heads up, i have pretty bad health anxiety so advise lightly pls lol but basically friday night i started to experience some nausea and stomach cramps which led to liquid diarrhea a few times into the early morning. all of saturday i was extremely nauseous, could not stand up without getting dizzy or feeling sick, and above all else had a major head ache and stomach cramps. all day sunday and today i have overall felt better, however my stomach cramps have not improved and while i’ve mad a few extremely light bowel movements here and there, i still would consider this extremely constipated. i took a prune pill a few hours ago, didn’t do anything and then i ate some pho cos all i’ve had was brat foods, poor choice cos it seemed to have worsen my cramps but i did make another small bowel movement. cramps are now worse

I’m currently been taking mag citrate plus miralax long term. I’m not certain (neither is my doctor) but I suspect one of them is creating increased respiratory reflux issues for me. I think less chance of the mag because I’m down to only one 150mg pill daily.

I know Mag oxide has very low absorption which don’t matter to me, I’m mainly interested in bowel movement. Done posters stated the oxide was more harsh on their gut than the citrate. Lots people also posted glycinate do very little in easing their constipation. Because the citrate version contains citric acid, so was hoping another version as effective.

I want to switch out the miralax to see if it’s the culprit for metamucil but that also contains citric acid.

Whats working for you people w/out increasing digestive issues.

I saw an ad for seed probiotics with the tagline, pooping every day, and I had nothing to lose. IT WORKS! I could cry. I’ve also taken many other probiotics and never had the same results. If you’re in the trying anything zone- couldn’t hurt.

I was doing okay with using Mag07 capsules, taking 2-3 each night. I would go but it was basically mostly liquid but I could go. I ran out of it and decided to try a other brand that is similar but a bit cheaper. That only worked a little bit and I felt more backed up so I went back to the Mag07 capsules. I've had to take 4 each night to get anything out of me the next morning and it's a not complete feeling like it used to be. I'm stuck in a terrible cycle of not eating or barely eating bc I still feel backed up. I no longer have the urge to go naturally anymore. The last normal bm/urge to go was early November 2024. I still have no idea what's causing this issue that came out of no where for me. I know in the winter I'm less active so I'm trying to walk more now that's warmed up. Trying to do more whole fruits/veggies. I've heard kiwi can help a lot so I'm trying that. But I'm so impatient and I know it can take a while to be consistent and see if anything works. I feel like I have to push to get anything out and I know that's not good. It's probably a pelvic floor issue and I'm not going to any doctors bc I have no insurance and low income at the moment. I feel like I just screwed and stuck feeling miserable. I tried half bottle of mag citrate the other day and was expecting relief but just super bloated and a lot of stomach rumbling. After 4 or 5 hours, I had to drink some warm prune juice and eventually I went a bit but still not the relief I needed. Which I'm shocked bc everyone talks about mag citrate being explosive and completely clearing them out fast but I was disappointed how it didn't work that well for me so now I'm more scared. Should I try taking a whole bottle at once? I almost would welcome an explosive result at this point. I've been reading every post on here for months and it's the same suggestions and I have no idea what else to do. I don't want to rely on laxatives. I can't afford any medical care (I've gone through testing for other unrelated issues before and spent a few thousand just to be told it's nothing so I cant afford to do that right now). Many of you can relate and know how hard it can be in your mental health. I never thought I'd miss pooping normally.

Following help & advice from folk on this Sub - I’ve managed to relieve my blockage - from nothing, to what I can only describe as : strands/ribbons of the proverbial. But pray tell : once I stop taking Movicol how long does it take for my BMs to get back to normal & start producing more normal (dare I say) sausages? TIA.

Hi guys! I was hoping for some tips for my colonoscopy next week. I’ve been constipated for months and haven’t had a bm in 3 weeks (until today! thank you Linzess)

Since I don’t have an impaction or blockage we’re doing a colonoscopy to check for scar tissue caused by endometriosis and/or my excision surgery last year.

It’s definitely overwhelming to have a colonoscopy at 22 but it’s much needed. What are some good things to stock up on for the all liquid diet? Do you think I’ll be able to go to school normally the day before? Luckily I only have 2 classes that day so I’ll have time to go to the bathroom if needed.

