Great idea! Here's minerunesSwedish Bittersprobioticsground flaxWhole leaf aloe juiceChinese diet tea magnesium pills

 

Worked (but some stopped working later)robiotics--good ones--I use Life Start 2 (still working)Milk of Magnesia (still working)Lactulose (still working when used intermittently)Miralax (in combination)Colon Cleanse (stopped working)H2Go (works sometimes)Senna (stopped working)Bran (stopped working)Walking (certainly helps)Drinking lots of water (helps)Aloe juice (stopped working)Diet tea (stopped working)Traditional Medicinals Smooth Move (stopped working)Ex-Lax (stopped working)Dulcolax (stopped working--believe this really messed me up--addictive)Renew Life Cleanse Smart (stopped working)Renew Life Ultimate Flora (stopped working)Intestinew (in combination)Fleet Enema (works sometimes)Never worked:AmitizaPrunesCitrucelFiber SmartGeneral fiber products

 

great idea! - you're right, this is what people come looking for ( i know i did!)works for me (sometimes works i should say, we all have those time when nothhing seems to work!)- liquorice- prunes- fried/greasy food- alcohol- exercise- lots of water- laxido/movicol (poly-whatever it is-glycol)- abdominal massagedoesnt work- senna- fibre suppliments- lactuloseduring a particularly bad time where i didnt 'go' for nearly 3 weeks, my dr told me to take 8 sachets of laxido in 1 litre of water for 3 days max. by day 2 i had diarrhoea, but at least the problem was solved1 so this is my emergency back-up plan now

 

Worked : Lactulose (used sporadically) Citrucel (some success) Going to try Align Probiotic. Others have been a waste of money ExerciseNothing else has worked. Amitiza was awful. Disappointed in Konsall fiber and it was not cheap either. Have tried every other over the counter med. Waste of money. Holistic products have all been a total waste and very expensive.

 

So far, one thing that I know helps.....Benefiber (forms a cushion so when the colon spasms, it doesn't clamp onto a hard stool).

 

flax seeds groundPUMPKIN (or butternut squash but need more) is the best daily "medicine" I have taken yet. works better than MiralaxMiralaxwhen all else fails, senna and enemas

 

how do you prepare your pumpkin?

 

I started taking magnesium supplements last week and that seems to have really helped the constipation. I have been constantly constipated for a long time but since starting the magnesium supplements I've had a bowel movement almost daily. I am also trying to get a lot of fiber but no more than before the magnesium and that never significantly helped before. I hope this lasts, I haven't had stomach pains really either since starting this. The one I take has magnesium oxide and stearate in it. (Unfortunately that is not the end of my problems, since the reason why I started magnesium in the first place was because I've heard it can help with muscle twitching... hopefully just stress though. But that doesn't belong in this thread)

 

Magnesium has really helped me. Not so much anymore. Maybe I shouldn't take it everyday but it works so well.

 

After reading your post list of remedies....and thank you BTW. I've noticed that alot of you use senna or other laxatives. I very recently had a colonoscopy and the gastro doc pointed out tissue damage from senna and other lax's that I have been talking but not abusing. He wants me to get off the lax's completely. Are any of you concerned about this side effect?

 

Yes, the same thing happened to me. My colon was coated black from cascara in Super Cleanse. I was fine on Zelnorm, but I only have 3 months' worth left, and don't know what I"m going to do.

 

Works for me:1. eating small portions of food2. eating food that is not processed -- whole food3. eating well before bed4. Prune juice5. flax seed6. lots of veggies -- steamedH PYLORI7. antibiotics8. broccoli sprouts9. broccoli10. probiotics11. grape fruit seed extractWhat works for me is MAINTAINING a good diet and exercise. Sucky and hard... but only thing that has worked. Another thing taht worked well was getting rid of my h pylori, as it was absurd the amount of pain / indigestion it was causing. Once I weakened that with abx, I've been maintaining it with natural / herbal anti-biotics. And since that has cleared up, I can feel the food digesting better in my stomcah = less stagnation in my small bowel = less bacterial overgrowth, less acidity.

