Constipation and what works

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  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    ronjsteele1 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    ronjsteele1 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Magnesium does not work for me.

    I had to go to the doctors. I have medication and sometimes THAT doesn't work. Sometimes even a laxative doesn't work. It feels horrible to not go for days and then have a laxative do nothing.

    I didn't develop this problem until last summer. It *kitten* sucks.

    I would highly recommend digestive enzymes at every meal. We had to start our girl out on two capsules of BioGest (no other brand worked for her) per meal. It took about 2-3 weeks for it to kick in with regularity but when it did it took care of her chronic constipation. We did that for a few years. After that we slowly cut back to one per meal, then just twice a day, etc. etc. Might be worth a try. Can't hurt anyway.....

    like pro biotics?

    t :(

    No. Digestive enzymes are polar opposite of probiotics. They help breakdown the food you eat so it doesn't sit and clog your gut up. We found our girl just didn't digest her food well so her body couldn't push it through very easily. I would encourage you to try bio gest made by Thorne (they have several so make sure it's the bio gest) and take 1000mg of magnesium OXIDE (not citrate) per day. I bet taking two capsules of the enzymes per meal and the mag oxide at night will really help. Give it an honest two weeks taking both at the same time and see what happens. It can be a tough issue to overcome but with some experimenting you can get there. But I totally understand because our girl could go two weeks without going and it was awful!

    The form of the nutrient is indeed important. For example:
    - I take magnesium aspartate daily for something else and have no laxative effects whatsoever. Many people find iron supplements to be constipating, but I don't have this issue with the ones I take, currently iron bisglycinate.
    - Many other forms of iron did nothing to improve my iron or energy levels.

    Yes. Very true on the form! You are well informed. Most people don't know (or maybe don't understand) about iron supplements either. Iron does NOT have to be constipating if one takes the right form of it. I have a DD that is really sensitive to magnesium digestively but she's also deficient in mag. We found that mag threonate (sp?) does not give her loose bowels and deals with her deficiency. Oxides tend to be the least absorbable. Chelates are better. Glycinates are one of the more absorbable forms. Always good to check when one is needing a supplement because what good is it to take if it's not going to do what you need it to (in the case of constipation, you need it NOT to absorb)?
  • jen_092
    jen_092 Posts: 254 Member
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    Green tea helps me. Though I read somewhere that it has never been scientifically proven to ease constipation so maybe it's just a coincidence.

    I saw someone mention Quest bars. Those are actually what ruin me. 15g of fiber in one sitting is just too much for me, even though I drink a lot of water with them. Getting fiber from fruits and vegetables seems to be a better option for me. I eat way too much of what I call "fake fiber" like Quest bars, Halo Top, Fiber One bars. It's something I'm working to improve.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Coffee and Miralax.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
    It's magnesium citrate, by the way, but yes, 400 mg of that will fully activate the nerves operating peristalsis. Another thing I've found is that 10 mg Chia seeds daily have a good regulatory effect. I add it to pizza some days, yogurt others.

    Speaking of chelate (greek for "to grab"), phytic acid chelates magnesium and several other beneficial minerals. That's a bad thing. Phytic acid is in the cell walls of many vegetables and grains, but especially so in oatmeal and whole wheat. Do some research on that.

    I have drank a whole bottle of magnesium citrate. Nothing. Nada.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
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    bbell1985 wrote: »
    JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
    It's magnesium citrate, by the way, but yes, 400 mg of that will fully activate the nerves operating peristalsis. Another thing I've found is that 10 mg Chia seeds daily have a good regulatory effect. I add it to pizza some days, yogurt others.

    Speaking of chelate (greek for "to grab"), phytic acid chelates magnesium and several other beneficial minerals. That's a bad thing. Phytic acid is in the cell walls of many vegetables and grains, but especially so in oatmeal and whole wheat. Do some research on that.

    I have drank a whole bottle of magnesium citrate. Nothing. Nada.

    Mag. Citrate is more absorbable. For constipation you have to take mag oxide. It goes through instead of absorbing.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    JeromeBarry1 wrote: »

    Ignore my previous post, please.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    ronjsteele1 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
    It's magnesium citrate, by the way, but yes, 400 mg of that will fully activate the nerves operating peristalsis. Another thing I've found is that 10 mg Chia seeds daily have a good regulatory effect. I add it to pizza some days, yogurt others.

    Speaking of chelate (greek for "to grab"), phytic acid chelates magnesium and several other beneficial minerals. That's a bad thing. Phytic acid is in the cell walls of many vegetables and grains, but especially so in oatmeal and whole wheat. Do some research on that.

    I have drank a whole bottle of magnesium citrate. Nothing. Nada.

    Mag. Citrate is more absorbable. For constipation you have to take mag oxide. It goes through instead of absorbing.

    Yep, i second this!
  • boopster99
    boopster99 Posts: 48 Member
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    Poopy issues are awful no matter which way you suffer. I suffer from short bowel syndrome due to a missing gallbladder and have for 20+ years. I finally came across something that works extremely well for me (and by association my hubby who does suffer from constipation). I eat granola, pumpkin, hemp and chia seeds (approx. 1 tablespoon each) every morning with a small amount of yogurt and a cup of warmed blueberries. It has literally changed my (poopy) life. I can tell when I've missed a few days but when taken regularly - wow. Give it about a month to really make a difference. Wishing you tummy comfort in your future ....
  • JeanieWww
    JeanieWww Posts: 4,037 Member
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    flaxseed. It has a mild nutty flavor, and can be added to many things. I like adding it to my oatmeal in the morning.
  • desidelay
    desidelay Posts: 17 Member
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    I suffer from this while dieting. I use detox tea before bed a couple nights a week.
  • TrinityR05
    TrinityR05 Posts: 77 Member
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    drinking water, eating green leafy veggies and fruit like apples contain lots of fiber, warm lemon water at night before bed, daily probiotics, peppermint tea, etc.

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