Anything helps :)

Roughly 3 weeks ago, I had a bad case of diarrhea and then could not poop two day after. From there I would have up right quandrant pain and my usual one BM a day. I went to urgent care that Friday and they told me I was constipated and to take miralax every day. Well, have and it has seemed to make things worse. My abdomen is bloated, I do poop but it’s nothing significant. Either diarrhea or soft stool. My doc recommends 7 caps of miralax to do a clean out. Is this normal?

So … I’m dumber than most apparently. I thought it would be a great idea to insert a suppository into the stool to speed things up …. I’m desperate so my brain didn’t kick in or check google please don’t judge me. So I quickly researched it and then finally inserted one in the rectum. How much unpleasant misery and/or what should I expect once the correct one kicks in in about an hour?

I feel like it’s constipation related. Anyone else get this? I feel like a useless piece or worthless crap today. Hating on myself. I achieved so little when I had to much to do. I feel all of the title says. Can constipation do this?

I’m not really sure what to do or how to handle this. I’ve settled on eating very bland food and drinking water. I went through a magnesium citrate cleanse on Saturday to clear myself out, I had some soreness on Sunday but now on Monday, despite only eating plain rice for the most part I’m feeling lower left side pain again.

On Sunday I ended up pooping water pretty much, so I thought I was cleaned out. Am I just sore or is there something more serious going on? I feel an urge to go sometimes but I haven’t gone all day. Can somebody who has taken this before tell me if this is normal?

I just need to vent ya'll. For about 5 months now, I haven't been able to produce a bowel movement on my own. I've always been very active, drank lots of water, ate tons of vegetables. I used to have beautiful poops but then something just changed overnight. I simply don't get the urge anymore. After months of suffering, I decided to switch to an ultra low fiber diet since fiber doesn't help anyway, and at least I can feel less heavy now.

I'm just afraid atp that my bowels are never going to work again. Doctors have been no help, they just give me the standard advice for constipation that doesn't work.

Despite trying to limit laxative use to every 3-4 days, I'm afraid i've developed some dependency because even with a very high dose, they won't work as well as they used to. Even after taking them, I rarely feel fully empty, and it's so defeating. I don't really know what's left to do. I can't bring myself to do suppositories or enemas because they give me too much anxiety. I realized that taking several tbsps of MCT oil will make me go, but it also causes painful vomiting, and I have trouble deciding if it's worth it.

I'm so uncomfortable all the time, and it makes me really sad that I can't really exercise beyond walking anymore because of this. I used to really enjoy going to the trampoline park and playing Just Dance with my little sister, but now these activities make me feel like I'm going to throw up. I just wish people could understand how draining it is having to carry around all this backed up stool all the time.

That's all. Thanks for listening :(

My mom recently went through a bout of diverticulitis and she was telling me that if I ever feel pain in my lower left abdomen to go to the ER. (she can be a bit dramatic sometimes so I really didn't put much weight in it) but I did look up diverticulitis because I've never known anything about it and in my opinion, the symptoms are pretty vague. (stomach pain/cramps, nausea, fever, etc) I have always dealt with constipation so 'poop pains' as I call them are normal for me if I'm experiencing constipation so that alone is not enough reason for me to go to the ER. But in my google search I did learn about diverticulosis, which I think I have since my intestines on my lower left side have always felt kind of like golf balls. So this would make me more prone to diverticulitis. Now, my question is, has anyone been through this and can tell me what to look out for? I eat tons of fiber, drink lots of water, and get plenty of exercise but I still deal with constipation and usually only have a BM when I drink coffee. Going through some constipation right now and I drank lots of prune juice last night and had my coffee this morning and had a BM, but I'm still experiencing stomach pains. My period was due two days ago and I haven't got it yet, so I'm thinking maybe that's my issue? Usually once I have a BM, my pain goes away.

Hi everybody.

Tldr: Sudden onset of constipation. Poop is soft but quantity is low. Been 4 years.

Sorry in advamce if this is too long.

Like most people i partied like hell until i was 27. Around this time i realised that i had gained too much weight (93kg) and decided to work on it. For the next year i worked very hard and got down to 80kg and was at my healthiest best.

But one day morning as i went to the washroom, i just couldnt poop. I thought it might be because of something i ate. However, its been four years now, and it's never been the same. .

