Constipation & Enimas
 

Over the last three months, I have made no progress with my constipation. The dozens of constipation threads in this forum all offer about the same remedies. So, here's a different question:

Is there any risk to frequent, or even daily, enemas? It is not a perfect solution for me, but it helps.

Thanks.

I would wonder? If you take magnesium supplements as you say, you should be better in this regard.

But constipation is a side effect of many drugs. Also it is a sign of hypothyroidism.

Is yours a side effect do you think?

I'd try to find a cause. Chronic enemas can be bad for you in the long run.

Thanks, mrsD.

I'm not taking any prescription drugs.

I take 100-400 mg magnesium supplements daily. Last night, I added 800 mg to that. Not much result.

My gastroenterologist has no insight.

My rheumatologist tested me for hypothyroid and said that I do not have it (I'm getting a second opinion from an endocrinologist next week).

My constipation is not affected by diet or exercise.

I am well-hydated.

Could it be neurological?

Do frequent enemas create dependency?

Is it possible that I have _too little_ calcium, and that is somehow throwing things off?

Thanks.

Yes, it could be neurological.
But I would not be able to help you with that.

Serotonin is a typical player in GI transit. Low Serotonin levels lead to constipation, and higher ones cause diarrhea.
SSRI drugs may cause diarrhea in some people because of this effect.

There is just a subset of people who as they age become constipated.

There is a drug out now, called Amitiza, which GI specialists use for chronic IBS which is constipation oriented. But I think you should check with a gastroenterologist first to see if you qualify for it.

Is there a reason that you can't take miralax? It would seem to be much safer than enemas.

I has reading here on the forum about Amitiza. Is is dependency-forming, I wonder?

Am I right in thinking that there is no risk to high doses of magnesium?

Would melatonin at night help regulate (even mildly) serotonin levels?

I have used it in the past, and continue to use it occasionally, but my experience with it is that it works on the second day and, lately, it hasn't been working all that well for me.

Also, it is not without suspected side effects.

To try and get your serotonin UP... the most likely candidate is l-tryptophan to use.

Melatonin is synthesized in the brain from serotonin, using methylB12 as a cofactor. So melatonin is an endpoint, and would only possibly spare some brain serotonin from being converted.

About 90% of the serotonin in your body, is NOT in the brain.
It is in platelets, and the GI tract and skin, etc.

There is a good book about it called the The Second Brain, by Michael Gershon, MD. You might find excerpts from it on Google.

It is not so simple, when something goes wrong in the GI tract.

I am severly constipated due to Neurotin and I may as well take nothing as to take Miralax. I took it for several weeks with no luck whatsoever. I also take 500-800mg of Magnesium chelate daily which also doesn't give me any help with this problem. My doctor prescribed Lactolose (sp) and it was supposed to really work well but with me it just caused lots of gurgling and nothing else. It is kind of nasty but it might be worth a try if your doctor will give it to you. Everyone is different so it may work for you even though it didn't for me.

As I'm sitting here writing this I do remember what finally worked for me but it's not something you would want to do all the time. It's Magnesium Citrate (saline laxative oral solution) found at drug store in laxative section and it's a liquid. A nurse told me doctors use this to clean out patients before they do some tests. MrsD can probably tell you more about it and give you her thoughts on the subject. I only took it once (i took the whole bottle) and it worked within about 4 hours but I was up all night because I took it too late. If you take this I would suggest 1/2 the bottle to start then adjust accordingly. It's also very cheap.

Good luck and if you find another alternative I would be grateful if you would post it.

Constipation
 

I have had trouble with constipation most of my life. My doctor told me to use a vegetable laxative daily, when I was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy. The neuropathy pain has been unbearable at times this summer - we've had the hottest weather that I remember and it seems as though my feet particularly were swollen. I decided to go cold turkey and quit all caffeine. My feet and hands are still hurting, but the swelling is gone and the bathroom issue has resolved itself totally. One less pill to take.

constipation.
 

So here's the thing. I've used homemade kefir..probiotics (milk and water) for about 9 months, wonderful healthy results... now I seem to have chronic constipation.
Dieter's tea has always worked for me, but I know it's main ingredient is habit forming...senna (cassia anqustifolia) so I'm seeking answers that might work to keep me regulated. I exercise, drink lots of water, green tea, and eat a reasonable diet. I'm getting older.. in my late 50's. so magnesium...I'm trying it as we speak. I hope this makes the difference. I know there is never one silver bullet for any two people. but I would love to find mine with this issue. thanks for the forum to talk solutions.

Have you ever tried high dose of vit C???

It is such a miserable problem. :(

I would be afraid to do enemas everyday as it can cause those "muscles" to no longer get the "urge" to go anymore and as you said you become dependent. Dr. Oz had a segment on that not long ago.

good luck

Mrs. D., Could the type of magnesium that Nervous is taking be relevant to the constipation?

