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Constipation
Replies
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I had to get laxatives. I was in desperate need of it. Almost a week without pooping.
That's a very reasonable choice in that context.
You probably already know this, but if this becomes a repeat problem, please don't keep relying on laxatives. See a doctor, or a registered dietitian. Over-use of laxatives, even mild-ish ones, can screw things up longer term.
That is actually untrue. Laxatives on the basis of macrogol have no long term effects at all. They act on a physical principal by adding water to your poop. They can safely be taken lifelong.
Of course some laxatives are riskier than others. Persistent constipation is still a medical issue.
Here's what the NHS says about Macrogol risks specifically:Ideally, you'll only take macrogol occasionally and for a few days at a time.
Using laxatives like macrogol for longer can lead to diarrhoea that lasts a long time, and can cause an electrolyte imbalance. This is where levels of substances like sodium, potassium and magnesium in your body get too high or too low.
In some people, a severe electrolyte imbalance can cause serious health problems such as:
* muscle spasms
* twitching
* a seizure or fit
However, sometimes a doctor may recommend you or your child take macrogol for a few months. This could be because you keep getting constipation or you take medicines that make you constipated. Your doctor will advise you how long you need to take macrogol for and how much to take.
Source: https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/macrogol/common-questions-about-macrogol/
(Bolding mine.)
I'll stick with my advice: " . . . if this becomes a repeat problem, please don't keep relying on laxatives. See a doctor, or a registered dietitian. Over-use of laxatives, even mild-ish ones, can screw things up longer term."
If using Macrogol is the doctor's recommendation, that's one thing. If a person self-medicates and ends up causing negative effects (even rare ones) or masking a more serious condition, that's another.
I had no choice but to use a laxative because I was severely constipated. I do NOT use laxatives for weight loss. I won’t be using laxatives now that I’m regular by eating the necessary foods. People shouldn’t make assumptions just because I asked that question. I really needed to know if constipation would slow my progress before hitting a Plateau.
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I had to get laxatives. I was in desperate need of it. Almost a week without pooping.
That's a very reasonable choice in that context.
You probably already know this, but if this becomes a repeat problem, please don't keep relying on laxatives. See a doctor, or a registered dietitian. Over-use of laxatives, even mild-ish ones, can screw things up longer term.
That is actually untrue. Laxatives on the basis of macrogol have no long term effects at all. They act on a physical principal by adding water to your poop. They can safely be taken lifelong.
Of course some laxatives are riskier than others. Persistent constipation is still a medical issue.
Here's what the NHS says about Macrogol risks specifically:Ideally, you'll only take macrogol occasionally and for a few days at a time.
Using laxatives like macrogol for longer can lead to diarrhoea that lasts a long time, and can cause an electrolyte imbalance. This is where levels of substances like sodium, potassium and magnesium in your body get too high or too low.
In some people, a severe electrolyte imbalance can cause serious health problems such as:
* muscle spasms
* twitching
* a seizure or fit
However, sometimes a doctor may recommend you or your child take macrogol for a few months. This could be because you keep getting constipation or you take medicines that make you constipated. Your doctor will advise you how long you need to take macrogol for and how much to take.
Source: https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/macrogol/common-questions-about-macrogol/
(Bolding mine.)
I'll stick with my advice: " . . . if this becomes a repeat problem, please don't keep relying on laxatives. See a doctor, or a registered dietitian. Over-use of laxatives, even mild-ish ones, can screw things up longer term."
If using Macrogol is the doctor's recommendation, that's one thing. If a person self-medicates and ends up causing negative effects (even rare ones) or masking a more serious condition, that's another.
I had no choice but to use a laxative because I was severely constipated. I do NOT use laxatives for weight loss. I won’t be using laxatives now that I’m regular by eating the necessary foods. People shouldn’t make assumptions just because I asked that question. I really needed to know if constipation would slow my progress before hitting a Plateau.
I don't think we were assuming that it was wrong for you to use laxatives for an acute and temporary problem. I for sure wasn't assuming that, and if I seemed to say otherwise I was communicating poorly. If so, I apologize.
I did respond to other people's advice that I thought was sub-ideal about long-term laxative use. I do think laxatives are OK for occasional acute problems. Your approach and attitude seems fine to me.
To explain myself: I know we're responding to you, and I tried to be sensitive about that (maybe not enough so?). But I also know that others can be reading threads, so I try to contextualize advice. The idea that someone else posted - at least as I read their post - that it's universally fine to rely on polyethelene glycol (macrogol, miralax) long term . . . I don't think that's consistent with mainstream medical advice. But I didn't think you were doing that!
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I really do appreciate any advice that you give out. Thank you for taking the time.I had to get laxatives. I was in desperate need of it. Almost a week without pooping.
That's a very reasonable choice in that context.
You probably already know this, but if this becomes a repeat problem, please don't keep relying on laxatives. See a doctor, or a registered dietitian. Over-use of laxatives, even mild-ish ones, can screw things up longer term.
