To ask for constipation remedies? Urgent!

[BelloItalia]

its getting me down, I’m completely unable to go to toilet. The only thing that works is dulcolax but that gives me a day of agonising diarrhoea.

I went to pharmacy, they suggested lactose- I’ve been taking it all week and nothing - I feel like I need to go but nothing is happening and I’ve been taking 30mls daily

Trying to avoid laxido as the taste makes me gag but is that literally the only thing left to try?

Prune juice used to work but not anymore 😭

Avoid fibre until you are clear again. If you have hard compacted stool, fibre won't get past it and will just sit there adding to the blockage.

Movicol and dulcolax and or senna, you need a stool softener and then a irritant laxative to get the stool actually moving. Don't worry too much at this stage about bowel dependency. Movicol won't lead to dependency and you need the laxative as it seems clear you won't get through this without one.

Once clear use movicol daily and add as much fibre as you can.

Another vote for Movicol

We lived in Italy for 6 years. You didn’t drink tap water, did you? Both places we lived everyone drank bottled.

Go for a bloody long walk to exercise your bowel and drink lots of water. Take Movicol.

Dulcoease & coffee, take 2 dulcoease, then.if nothing has happened after 3-4 hours take another one & keep up 1 every 3-4 hours, drink lots. I find that if I take 2 at teatime & another just before bed I can usually go as soon as I get up. You can also buy miralax sachets from the pharmacy, follow the instructions on the box. In an emergency if still nothing has happened, strong black coffee with brown sugar, sit on the toilet while drinking it as hot as you can, if one doesn't work , make another, it has never failed for me.

3 dates every day. Not sure how they work for constipation like you describe, but once that clears, daily dates might help.
hope something works for you, sounds very uncomfortable you have my total sympathy

Dulcolax is the work of the devil. Can't believe you can buy it over the counter.

Once I took it and ate a yoghurt, not knowing that dairy contains and enzyme which strips the euphemistically named "comfort coating" from the tablet.

Genuinely thought I was going to die.

Anyway, the best thing for me is at least 100g of dark berries every day.

Thanks for the advice last night everyone.

i ended up going to bed on 40ml lactolose, a glass full of prune juice and a magnesium tablet.

Woke up with a very sore stomach! But an hour later felt the urge to go to toilet and had a very substantial bowel movement! So - successful!! However it was so hard there was nothing on the toilet paper after I wiped 😬 so maybe it is down to not drinking enough water?

i tend to drink coffee (white) all day with minimal sips of sparkling water inbetween. Currently on 500ml bottle of water and I’m not allowing myself a coffee until I’ve drank it all!

@BelloItalia Treat yourself to a bottle with a straw - it’s much easier to sip throughout the day, I find.

I wouldn’t mind one of those big water bottles with the measurements on so I can see how much I’m drinking. I’ll have a look in shop today

Anything that helps you make a habit of drinking water is worth it! Splash out on a lovely bottle, add cucumber slices, mint.

Good luck!

I’m chronically constipated too due to medical issues as it’s so frustrating. I am glad you have managed to clear out today though, you must feel amazing!

My go to when all else fails is milk of magnesia. The after taste makes me gag but it does the trick comfortably and with no after effects.

Ideally if it's serious you need a scan to see where it is and a doctor to say if it's impacted.

I would do

Sodium docudate, two morning and night.

Laxido, two morning and night or eight in 24 hours if impacted

Picosulphate, 10ml before bed but not without having a doctor check you out first. Things need to be softened up for that.

Ah yes - the "acts gently overnight" stuff. I once ended up on the loo at the far end of the house in the early hours (didn't want to disturb DH 🙄) in pain, and not knowing whether to stay on the loo and faint, or lie on the floor and ... 😬.

And I couldn't call for help.

Chucked the rest in the bin.

Plenty of water, mixed seeds, especially chia seeds and linseed (but make sure you drink plenty), fruit and veg, kiwi is very good, also figs. But it is really important to drink enough water (not too much) when you up the fibre in your diet.

But I would also go and see your GP. You shouldn't be having to rely on laxatives.

Michelle Kenway used to be a favourite physio on the proplapse threads. She has some easy to follow exercises here.

I have been constipated forever, and no one thing works.

You need to cover:

Hydration

Regular breakfast of something that helps (kiwifruit, linseed and chia, coffee).

Digestion (things that help gut bacteria and movement - I am currently using a load of supplements to improve reflux symptoms at the top end)

Exercise

Habit, routine, and environment (quiet, toilet step etc)

There is probably more, as I haven't got it right yet.

Oh yes there is - magnesium citrate every evening.

I eat handfuls of raisins every day because I like them but they have huge amounts of fibre

My favourite is licorice, it's brilliant!

Failing that I recommend anxiety 🙈

@Melroses

"acts gently overnight"

The only correct word in this is 'acts'.

My DH was recommended passion fruit.

With completely healthy bowel movements there shouldn't be anything left when you wipe, it should come out cleanly

And for those of us who have rectoceles from chronic constipation, child birth or other causes?

Trust me, there are no clean wipes