 

Miserableme, Both squashes I either boil or roast with olive oil and usually pumpkin pie spices. Sometimes when I don't have time for fresh, I use plain pumpkin from the can. Always like to have it on hand.

 

Thanks so much

 

miserableme, I recently had a colonoscopy too. The doctor told me that senna can sometimes stain your intestines after long periods of time but that it does no actual damage to the intestinal walls. I hardly ever use it, I have been going everyday since the colonoscopy using only osmotics, fibre, small meals and excercise. I am also taking chinese tea that I bought from a traditional doctor. It contains no laxatives though.

 

I'm not sure I agree with that and Senna. There is debate. The problem most people find is decreasing effectiveness. I mean if it continued to work as effective as ever we could just take Senna tablets everyday and be on our merry ways!

 

ZelnormMagneisumprunes

 

Hi, I'm new to the group and glad I found it. Also glad I'm not the only one with these problems. Been plagued for years (like 30). Been laxative dependent for most of them. There is a tea I take from Republic of Tea called (don't laugh) "Get It Going." Have to admit I actually take my ducolax pills with the tea, and sometimes put a dose of Miralax in it, and that helped for a long time. Then stopped working totally about two weeks ago. My friend at work suggested MOM, which certainly worked, but is causing me extreme bloat and gas. Don't know which is worse.

 

 

Hi catlover and welcome to the group.

like you, i've struggled with chronic constipation for years (50). per my gastro's advice--since nothing else works- i take either dulcolax or senna along with MOM (quite the cocktail--lol) and yes the MOM does work (better than miralax, for me) but yes it sure does cause gassiness and bloat--some days are definitely worse than others. which is very unpleasant but for me at least it's better than being totally backed up with stool which is a harder much more painful bloat..plus i want to avoid an impaction.

my gastro docs told me that taking laxatives daily was far better than developing an impacyion.

just a note--when taking dulcolax and milk of magnesia, be sure to take them at least an hour apart otherwise you'll get cramping.

 

Thanks for the welcome. I hope I'm doing this right. My problem with MoM is that, yes, it cures the constipation, but a little too well. Now it's diarrahea. I just wish I could find something that worked properly - like my colon!

Hi catlover and welcome to the group. like you, i've struggled with chronic constipation for years (50). per my gastro's advice--since nothing else works- i take either dulcolax or senna along with mom (quite the cocktail--lol) and yes the mom does work (better than miralax, for me) but yes it sure does cause gassiness and bloat--some days are definitely worse than others. which is very unpleasant but for me at least it's better than being totally backed up with stool which is a harder much more painful bloat..plus i want to avoid an impaction.

 

catlover--yes, i get diarrahea too with the mom/stimulant combo but thankfully for me it's a tolerable d--neither prolonged nor beyond my control --i'd rather be this way than miserably constipated and backed up. but yes it sure would be terrific to just have a colon that worked properly, wouldn't it.i suppose you've tried taking a smaller dose of mom. or maybe adding a bit more fiber to your diet to help offset the mom and bulk your stool up a bit til you get the desired consistency. it's somewhat of a balancing act, i've found...and kind of tricky.

 

Ive been taking traditional chinese medecine and I have to say......its magical. If you can find a practioner, check them out.

 

there R THOUSANDS of "chinese medicines" and U don't bother to say WHICH ONE?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Magnesium hydroxide helps. (Milk of Magnesia)

 

is epsom salts and milk of magnesia any different or are they the same thing?