That is actually untrue. Laxatives on the basis of macrogol have no long term effects at all. They act on a physical principal by adding water to your poop. They can safely be taken lifelong.
Of course some laxatives are riskier than others. Persistent constipation is still a medical issue.
Here's what the NHS says about Macrogol risks specifically:Ideally, you'll only take macrogol occasionally and for a few days at a time.
Using laxatives like macrogol for longer can lead to diarrhoea that lasts a long time, and can cause an electrolyte imbalance. This is where levels of substances like sodium, potassium and magnesium in your body get too high or too low.
In some people, a severe electrolyte imbalance can cause serious health problems such as:
* muscle spasms
* twitching
* a seizure or fit
However, sometimes a doctor may recommend you or your child take macrogol for a few months. This could be because you keep getting constipation or you take medicines that make you constipated. Your doctor will advise you how long you need to take macrogol for and how much to take.
Source: https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/macrogol/common-questions-about-macrogol/
(Bolding mine.)
I'll stick with my advice: " . . . if this becomes a repeat problem, please don't keep relying on laxatives. See a doctor, or a registered dietitian. Over-use of laxatives, even mild-ish ones, can screw things up longer term."
If using Macrogol is the doctor's recommendation, that's one thing. If a person self-medicates and ends up causing negative effects (even rare ones) or masking a more serious condition, that's another.
I had no choice but to use a laxative because I was severely constipated. I do NOT use laxatives for weight loss. I won’t be using laxatives now that I’m regular by eating the necessary foods. People shouldn’t make assumptions just because I asked that question. I really needed to know if constipation would slow my progress before hitting a Plateau.
I don't think we were assuming that it was wrong for you to use laxatives for an acute and temporary problem. I for sure wasn't assuming that, and if I seemed to say otherwise I was communicating poorly. If so, I apologize.
I did respond to other people's advice that I thought was sub-ideal about long-term laxative use. I do think laxatives are OK for occasional acute problems. Your approach and attitude seems fine to me.
To explain myself: I know we're responding to you, and I tried to be sensitive about that (maybe not enough so?). But I also know that others can be reading threads, so I try to contextualize advice. The idea that someone else posted - at least as I read their post - that it's universally fine to rely on polyethelene glycol (macrogol, miralax) long term . . . I don't think that's consistent with mainstream medical advice. But I didn't think you were doing that!
1 -
I had no choice but to use a laxative because I was severely constipated. I do NOT use laxatives for weight loss. I won’t be using laxatives now that I’m regular by eating the necessary foods. People shouldn’t make assumptions just because I asked that question. I really needed to know if constipation would slow my progress before hitting a Plateau.sollyn23l2 wrote: »I had to get laxatives. I was in desperate need of it. Almost a week without pooping.
That's a very reasonable choice in that context.
You probably already know this, but if this becomes a repeat problem, please don't keep relying on laxatives. See a doctor, or a registered dietitian. Over-use of laxatives, even mild-ish ones, can screw things up longer term.
That is actually untrue. Laxatives on the basis of macrogol have no long term effects at all. They act on a physical principal by adding water to your poop. They can safely be taken lifelong.
Of course some laxatives are riskier than others. Persistent constipation is still a medical issue.
Here's what the NHS says about Macrogol risks specifically:Ideally, you'll only take macrogol occasionally and for a few days at a time.
Using laxatives like macrogol for longer can lead to diarrhoea that lasts a long time, and can cause an electrolyte imbalance. This is where levels of substances like sodium, potassium and magnesium in your body get too high or too low.
In some people, a severe electrolyte imbalance can cause serious health problems such as:
* muscle spasms
* twitching
* a seizure or fit
However, sometimes a doctor may recommend you or your child take macrogol for a few months. This could be because you keep getting constipation or you take medicines that make you constipated. Your doctor will advise you how long you need to take macrogol for and how much to take.
Source: https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/macrogol/common-questions-about-macrogol/
(Bolding mine.)
I'll stick with my advice: " . . . if this becomes a repeat problem, please don't keep relying on laxatives. See a doctor, or a registered dietitian. Over-use of laxatives, even mild-ish ones, can screw things up longer term."
If using Macrogol is the doctor's recommendation, that's one thing. If a person self-medicates and ends up causing negative effects (even rare ones) or masking a more serious condition, that's another.
Obviously if a person has diarrhea they won't take more laxatives. Hence no electrolite disbalance. Common sence is a thing.
That's making a big assumption. It's really common in the dieting community to use laxatives to "clean yourself out" and make your weight go down. People that do this are likely to have issues. Given that the op asks about constipation slowing weight loss, they could be teetering towards doing this. But yes, your average person would hopefully know not to over-use laxatives.
I know, I was saying that because there are people out there who might, and they may have been reading. Laxatives are fine when needed. I wasn't trying to blame or accuse you of anything, promise.1 -
I agree it is probably best to get probiotics and fibers through foods; but taking one teaspoon of Metamucil daily along with food fiber and a pill form of probiotics, cured me of chronic constipation. Of course, drink lots of water daily and exercise to get things moving through your system.1
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