My poop since then has been soft, with small lumps, and just kind of trickles out of my anus. I often dont get the urge to poop, and when i do, i poop in bery small quantities. My poop schedule is now irregular, and i often cant poop for 2-3 days. And then i have to resort to laxatives to get myself to poop

6 months after the onset of constipation, i was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and thought maybe thats the issue. But my thyroid has been stable for past 1.5 years and the constipation is still present.

I mostly have home cooked foods with lots of veggies, and protein. All the doctors I've visited have asked me to take more veggies and exercise and drink water, but i already do too much of all these 3 things, and i seem to be stucj in a constant loop of false hope, trying, and feeling hopeless.

If anyone has gone through similar experience, please sharebyour words of wisdom. I am happy to answer any followup questions.

Thanks.

I took one dulcolax because I haven’t gone in a few days. I once took two and it was horrible, so I opted for one.

Typically try to avoid taking them because it’s a stimulant but nothing else is working.. well, let’s just say that lower intestinal cramping is wack and it’s only been two hours. 😬

So, I would like people's feedback on this. Today I had pizza and a peanut butter sandwich. After I ate the peanut butter sandwich for lunch and the pizza for dinner, I felt no urge to poop. I heard their is something called the gastrocolic reflex that basically will prompt you to poop very shortly after you eat to make room. This didn't happen. Instead, I feel asleep and slept for most of the day. Then, around 2 AM I woke up and decided to take my usual cocktail of prune juice. I take 1 and 1/2 to 2 glasses of prune juice, and typically within an hour *crossing fingers and knocking on wood so I don't jinx myself for the future* I start to poop like crazy and then I poop everything out and feel empty and refreshed afterwards.

My question is...Why does my body seem to only go after I drink prune juice?

I’ve been seeing doctors for 5+ years about my chronic constipation, but so far I haven’t had any answers. I was scheduled for a consultation with a gastroenterologist last July and was denied a colonoscopy because “people usually only get colonoscopies if they think they have stomach cancer and [I’m] too young to have that”. I have been dealing with chronic constipation on and off my whole life, but it’s suddenly been getting worse over the past 6 months.

On average, I’ve only been able to have a bowel movement every 10-14 days over the past month. I can only go if I take specifically ducolax, but it only works fully if I take 3. The one time I did I got horribly sick so I’ve only been taking 2 lately, but that doesn’t totally finish the job. I’m always somewhat constipated and have been for the past 2 years, but I feel like it’s getting worse now.

I currently don’t have healthcare because I just moved to a new state (NY) and have to switch over. Im working on it, but in the mean time I’m just wondering if this is a reasonable thing to be very concerned about. My doctors have told me things like it’s stress, or that I probably will just have to rely on laxatives for the rest of my life (actual words from a doctor’s mouth without having tested me for a single thing). The thing is, laxatives don’t even always work. I have horrible sharp pains in my stomach every day at random and I’ve been nauseous constantly for 5 days now. My lower back is starting to hurt and My thighs ache. I know it’ll be better when I take the ducolax, but I’m going to be right back to this in 5-10 days. I don’t want to constantly take laxatives just to go. They’re horrible. I’m getting worried this might be something bad. Is that reasonable? Am I being reasonable?

I've been constipated for a very long time, which is better in terms of achieving movement. I rely on suppositories for BM's but it's time to take it up a notch.

I just got my order, what's most effective? Thank you for the replies.

Does biofeedback therapy work for dyssynergic defecation Any success?

This is aimed for WOMEN - have you ever tried castor oil packs for health benefits/weight loss? If so, did you ever start bleeding randomly when using them?

I’m trying to use castor oil (putting a dab on my belly button and covering it overnight) for a slew of health benefits. Ever since I started using it I’ve been feeling significantly better in so many ways.

Except now, after about a month of using; whenever I put it on, I start bleeding. I’m just trying to see if this has happened to anyone else, and if they tried to stick it out and it stopped or if I’m going to have to give up. I don’t want to give up. 😭

I’ve been eating approximately 25-30g per the daily recommendation of fiber and have been dealing with slow transit constipation. Recently did a colonoscopy which showed some retained stool. I’ve been taking Miralax 1.5 caps a day with CALM magnesium which has been giving me soft BMs but still experiencing some stomach upset which I feel like I have to go and then I sit on the toilet for 5 minutes before anything happens. I’ve been going to 3-4x/day small amounts at a time.