 

I have found several items that work as preventative--I use them on time everyday rather than after symptoms appear.1. Republic of Tea--Orange Ginger Mint, also called After Meal Tea. I use two bags in 12 oz of hot water after every meal or snack. Soothing 2. Citrucel--two caplets after breakfast and two after dinner. Keeps bowels soft and moving daily3. Simethicone (Gas-X) before each meal 1 gel cap 120 mg--a mild antispasmodic, reduces cramping and prevents a lot of gas--not 100% but at least 70%4. Probiotics daily5. Get a list of fruit fructose content and try to stick with the recommended list. Google Fructose malabsorption 6. Candied ginger lumps--comes in packs of pieces about 1/2 inch. PRN--when needed immediately--keep in purse to use discreetlyAfter isolating myself for months due to daily distracting pain from the bloating, gas, and gnawing feeling, I'm getting comfortable that I can manage to live with the constant low level of discomfort that these items have provided.

 

How much pumpkin do you eat? does it require large quantities?

 

Pumpkin as in like canned pumpkin or pie filling?

 

I would like to know a little about magnesium; I have read on the net that it can cause constipation instead... I tried magnesium nutrition pills from a health store a while ago, and it felt like my C got worse?! Did I imagine, or is the milk of magnesia not pure ordinary magnesium? What does it contain of? Would like to buy something similar, cause we don't have the MOM here...

 

Different kinds of magnesium are used in different pills, and there are also differences in how the they are absorbed. Milk of magnesia contains magnesium hydroxide, but I don't know whether that's available in a pill form, in any case I've read that it is better for treating "occasional" constipation. I remember reading that magnesium oxide was recommended for constipation (apparently this is less well absorbed than the chloride version, but I also remember reading someone claim that in order to help with constipation it doesn't necessarily need to absorb but to just come through your colon - I don't know whether I remember this correctly though). I've been using it myself and it worked at least for a while. I was using only 250 mg before, it took the constipation away for a while and stomach pain for much longer. I didn't take any for a while, but started again with a bigger dose (600 mg), that seems to work pretty well so far for constipation (though I am dealing with a lot of stomach pain again...).

 

Well, as you all know, nothing WORKS all the time but her's my list of what HELPS from most** help to least ( for the least help, it does help when used in combination):The first 3 on this list I do EVERY day)-***Magnesium CITRATE (400-500 mg) (has to be CITRATE which you can get at a natural food store or online)- daliy prunes (in combo with mag citrate & Benefiber- at least 2 servings of Benefiber (or another generic SOLUABLE fiber....Metamucil binds me up!)These are added to the above, as needed:-ground flax seed every 3-4 days-2 oz Aloe juice with breakfast-whole grains-cabbage, raw pea pod, raw carrots-watermelon, canteloupe-raisens -Dulcolax suppositories-glycerin suppositories-Warm water enema bag (the whole bag) when all else fails!

 

The mag CITRATE is more absorbable than the magnesium you can get at a regular drugstore. Get the Solgar Mag Citrate and start with 2 caplets 200 mg each). The citrate is the same stuff in HIGH doses found in laxative section of drugstores in liquid form in bottles. Doctors use it for cleansing. One doc told me I could just take a sip of it each night but it's much easier in the caplet or capsule form. It is not a laxative though; it's a safe supplement and also good for bones and nerves. It is not a stimulant either since it works by bringing water into colon. I have had IBS -c for 30 + years and it has helped more than anything. I still need my prunes, nightly juice, probiotic ( I prefer Digestive Advantage IBS) and soluable fiber & griund flax, and because this disease IS IRRITABLE, I also get spells when I have to resort to laxatives ( Dulcolax suppositories), glycerin suppositories, senna tea and an enema every once in awhile. You are safer to use Phillips caplets instead of MOM since it Is not a stimulant. I used it for awhile but it stopped working. That was when I found out about the mag citrate being more absorbable.

 

Thanks a lot!! I'll buy the solgar tablets as soon as possible!! Ok, hmm...but what's the difference between hydroxide and citrate...? Or do they work in the same way.....?I'm glad to hear that it has worked so well for so many of you!!Is 400-600mg per day the amount that is enough to help the C, and how long time does it take usually to see any results?Thanks!