Constipation and what works
MeredithDeVoe1
Posts: 67 Member
I see a lot of posts here about constipation. While I have struggled with this since my 2nd pregnancy (and my "baby" is now 21), it got really awful when I started eating more protein.
Let me say that I was already doing everything the health articles tell you, every day. Tons of water and fiber, yogurt daily. I tried coconut oil, lemon water, all the "sure-fire" remedies. And exercising. And I was still suffering.
3 weeks ago I was searching again for something I might have missed and decided to double my magnesium chelate dosage from 200 mg to 400mg. Literally overnight, everything changed. Three weeks later, it's still good. Not perfect; but far, far better. I feel almost normal, not like a freak with an embarrassing problem!
What works for you?
Let me say that I was already doing everything the health articles tell you, every day. Tons of water and fiber, yogurt daily. I tried coconut oil, lemon water, all the "sure-fire" remedies. And exercising. And I was still suffering.
3 weeks ago I was searching again for something I might have missed and decided to double my magnesium chelate dosage from 200 mg to 400mg. Literally overnight, everything changed. Three weeks later, it's still good. Not perfect; but far, far better. I feel almost normal, not like a freak with an embarrassing problem!
What works for you?
5
Replies
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Yep--I saw the title and was going to suggest that you might be magnesium deficient.
Most people don't get nearly enough magnesium in their diets, and some medical conditions (metabolic issues, particularly) can make you chronically low in magnesium.2 -
Magnesium3
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I'm glad you found something that works. Constipation is no joke.
Quest bars do the trick for me, especially if I eat one after a long time off of them.1 -
My go-to is Miralax, colase, and fiber one Cereal.1
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My go to is Coconut water.2
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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.0 -
Golden milk works for me. The turmeric, ginger and black pepper seem to be a magic combo.2
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Well 10 servings of fruit and veg totally works for me.11
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A tablespoon of flax oil will do wonders. So will a nice brisk walk.0
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A bag of prunes.
I've never really ever suffered constipation EXCEPT when I was prepping for contests.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I'm hypermobile and my bowels are affected along with my joints, which probably isn't helped by the codeine I take for joint pain. The worst I had it was 2 weeks without going and believe me I tried everything I could think of, prunes, high fibre cereal, 3 different types of laxative and warm baths. I was crying with pain when I finally "went". Of course not having a gall bladder I can't digest fat so I could have tried eating something like full fat yoghurt, only I couldn't face the idea of having constipation and the runs at the same time (it has happened before and it's extremely painful)0
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lulalacroix wrote: »Well 10 servings of fruit and veg totally works for me.
I was just coming here to post this! LOL.
I'm also on high dose magnesium supplementation as part of my migraine protocol and have been for some time. I can say that the effects of it wear off after a while. At least they did for me. I'm regular, but my body got used to it over time.
A lot of fibrous fruit and veg along with whole grains and water keep things moving along nicely. I consider it a badge of honor to reach a really high fiber intake every day.3 -
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.....0 -
lulalacroix wrote: »Well 10 servings of fruit and veg totally works for me.
Lololol! Me too!2 -
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A big cup of coffee usually gets things moving for me.2
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Laying off the grains, and having 2 magnesium complex capsules a night keeps me happy.0
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dried fruit(dates,raisins),whole grain bread and overnight oats/muesli
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I was advised to get fibre, of course, but to try and get it from sources like fruit, veg and beans/pulses rather than from grain sources, as apparently too much bran can make it worse in some cases.0
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A glass of grape juice works for me....Or a Taco Bell meal.1
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I have a couple of prunes everyday, plenty of other fiber (fruits, oatmeal and whole grain bread) and water, nuts and dark chocolate (for the magnesium), probiotic supplement daily, and a calcium/magnesium/vit c supplement. I find that I stay regular that way.0
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A lot of things work. A teaspoon of castor oil for those who don't mind the horrible taste, a small serving of stewed ( or not stewed) prunes, most warm beverages make the digestive tract move along.
I tend to be regular fortunately. Some people do have this as their struggle.0 -
ronjsteele1 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?
I'm jealous of everyone who just takes something and has success
I drank a whole bottle of magnesium citrate once and NOTHING...and that was after 3 days of not going.
Kids at school have asked me if I'm pregnant 0 -
I'm hypermobile and my bowels are affected along with my joints, which probably isn't helped by the codeine I take for joint pain. The worst I had it was 2 weeks without going and believe me I tried everything I could think of, prunes, high fibre cereal, 3 different types of laxative and warm baths. I was crying with pain when I finally "went". Of course not having a gall bladder I can't digest fat so I could have tried eating something like full fat yoghurt, only I couldn't face the idea of having constipation and the runs at the same time (it has happened before and it's extremely painful)
I've got EDS, and no gallbladder, so I totally feel your pain. I think the EDS has the most to do with my poopin' problems since it has been a life long issue that started when I was about 3 months old. 400mg of magnesium every morning (and a cup of coffee) keeps me pretty regular. It took several years for me to figure out magnesium was the key for me, but even then I need to stay hydrated or that won't even work. If things are moving particularly slow for a couple of days, 1 cup of peppermint Smooth Move senna tea steeped for about 15 min usually does the trick with out moving the needle too far in the opposite direction.
On another note, full fat dairy has never been an issue since I had my gallbladder removed. I don't usually have problems with digesting fat until I get to NY strip steak type fat levels. Although Cheetos Cheese Puffs were the food that put me in the ER the night it was removed Damn Cheetos! 1 -
ronjsteele1 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!
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Nobody should be taking laxatives daily to help with constipation, not that any of you are suggesting it although I know lots of people do and it really isn't healthy. If you are really uncomfortable and need some relief try a glass of luke warm water with some cordial (just for taste) and add to it a tablespoon (or 2 in extreme cases) of Epsom salts. Within a couple of hours I guarantee you will weigh a couple of pounds less and feel complete relief :-)3
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Nobody should be taking laxatives daily to help with constipation, not that any of you are suggesting it although I know lots of people do and it really isn't healthy. If you are really uncomfortable and need some relief try a glass of luke warm water with some cordial (just for taste) and add to it a tablespoon (or 2 in extreme cases) of Epsom salts. Within a couple of hours I guarantee you will weigh a couple of pounds less and feel complete relief :-)
Does cordial mean liquour?0 -
Per a doctors instruction years ago, 2 moderately heaping tablespoons of sugar free Metamucil (or equivalent) ever night before bed. Keeps things moving along nicely. I get either Metamucil or Equate Fiber (orange flavored) from Amazon for pretty decent prices.
If I don't do this regularly, nothing else happens regularly.0 -
I 3rd or 4th (lost count
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the 10 portions/800g of fruit and veg a day.
Drink plenty water also.
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drinking water1
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