To ask for your constipation remedies!

[TheNightmareNeighbourNextDoor]

Sorry if TMI but I am getting desperate!

So for about 3 weeks I have been "constipated" - I am getting the urge to go about 3 times a day but when I do its very hard like pellets and I have to strain although I do try not to strain.

I have changed nothing in my diet in the past 3 weeks, if anything I have been trying to alleviate it by improving my diet but still nothing helps!

I eat plenty of fruit and veg, I eat wholemeal bread, rice, pasta, drink about 5 pints of water a day, I am active and go running a few times a week. I don't drink or smoke, my only vices are chocolate on the weekend and 2 cups of coffee in the morning. I am not over or underweight and im in my late 30's.

I have tried fybrogel sachets, prunes, more water, flaxseed, glycerin suppositories and all it does is make me want to go to the toilet but still everything is hard.

I can't get a doctors appointment for another 3 weeks so I am trying to work out what could be the problem in the meantime.

Medically I am fine other than I have been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid and I am now on medication for the past 2 weeks - I was actually hoping that was the cause of my constipation as I was already having the hard stool a week before I started the medication, but I have seen no improvements 2 weeks into the medication.

I would rather not have to resort to laxatives as I don't think that will fix the underlying problem. Any suggestions anyone?

[AnastasiaaBeaverhousen]

St Andrews salts.

Last thing before bed, then first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

[DorisDances]

Liquorice!

[Rarotonga]

Does your GP surgery offer telephone appointments or similar? Three weeks is a long time to wait.

Post partum I had terrible trouble and ended up being prescribed Movicol which worked a treat.

Hope your situation is resolved soon.

[SnowyAlpsandPeaks]

Buy a bottle of lactulose from the chemist- ask for a large bottle will be around £3.80
I ignore the recommended dose and take 60mls. My stomach swells and I start farting like anything, then I go to the toilet. I’m on there for about an hour before it all cleans out. TMI the first time I go, I have to wrap tissue around my fingers, insert them slightly into my vagina, and push towards the back, towards my anus, this helps the stools come out. Then once the hard stools are out, then the liquid stools follow for a while.

Sorry if that’s TMI I’ve had this so many times!

[Belindabelle]

Kefir. I make my own from grains you buy on line. Has totally transformed my digestive system.

[starfishmummy]

It could be the hypothyroidism. It can take more than 2 weeks for the medication to start making a noticeable effect, 4-6 weeks is not unusual. Plus they may not get the dose right first time so they may need to give more .

[KittyVonCatsworth]

Psyllium Husk. I suffer badly from constipation but I find if I shove a tablespoon of the powdered version into my foods (it's pretty tasteless) it keeps me regular.

[Peterpiperpickedwrong]

Take the laxatives to get you going. Your thyroid issue is probably the underlying problem. It will get better once you have been taking the medication for a few more weeks. You need to take thyroxine on an empty stomach and at least 30 mins before coffee though or absorption is affected and if you take a multivitamin with iron in that can affect absorption. The British thyroid foundation recommends leaving 2 hours after taking thyroxine.

www.everydayhealth.com/hs/healthy-living-with-hypothyroidism/tips-to-relieve-constipation/

[Dragongirl10]

Op Pilates is great for moving your bowels, follow a DVD or TV class, REALLY engage your core. Do it daily.
Also stop the 'white' foods, ie pasta, rice bread, until you are going easily again.
For me regular strong exercise is the most effective thing , l do yoga once a week and either Pilates or heavy gardening in the summer, twice a week. Lifting heavy items for 30 mins is just as good as a class!

[nocoolnamesleft]

Laxido/movicol. Probably the best laxative in the world, and you can buy it at a pharmacy (they're both the same thing, but Laxido is a cheaper make)

[GrumpySprout]

Mini weetabix and plenty of water. Failing that- Lactulose!

[notharryssally]

Lactulose

Oxypowder

[NoWordForFluffy]

Laxido is great. I had an op recently and the morphine / codeine had its standard effect. I was prescribed Laxido and all was fine again in about 3 days.

[PinaColadaPlease]

I take Psyllium Husk too. Works well for me, I take the capsule version daily.

[DanielRicciardosSmile]

Garibaldi biscuits. Don't ask me why, but they work.

[iDontShareChocolate]

For me one glass of prune juice every night (tastes horrendous) and lots of oranges throughout the day helped during tough times.
My mum swears by a tablespoon of virgin olive oil every morning to take on an empty stomach or a glass of warm water with lemon juice in it.
One of my friends used to say that a cup of coffee while smoking a cigarette always helped keeping her regular.

[EvelynShaw]

Magnesium supplements every time. I really used to suffer with this until I discovered them. And when I forget to take them, I definitely notice.

[PotsOfJoy]

Thinking about walking into a nightclub and boshing an E would do the job.

[Tolleshunt]

Magnesium citrate. Makes things nice and soft, like lactulose, but much better for not causing wind.

[Spudina]

Movico. Up to 6 a day. (Not sure if pregnancy dose is different). Plenty of fluids.

[Tillygetsit]

Port. Sounds ridiculous but port worked when all else failed...and very effectively!

[hagsrus0]

Adding my vote for magnesium. Calcium supplements (doctor's orders) tend to be binding - a 400mg magnesium capsule morning and evening works well for me. An extra one during the day if things seem backed up. Results may take a day or so to be evident.

DH swears by his daily dried apricots.

[WoahBodyforrrm]

As a quick fix, there is only one thing you will need... a McDonalds coffee.

I recently had brain surgery, I was desperate to get home in time for my little boys birthday, so may have told the doctors that I had been 😬. I was sent home on senna so thought I’d be fine.

A few days later, I was in agony on the toilet, genuinely questioning whether I was giving birth. I then added lactulose and movicol to the mix. Still nothing happened.

In desperation, my OH said he would get me a McDonalds coffee. He said anytime he had one, it goes through him within 1/2hr. He got me the coffee and you guessed it....we had lift off. I’ve not felt relief like it since that moment you finally push your baby out.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, a friend also had a major op. And she also had the same problem. I prescribed her a McDonalds coffee and sat downstairs smugly while she went upstairs to let nature take its course.