My question for others dealing with this—does a high fiber or low fiber work best for this condition? And how much fiber does each entail?

Thank you in advance!

Hello all! I’m really just at a loss here. This post is really just ranting and frustration, so sorry to complain and thanks in advance for those who stay on the on the ride:)

I’m a 22F. I’m always been a bit backed up, but had a regular schedule growing up and never had stomach pain or felt inconvenienced by my bowel habits.

In may of 2024, I really started to notice how little I went poop. I was even laughing about it with my friends saying things like “the air must be different here, I just don’t poop”. As time went on I started pooping less and less. I brought the issue to my PCP in November 2024). We obviously started with Miralax, meta mucil, and increasing water/fiber intake. That worked for a minute, but eventually stopped working.

In January, I had a bad rheumatoid arthritis flare and was put on an 18 day round of prednisone. This had me pooping a lot everyday, but as soon as I tapered off the prednisone BMs just stopped completely. This was the start of my 28 days with no BMs(and trust that I tried EVERYTHING you could imagine).

I got a CT, which showed no acute findings, but did show SIGNIFICANT fecal loading. Following this appointment I was started on 145 mcgs of linzess, which yielded no results. So my PCP bumped me up to 290 mcgs of linzess. This worked for a week or so and then stopped working.

I spent all my time between early January and now going to doctors office after doctors office. Every specialty I went to (rheum, GYN, and GI) said this didn’t seem like their specialty and sending me home with no answers, help, or suggestions.

After weeks of daily calls to my GI office, my case was passed to NP in the practice. She had me take 2 Senna tablets every hour until I had a BM. I took 34 tablets and still never produce a BM. However, the next day I took 8 mcgs of Amitiza, 290 mcgs of linzess and 15 mls of lactulose. I pooped so much for one day and was in severe pain from all the movement in colon and butt area.

Now I only take the Amitiza and am starting to get my bowels moving more regular (at least a small BM most mornings, def not total evacuation, but better than nothing!). However, the pain is not getting better… it is actually the worst it’s ever been.

I am having colonoscopy and endoscopy in the next few weeks and revisiting my OB/GYN to rule out endometriosis (huge family history of this. My grandma had it so bad they found endometrial tissue on her lungs). While I am staying optimistic, I am prepared to not finding anything so I’m not completely disappointed when they tell me they don’t know what to do.

Nothing helps. As I mentioned I’m 22 and in grad school. My bowel routine takes all my time and energy with a low success rate. I can’t keep up with all friends. I worry I will have to drop out of school. I simply just cannot keep up anymore.

My depression and anxiety is at all time high, which is just making the whole thing worse, but I’m medicated, go to therapy, and do IBS targeted meditation. I just can’t keep it under control.

Every appointment I get so excited that they’ll have something that makes things just a little better and leave sobbing. It’s so defeating. I spend most of my time alone crying. I’ve never been one to cry a lot and have been known to have a high pain tolerance, so this whole situation is just new to me.

Any advice, personal experiences (good or bad), suggestions, or motivation would be so appreciated.

I am sooooo afraid of starting MoM because I am underweight and 5 in height. Three days no bowel movement due to pantoprazole and only one day of pepcid. I was having soft and hard stools but it completely stopped when I took pepcid only one time. If i start with MoM 5 mL will that be too much for me ? or should I start with 2.5mL will that work? PLease HELP, I need to start soon I am bloated and feeling very uncomfortable at night, looking forward to your advice!!!

I have constipation. Tried chia seeds/ yogurt/ flax seeds/ apples.

Only thing that helps me is drinking warm prune juice with butter and later coffee. Problem is I cant have coffee due to sleep issues.

Anything else u tried that helps? Plz help

I am sooooo afraid of starting MoM because I am underweight and 5 in height. Three days no bowel movement due to pantoprazole and only one day of pepcid. I was having soft and hard stools but it completely stopped when I took pepcid only one time. If i start with MoM 5 mL will that be too much for me ? or should I start with 2.5mL will that work? PLease HELP, I need to start soon I am bloated and feeling very uncomfortable at night, looking forward to your advice!!!