Constipation!!

[pennyc02]

Any tips on getting rid of constipation? Don’t know what’s allowed to be taken with medication. My mum

Is suffering badly with this at the moment

[Hidden]

Following my heart bypass I take Docusate Sodium twice a day and Senna at night for constipation. Have to admit am not finding them overly effective though.

[FeetheBookworm]

Well prunes always work wonders. Otherwise eat a lot of fruit if she doesn’t like prunes. You might need to check the paper in meds box to see if these are not good with her meds.

Also most fruit is good and you could try senna - get from a chemist I imagine. In fact a pharmacist would be the best person to give advice.

Sorry just realised you had already tried senna so ignore that bit!

[Bassman65 in reply to FeetheBookworm]

Most fruits are good but avoid grapefruit as it interacts with some medications (statins and ranolazine usually indicated in Prescription labels on medicines) forcing them into the bloodstream much quicker than intended

[judes]

I swear by satsumas, clementines etc and always remember to drink plenty of water

Ask your pharmacist they are very knowledgeable about these sort of things

J

[Shar28]

My husband was prescribed Lactulose after his open heart surgery but you can buy it over the counter too.

[MissisF]

Cosmicol - taken as a drink (sachets). You can buy a box from the pharmacy. Or Lactulose. My husband has diverticulosis and takes Cosmicol regularly along with heart meds. Constipation is horrible but unfortunately a side effect of so many meds.

[HectorsDad]

Lots of our meds cause problems, especially when exercise is reduced

Lactulose, movicol, Dulcolax.. they all work depending on what is going on (or not). Some are slow (couple of days) and keep things balanced. Others are quick (don’t leave the house.. oh....). Apple a day works well, and ground Linseed/flax on cereal.

Beware though.... was on something that caused constipation so taking laxatives, switched suddenly to one that gave me the runs, while also taking one that causes wind😳. I’ll leave you to imagine 🤣

[Kimkat]

Lactulose is normally given and things like powder sachets like Movicol but have you discussed this with your Mums GP? My Pa in Law uses it all the time, it’s very gentle and doesn’t give stomach cramps, like senna can tend to do. Make sure your Mum drinks plenty of water and keeps moving as sitting all day doesn’t help. My P in L tends to sit too much and has been told to get himself moving around more.

[Beith]

I take a Fybogel sachet twice daily after breakfast and after my evening meal. It's a stool softener and a mild laxative and is effective for me. Fybogel is a fibre supplement even though I already have a high fibre diet. It's made from Ispaghula husk (psyllium).

[gladliz]

Nuts and seeds work for me, especially those rather nice Nature Valley bars which are mixed with chocolate. Provided of course she is not allergic to them. What about good old fashioned Syrup of Figs; the weekly dose of childhood. My sister liked the taste so much, she once finished off the bottle. She spent a couple of days wrapped in a blanket on the landing outside the bathroom!😊

[Brown_Rabbit in reply to gladliz]

I didn’t expect to find this thread so amusing, but your tale made me laugh out loud... I remember my mother telling me about how she and her siblings had to take syrup of figs once a week ‘whether they needed it or not’... glad I didn’t have that... my weekly regime was cod liver oil, Virol and NHS orange juice! 😁

[gladliz in reply to Brown_Rabbit]

Virol nah! Rosehip syrup was awful😡 but loved the Orange juice.😊

[Brown_Rabbit in reply to gladliz]

Me too... tasted nothing like oranges but very nice all the same... I’d still drink it today if I could.

[Maisie2014]

Brown sugar, warm orange juice, grapes. These were recommended by my health visitor in the 70s after I had my children. Different things work for different people. Make sure you’re also well hydrated.

[ali161]

Mangoes and coffee!

[Madeira19]

Hi,

use castor oil!

It's cheap, natural and effective!

What works for me is 2 dessert spoonfuls, followed by a large glass of warm water, wait an hour for it to work.

Repeat if necessary after an hour!

Good luck

[Brown_Rabbit in reply to Madeira19]

An hour??? 🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀

[Hidden]

Bowl of alpen, also hits the spot.