Will long term laxative use damage me ?

[Coconutlattes]

Or is it safe (considering the gp keeps prescribing?)

Ive been on laxatives (movicol and lactulose, occasionally need senna liquid) for 2.5 years. I’d always kept on the lowest dose recommended by the gp which wasn’t working that well. 4 months ago I decided to double my movicol and after a week it wasn’t doing anything so I tripled it and upped the lactulose too. Now I go 2-3 times a day, I get an aching colon for 5/10 mins after but then feel absolutely amazing, it’s literally changed my life.

Im just worried as I know I need to continue this to feel well but what are the long term risks?

I have EDS, severe food allergies, IBS, coeliac and underactive thyroid so I think all of these contribute to my digestive issues . I have been taking probiotics for a year now but have to be very careful (I use ones for babies!) as adult ones have made my IBS flare up .

My gp isn’t that helpful just says take whatever helps and reviews the prescription every few months by asking is it working if so carry on

The main down side of taking laxatives long term is that your bowel can become lazy and if you did decide to stop them, you would struggle to go to the toilet but that is obviously the problem anyway 😂 Many people take laxatives long term, I wouldn't worry if it's working!

It did for me. My GP put me on laxatives when I was a teen. When I questioned wether it was ok long term he said ‘you could be on them til you are 50 with not problem’ and could answer what happened after that.

Movicol dosage just kept going up and up. Just stopped working. I ended up n varying doses of different laxatives that I would take, see if it worked, if it didn’t take another type the next day and so on.

I eventually came off them and suffered for a while. I resolved my issues by having a course of colonic with nurse who suggested I quit cows milk. That helped a bit don’t know if the colonics did much but staying off cows milks did. But eventually I started adding more soil able and insoluble fibre into my diet. I always have milled flaxseed on a morning and try and eat about 30g of fibre a day. From lots of different sources and I go regularly.

I was in my late thirties before I found something that worked for me.

Yes that was the problem I’d just ended up where it was getting harder and harder to go due to my EDS I was told at first and it seems I needed the laxative but I keep needing to up it. I can’t explain how amazing I feel when the dose is right , my skin cleared up, my weight dropped by a lot and stabilised and I just feel so much better, but I’m worried about long term although I know I need it. I’m always anaemic too so being on iron medication doesn’t help !