Have you tried taking pro-biotics instead? Pro-biotics are natural, you can buy them at any health food store and they will regulate your digestive system allowing you to go naturally. I have been taking Acidophilus for 3 years now, plus I take cod liver capsules (3) daily and that keeps me from needing laxatives, maybe you need to try a more natural way and see if that helps. Good luck,

Thankyou! I shall look into it for sure =D

The laxatives may be to strong for you, try an stool softener first and see if that works, i will sometimes use suppositories they dont give me the cramps. Remember certain food is the best thing for constipation
You dont want to get in the habit of needing to take pills to stimulate to go to the bathroom, that can happen --long time side effects i might add not the occasional user.
Water, fruit, activa works good. natural ways first then harder laxatives second when all else fails.

One thing I have found that helps is the Acidophilus, but, when I'm REALLY stopped up, I have found that Miralax is GREAT for helping to gently unstop me. You can be it over the counter.

Hope things get better for you.

hurtn

i take magnesium supplements every day to avoid and treat constipation. the tablets are relatively cheap and you can find them pretty much in every market or drug store. i take one a day to try and prevent constipation and then if i go a day without going...i up the dose to 2 or 3 tablets the next day.

laxatives are really harsh...the magnesium(i use the 250mg tablets) does not cause cramping at all and doesn't give you the runs either. :)

This topic has come up many times. You might want to search "constipation" on DS for many more suggestions.

I completely know what you mean, my medication is doing a number on my guts! I still haven't found the ideal solution for me. Perhaps I need a med change (from Oramorph 12-hr morphine), but I need to stick with something relatively inexpensive. Maybe methadone, don't know how my doc would feel about that, and I hope the pain relief would work as well. I need to bring this up with my doc, but it is a hard subject, no pun intended!

Chronic,
As someone that has been on Methadone for 2 years now I can tell you that it's been one of the best pain meds that I've been on, and the side effects are minimal. Talk to your Doc and see what he says... Another thing about Methadone is it's cost. It cost me bout 10 bucks a month for 240 pils, that is cheap!

I had the same problem with methodone. It helps alot more to take stool softeners than laxitives!!! They are the worst try it and see if you can get off them, keep suppositories just case of emergency, never, ever go to emergency room for an enema trust me, they will torture you there!!! zowiebowie

I have also used liquid enema's not a fun way to go but it does do the trick.

I use ground flaxseed. You mix it with yogurt, or soup, or any other liquidy type stuff. I has a rather nutty taste to it and when I take a that in a couple bowls of yogurt, and take a stool softener, I do pretty well. There is also a no water fiber tablet on the market. It also works pretty well. It's called FiberChoice. It also comes in what look like gum drops. Two of those a day and the stool softener and I'm "good to go" . (No pun intended)

The others are right about taking a probiotic while taking laxatives. I was on Align, but it costs quite a bit and you can get the same results by buying a good brand of probiotics that has more than just acidopholis. You need all the good flora you can get.

Thanks re: flaxseed. Natural calm (magnezium) (sp?) is something I'm trying while trying to not use as much senna. Also domperidone. My doc said there's a new script for opiod constipation if the domeperidone doesn't work (with the mag). I will ask hubby to get me some flaxseed. Thank you for posting that. I have read that but forgotten about it! I really want off this senna. I do take probiotics and miralax doesn't work for me.
Thanks again!

psyllium husk capsules are another natural product that work good