some herb teas can be really helpful. There is one called alpine tea which is really great for opiate constipation.

It is a red seal product - if that brand is not available where you live then you may be able to find something similar. When I have taken it, I had to make sure not to have it more than once a day esle I would get the runs. It is very gentle, and not habit forming for the bowel.

good luck with the miralax

raglet

Can you do something to the tea so that it doesn't taste like tea? I have never liked tea so am afraid I couldn't get it down.

Jay

Actually the tea that I use for this (alpine tea) tastes like liqouriche (sp?), and I take it with a about half a teaspoon of honey. I just make up half a small cup of it, let it cool then just chugg it down quickly.

cheers

raglet

I've taken the Mirilax for 3 days straight and it seemed to work, though the 3rd night I woke up with stomach cramps, feeling like I had to go, but nothing happened. Are you supposed to take this stuff everday of your life? Do you skip a day?

How are any of you dosing Mirilax?

Thanks,

Jay

Well, about 6 days on the Mirilax and it seems to help with the BM's, but its leaving my stomach always feeling like someone has punched me in the gut! I haven't eaten dinner in 4 nights and only a very small snack around 11pm. My appetite has really dropped off which concerns me. Also, I seem to have on and off major gas. I tried going off it for one day, which didn't change anything in the symptoms, so went back on it the next morning. I always take it in the morning mixed into some juice. I'm going to go off it for now and see if I get feeling better.

Has anyone else had this reaction? Did you stop taking it?

I'm going to have my wife try and find the alpine tea raglet noted, but I absolutely hate tea and honey, so maybe I'll try it with a good dose of sugar instead of honey.

I'm really hating this folks!

Jay

People report gas commonly with Miralax.

You can try reducing the amount you are taking, or use it every other day, etc, or only when needed.

I think it is the glycol function...bacteria in the bowel are metabolizing it and producing gas.

There are anti-gas capsules called Gas-X you can use that will help you pass the gas more comfortably.

I have see on some other internet sites that the gas may get better with time. (but I personally wouldn't count on that).

I hope you don't mind me adding to this thread, even though I don't have PN.

Also .... I don't take Methadone, but I do take Oxycodone and constipation is always a problem when you take opiates, no matter which one you take.

I have a daily bowel routine where I take Coloxyl, and add Senna if necessary. Because I have MS, my bowel sometimes goes on strike...... so does my bladder for that matter, but that's a different story. :).

When I become constipated I have a standby medication that gets me back into routine. It's never failed me yet, and I hope it never does.

The medication I use is called Movicol (Macrogol) and I just add it to the bowel regime that I already have. It comes in sachet form and you simply mix the sachet with cold water and drink. I must add that it doesn't taste nasty at all which was a pleasant surprise.

I start with one sachet a day, and just keep adding one sachet daily until the bowels do their thing. I've never had to take more than three but it says on the pack that you can take up to 8 per day. I assume you would be need to be in a Palliative Care setting for that many, and I certainly wouldn't take too many without medical advice.

I don't know if this product is available in the USA but it certainly works for me. Here's a link for you to check it out, and I'm sure that you'd find more information if you did a search.

http://www.nrdgp.org.au/news.html?NewsID=3697

Lyrica & Ultram can also cause constipation.
I use Fiber Sure (from makers of Metamucil) 2 or 3 x/day
(1 rounded tsp - tasteless, in plain water),
and eat a few high fiber bars like Fiber One, or Kellogg's Fiber Plus,
or South Beach Diet every a.m. with coffee (can be put in the coffee, too) or for snacks.
I hardly ever wait more than a day or so for the Fiber Sure to work.

Bob's heart is in the right place...

But fiber is not usually a good idea for opiate constipation. It can be used in moderation, but not as a main solution to opiate induced constipation. If you use fiber, and even if not, drinking water generously may help too and is recommended.
For the lesser drugs like he uses, it is fine.
For those on opiates, fiber may cause an obstruction if too much is used.

Also long term use of senna is a problem too.
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/comp...ex/a/senna.htm
In the terminal patient or the very very old, which I used to see in nursing home care, senna was used since the time frame for survival was short. In younger patients, long term chronic use of senna is being discouraged in the US.

Well...I found my problems with my constipation and stomach problems disappeared when I began my morning with a bowl of oatmeal and a yogurt. After trying every OTc and prescribed med it seems silly that it all came down for me to be as simple as eating oatmeal, which I can't stand by the way. It's a small price to pay and I eat it real quick, and my Jack Russell gets two tablespoons along side me every morning too.......yes he is a spoiled brat but I love him anyway.