In my case, I have to be very careful how much I ingest of any dairy product (including kefir and yogurt, as well as milk). I've found that if I ingest too much dairy for my system (and that is not very much), I get extremely constipated. I'm referring here to cow's milk products. I'm currently experimenting with goat's milk products to see if my experience with them differs. My situation is very surprising to my in-laws, many of whom have a totally opposite reaction when they ingest a dairy product.

Several years ago I developed idiopathic SFN like so many on these boards. Gabapentin is the only thing that works for me but it causes intolerable constipation. Gralise works great for me but my insurance won't cover it. To combat that I use magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate, miralax and Amitizia. There is a new drug out called Linzess which is considered safer because less of it is absorbed into the blood stream. It gave me very bad diarrhea like many folks complain.

I would try anything and everything. I did not realize how bad mine was until I got it under control. After having lived through it I would be hard pressed to say whether my painful SFN was worse or severe constipation.

At the risk of boring everyone to death, I am reviving this thread.

My constipation has gotten worse. Nothing is moving. This week, my gastroenterologist gave me a sample of Linzess (linaclotide), which I have not tried yet. On Monday, I am seeing a new gastroenterologist.

Since I started this thread, I tried and had great success with triphala, but that stopped working for me.

This is a strange condition. Nothing short of an episode of mild food poisoning will get me going. If the cause turned out to be neurological, that would make some sense, but it's just a guess. Also, my gastro. ent. said that sometimes with age the colon/interines get very "relaxed," lose tone, appear very long, etc.

All thoughts welcome on this.

Thanks!

I have thought that my CMT probably caused my lifelong constipation. I have had it since infancy, being regularly dosed with Fletcher's Castoria. Constipation is a side effect of CMT, which my pain meds don't help, but Miralax does work for me, fortunately. I hope that you can find something that helps.

I deeply sympathize with anyone who has to suffer with this. Before being told to take Miralax, I was in terrible pain from hemorrhoids and finally internal fissures which were incredibly debilitating.

I would caution anyone with respiratory problems to be very careful of Amitza. My mother, who was a hypochondriac and never would leave a doctor without a prescription badgered her Gastrologist into giving her something. Of course he had no idea of her only real problem, which was COPD. She almost died from it, spent two weeks in the hospital and months recovering. It was horrible, especially considering that the package inserts said not for the elderly or patients with breathing problems.

I have been dealing w SFN for about 8 months, and have several related autonomic symptoms along with the pain. My neurologists have concluded that the horrible constipation is part of the autonomic nerve damage. They prescribed miralax daily, and then supplement with a doculax (suppository) whenever I hit about 3-4 days without going. I find that the miralax prevents painful dry problems when I use the doculax, so the combination has been helpful for me. Sometimes, after using the suppository and continuing w miralax, I'll have a few days where I go regularly, then the whole cycle starts again. This has been working for me. Also, on days when pain is so bad that I take a narcotic pain pill, then I double up the miralax, in morning and evening, because those cause such constipation. I also try to drink a ton of water and get some form of exercise (the pool has been a good solution for me where i can get comfortable enough to do some light exercise) every day. I agree that the constipation can be worse than the pain, it's just a terrible additional problem to have on top of all the rest.

I used to deal with severe constipation where I would get so backed up there was a fear by my doctors that it cause some major problems. Nothing worked for me. I recall having to take meds and try enimas but long term it did not help. Now I seem to be having the opposite problem.
A few things I tried during the long time I had constipation. First it depends on the your digestion but often more fiber can make things worse especially if you dont have enough fluids. Some foods cause more of an issue such as dairy. Having enough healthy fats to lubricate is important. Often ground flaxseed is helpful. Also prunes or prune juice. If you cant tolerate that try baby prune food. I know it sounds weird but a dietician once said it is easier for people. Some activity if you can do it. I also agree about magnesium.
Also to get things started if your doctor says it is ok a stool softner. I remember years back when I was in the hospital they gave me a tennis ball to toll on my lower stomach that was supposed to help get things moving. I dont know if this is true because at that time nothing helped me like that but everyone is different. Also coffee helps many.

Some foods have serotonin or the precursor trytophan in them... that may help. Serotonin is the GI neurotransmitter, that is major in moving things along.

Bananas, pineapple, peanuts are high in this, and are withheld during medical testing for serotonin levels.

You might try taking some tryptophan, and see if that helps.
Also look carefully at any medications you may be taking.
First gen antihistamines can be constipating, (Benadryl) and also
Elavil, Neurontin/Lyrica.

The SSRI drugs can cause diarrhea in some people, and these may help you.

Two tablespoonfuls of extra virgin olive oil, is also a laxative for some people.

It does depend on the type of CMT you have. I believe I read that the CMT2's can have the problem.

Kitt
(CMT)