Constipation Problems!

Pamela,
You can get lemon flavored and orange flavored prunes for a change of pace. Also, I've dipped the regular ones in chocolate for a sweet treat. Chocolate covered prunes are dangerous, don't make more than you should eat at one sitting!

If you are increasing your fiber intake, go slow and make sure to increase your liquids.

Magnesium helps a lot, plus it sometimes helps with pain and muscles cramps. Milk of Magnesia is just an expensive form of magnesium. You can get much cheaper if you get plain old magnesium. It comes in various forms (oxide, citrate, chelate, malate) so you should do a little research to see which one is best for you. If you decide to try it, talk to your pharmacist first just to make sure it doesn't interfere with any of your meds.

Be careful with the Senekot type laxatives. My husband's GI put him on Senekot for about a month before his colonoscopy. She showed us pictures of how the Senekot had already affected his colon in that short amount of time. Regular use of certain types of laxatives make it so you can't go normally on your own. Talk to your doc about it.

Skeye, you can get aloe juice in most health food stores. They even make it flavored, not that aloe tastes bad.

Again, talk to your doc or pharmacist if you are trying anything that isn't food. You don't need any more problems.

Pamela,
Don't stress about it, you're probably fine!

Hey Seajay Welcome to the Chronic Pain forum, you definitely need to start a new thread and introduce your self to everyone here at this CP forum! Just to get you started I want to say to everyone that Seajay is one of my Sleep Apnea buddies over on the sleep apnea support forum. So Seajay start a new thread so everyone can give you a proper welcome!

White Beard

I would love that recipe for the fruit paste for constipation..

Pam,

Colace is expensive. I found the best deal (around here) is at CVS. Their stool softener is virtually identical to Colace, same docusate sodium. The 100 mg. gelcaps are available in a bottle of 400 for around $15, sometimes on sale cheaper. It is also available with a "stimulant" which sort of turbo-charges it! Great product and reasonable price for all of us on long-term meds that constipate.

I found that 100 mg. of docusate sodium for every 10 mg. of Oxycodone (either straight or as Percocet) is about right (for me). Of course, diet and exercise also have a lot to do with it.

No need to feel awkward about these things. We're all in the same outhouse.

Modelmaker

Bonjour Pamela,

in case we haven't been introduced, I am Dany (frenchdude) from Montréal, Canada.

I remember you the most as I used to browse this site, just perusing the posts without ever having the guts to register. For some reason I remember your nickname (neckpain). It would be irrelevent to ask you what you suffer from, however, what I don't know is how it happened. As for me, 3 disc herniations did it. Probably at the gym where I used to train. Needless to say it's all history now.

As for your problem, I personally was on all sort of opioids including Methadone which is, in my opinion, the most constipation-inducing drug as of yet. And after a couple weeks of severe constipation, I was given ''PMS Docusate Sodium 100 mg'' to take daily at bed time.

You might have to Google it as there may be another name for that in the U.S. But believe you me, if this does not work, I don't know what will. It worked miracles for me where everything else had failed.

Good luck.

Frenchdude

Oh , what fun (NOT) been there , done that a lot. These meds do that to you . My Dr gave me gyrolax(persciption Miralax I think) 2x day and he also has me on Amitiza 2x day. So far it is working I also eat a lot of prunes. The juice didn't work. Tell your Dr and ask him if he can perscribe something for you. I hope this helps you . Being inpacted is horriable, plus your lower back hurts even more because of the pressure placed on it. I am worried when I get older they will have to put a bag in ,since I had a Dr a few years ago suggest that I get one ( no, thank you) but our bodies will become dependent on the laxitives as well as the pain meds and other meds we are on . It is a never ending cycle. But if the F.D.A cares and reads these in a few years they will have a pain drug free of any of these side effects. Lets hope. Oh, how I dream. (Funny when I was younger I used to dream about Richard Gere, now I dream about  what can help me move my bowls.) Sad

Sorry if someone has already said this, but i didnt see it but i did want to let everyone know about this stuff cuz it has really helped me, and i kno a lot of us hav this prob cuz of pain meds... but i use benefiber... and it really helps! u can put it in anything except carbonated things, and u cant taste it and it doesnt thicken drinks or anything! ive even put it in water and u cant tell a bit! its been a savior for me and its better than another pill, and i hav some allergies to fruits, so hopefully some of u will try it!