefruit every morning. The tinned variety is just as good, less faff and in natural juice which is slightly sweet.
You don’t need much and a tin lasts 2 to 3 days, it’s also cheaper than buying them fresh.