Painkillers/Constipation... what to do?

LATeagno

OK, so sorry for TMI-- but kind of hoping for some help.

My wisdom tooth, one that I have been too scared to have removed (serious dentist-phobe here!), got extremely infected last week. I went to the dentist and they put me on 900mg of clindamycin for 10 days. Clindamycin is a strong broad-spectrum antibiotic that they gave me because I'm allergic to penicillin. Needless to say, I'm sure my gut flora is... not doing well. I've been taking probiotic supplements, but I'm quite certain that the clindamycin, which I'm on for another five days, has pretty much been killing that too.

Anyway, I was in so much pain that I was taking Oxycontin for several days as well. I was warned that painkillers, which I do not often take, could cause constipation. Well, um, I haven't gone to the bathroom in four days now. I'm normally a daily person, so this is definitely not normal, and I'm starting to get uncomfortable. I just stopped the Oxycontin today (thank god, because it made me nauseous as heck-- and also because yay for not being in as much pain!).

Normally I'd just pop a laxative, but because of the clindamycin, I don't want to aggravate my intestines with their lack of flora. Any ideas what I should do? I seriously need to go...

AuntieKT

OMG, I had a similar problem to this over the summer. I was dealing with an...embarrasing and painful medical issue, which lets just say constipation would only make worse. So to help with the pain, I started taking over the counter pain meds (not realizing that it would constipate me) and for most of the summer I was in this vicious cycle of hurting, so I took pain meds to help the pain, which only made the pain worse. Towards the end of summer it finally dawned on me that it was the pain meds that was making everything so bad. I asked my doctor if that could be the problem and he swore up and down that the kind I was taking wouldn't constipate me (he said that only the prescription ones should do that, like the ones you are taking), but as soon as I stopped taking them, my problems almost instantly got better. Long story, well long I guess is that I know what you are going through and feel your pain. I feel really bad for you because if mine was this bad with just over the counter meds, I don't want to think about how it might be for you. I would talk to your doctor. Maybe see if there is anything else that you can take for pain that wouldn't bind you up so much. If not, maybe consider trying to tough it out without the pain meds. It unfortunately sounds like you might be in pain no matter what you do, so if it were me, I think I might choose to have my pain in my mouth...

ladyonaquest

I had this problem after my surgery last year and my doctor told me to take milk of magnesia. He said it could be taken with the pain killers and would prevent me from getting constipated. I took the recommended dosage every day until I had a good one...LOL!! I think by the evening of the second day taking it, it was like.... There she blows.....!!!!!!

sjohnny

Don't take a laxative and a sleeping pill at the same time.

iSurvive

Miralax would probably be your best option. You can take a higher dose the first two days. then go down to the regular dose for the days following that. My son had constipation issues and that is what we did. (Doctor ordered) So whatever the regular dose for an adult is, double it for a day or two (no more!) and you should be okay. For my son it took a full 24 hours, but then he was cleaned out lets just say.

professorRAT

Milk of Magnesia. Seriously. Safe and effective. I have chronic constipation and magnesium supplements are the only thing that has helped me. When things are really bad, MoM does the trick. Recommended by my gastroenterologist and I wanted to kiss him on the lips for it.

Holly_penguin

Try prunes, dried or pureed or juice. This works for me. Also drinks extra, extra water and maybe a stool softener. Other options are extra fiber you don't normally eat. For instance if you never eat oatmeal, have a big bowl of steel cut oats with dried fruit in it. If all else fails, miralax or milk of magnesia works in like 2-4 hours and one dose shouldn't muck up your gut/antibiotic for more than the one dose. Good luck.

Mama_Jag

Prune juice! My go to.

Pnknlvr96

Two cups of 100% prune juice will work wonders, in about two hours. It is high in calories though, about 180 per cup. Constipation is such a horrible feeling. Good luck to you.

starfish1783

Oh man, i'm so sorry you're in so much pain! Sadly, i can't relate on the mouth pain level, but I have IBS and sometimes it gets to an extreme level. The only thing I can recommend (if you don't want to mess with your meds) is to drink a TON of water. My docs always tell me to drink lots and lots of it to help... soften up and gets things flowing (ew, i know- his words, not mine!) :ohwell:

I would definitely try that but also talk to your doc and let him/her know what's going on to see if there's something else you can do.

Good luck! I hope this gets resolved soon because I know all too well how much (extra) pain that can cause. :flowerforyou:

Corryn78

After my back surgery and long term pain medication they suggested a stool softener plus laxative to help keep things moving. Colace I believe was the recommended one.

stines72

Dulcolax and drink lots of water. Dulcolax is not a laxative. It will just soften the stool but it will take a couple of days to work.

Pauly187

You should consult your pharmacist as there are remedies for this...opiates (like oxycodone) usually constipate you...which is why heroin addicts will use laxatives...and your first movement will feel like you are giving birth to a brick...but it is something of a blessing if you have had surgery that makes going to the bathroom or sitting on a toilet hard. For a tooth...not so much. For heavens sake as soon as you can wean yourself from the oxy do so...it is generally done by reducing the dose over time to avoid withdrawls...this is a highly effective pain killer, but also a very addictive one. Once you are done and better, get rid ot the oxys you have left...most police departments have a place to turn in old or unused medication. This will get rid of tempation for you and keep these pills which are highly sought after by drug users out of your house. Good luck with the tooth and I hope you feel better soon.

LadyBeryl

I have the same problem with Oxy so that is why I HATE HATE HATE when I had to take them after a car accident and after a root canal.

One dentist gave me 2 Tylenol and 3 ibuprofen to take AT ONCE before I left his office. She told me it was equivalent to any one Oxy or Vicodin. (She then wrote me a script for either Oxy or Vicodin - I don't remember which). It really worked for me and I've used the Ibuprofen/Tylenol "cocktail" ever since.

My podiatrist agreed with my dentist but stressed the ibuprofen over the Tylenol, My primary doctor told me to not worry about it and to continue to take both.

As a result, I still have 30 Oxy + Vicodin tabs that I got back in 2010 and only take 1/2 tab once a month if I have a LOT of pain from something -- like working out too much. (I guess I could sell them on the streets and make a few $$$ - kidding)

lewcompton

http://www.livestrong.com/article/68418-replenish-probiotics-after-colon-cleanse/

Haven't tried it but if you really are suffering that much...

tedsmama

I'd give the probiotics another go. They've changed my life. When I first start them I have to double up the first few days till I see results.

skittles1928

You could try using different painkillers. I had the exact same problem with an infected tooth (so bad it would wake me in the night or I would sit at work crying). I couldn't take Vicadin since I had to drive to work, so my dentist had me piggyback ibuprofen and acetaminophen. It actually did a pretty good job. I think I took a dose of one, then 3-4 hours later took a dose of the other, and kept switching back and forth. Try asking your dentist if you can do that.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

My boyfriend used to have this problem with heroin (he's clean now btw) but he would take mineral oil and he said it worked like magic

MaryB2

Clindamycin is a really strong antibiotic that can have your insides all messed up. Rather than take a laxatives with it I'd suggest the prune juice.

jharb2

while on pain medication you should always have a bowel regimen. Stool softeners/and or laxative. There are several over the counter products. Docusate (softener) and docusate w/ Senna (softener/laxative). There is also bisacodyl (laxative) that you can take w/ stoof softener.

amandaharmon10

I am a nurse and we give our patient colace when they are on pain meds as a preventative measure. Colace is over the counter and is a stool softener not a laxative. Taking laxatives to often can cause your body to become dependent on them in order to have bowel movements. I would recomment taking milk of mag initially to get your body working again and then take the colace daily.