I have immense constipation. I eat oatmeal, bran, flax seed and chia everyday. Nothing helps. Even Senna. No longer works. Has anyone experienced the issue and if so what have you taken to combat it.
Constipation due to Parkinson’s - Cure Parkinson's
Constipation due to Parkinson’s
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Darcy3
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Thank you I drink 8-10 glasses fo water and do take magnesium and still a problem. I am so concerned about being impacted.
@darcy3, are you new to the forum. If so, please introduce yourself and provide us with some context. And, the first thing that you should do immediately is to consult with a gastroenterologist. Please do that without fail because all it takes is one severe bowel blockage to put you possibly into surgery if you are one of the unlucky ones who don't benefit from enemas or digital extraction at the hospital.
Post surgery, most patients get an external bag that they carry around for life and trust me, its a miserable existence from that point on and you will begin to think that having just Parkinson's is/was "paradise".
That being said, if you are in the USA, there's new prescription medications that have been approved recently, one of them is called Linzess. I have seen it used by my acquaintances and the results are amazing. Maybe you have something similar in your country if you are not in the USA?
Hope this helps.
RKM
Thank you for responding. Yes, I am new to this website. I live in USA, female 79 years old, who was diagnosed with Parkinson 2 years ago. I take Rytary 3 times a day and Nourianz once a day. My neurologist has prescribed Linzess for constipation whoever it did not do anything. I may go back and ask her if I should increase the dosage. Parkinson’s by itself has been a challenge and changed my life considerably. I also was angina, Afib and internal shingles which are in my mouth. This may be due because I have anxiety over dealing with Parkinsons. I am very diligent and take my meds, exercise 40 minutes each day and both help. But I am wearing out. So I patch, patch patch and do the best I can. When I wrote concerning constipation, I was hoping someone out there had a ‘recipe’ so to speak that was natural. All responses are appreciated.
@darcy3, the experiences in life must be viewed in the context of the world that you live in and evaluated relatively. Life is not fair, it never is and never will be.
If at 79, you feel miserable about your plight, consider how I felt when I first diagnosed at age 48 at the prime of my professional, productive life. I felt miserable too, until I met PwP's on this forum who have been diagnosed in their 20's and 30's and have not even had the chance to begin a productive life!
Above was just to cheer you up and give you context, hope and mental tenacity because believe it or not, your frame of mind and your level of anxiety has a direct bearing on seemingly unrelated things like acute constipation. Like in my case. My constipation was actually resolved with Klonopin, for anxiety!!.
RKM
Interesting, Klonopin slows down your cns and more often then not causes constipation
• in reply topdpatient
Thank you PDPatient. As a 45 year old with PD, I appreciate your perspective. I wish there was an additional forum just for young onset.
pdpatient• in reply to
@cclemonade, I agree. My blog should be launching in a couple of weeks. I will link to it then. According to the research, YOPD is going to get far worse than what it is presently.
RKM
My dear D'Arcy, I have walked this road. Please try pistachio nuts. I have about 30g of shelled nuts, not the salted type. Washed down with lots of fresh ginger tea. This works for me. I hope it helps you too.
Prune juice always works for me.
Tried didn’t work. Made my big toe pain so I stopped taking it.
I don’t have PD but suffer with chronic constipation. If I take oatmeal. flax seed, bran etc it makes it worse and this does happen for some people.. I nightly take Movicol and sometimes during day too. If that doesn’t keep me going I eat tinned prunes in juice and that often works well. I can often tell if things aren’t going to move, sorry, no pun intended, so I use a glycerol suppository. Failing that, a warm water enema or a fleet enema, There seems to me to be nothing worse than bad constipation. Hope you can find what will work for you.
I have found that Red Vines BLACK LICORICE keeps me regular! Twizzlers does not have the same effect. With out the black licorice my bowels dry out and become solid.
I go through a large bag in a couple of days and then it goes back through me.
This is not only effective but the cost compared to LINZESS is affordable!
rutgers.edu/news/hidden-ris...
Baca:
Eating large amounts of black licorice can be very dangerous, particularly if you have heart issues or high blood pressure. It’s not just candy.
Perhaps you've already seen this recent thread by park_bear?
Very true. Thank you for reminding me of how lucky I am.
I edited my earlier response to you and in the process of doing so, I deleted my response. I have reposted. Please first copy your response to my post, delete your now orphan response and paste it back to my repost 😂
This is just as a courtesy for the rest of the forum members who frown on the deleted posts because it leads to a disjointed conversation.
RKM
Something between a teaspoon and a tablespoon of mannitol (search this keyword in this forum) works very fine with me.
Worked the first time. Nothing after.
Take two tablespoons of milk of magnesia add one tablespoon orange juice one tablespoon prune juice and drink 8 oz of water behind it works every time
It still works for me since I forgot, 3 months ago, about the laxative automatically prescribed by the neuroman. I do mean Mannitol alone because, as Park_bear suggests, high dose thiamine also helps as one can feel the peristalsis it triggers.
Also, sadly enough, neuromen tend to downplay constipation issues whereas it is perhaps one of the first symptoms that pop up, ages before the "official" early onset diagnosis (or misdiagnosis)...See that also: enterininc.com/parkinsons-d...
I don't know what's wrong with me but I have had really bad constipation for a few years (and insomnia and sometimes urinary incontinence - just like my dad did early on with his MSA, which isn't supposed to be hereditary).
Anyway - the one thing that has helped me most with constipation is teff porridge - 200-300 grams/day. I get the organic stuff from Whole Foods when available. Amazing relief. I also take miralax every night before bed, but by itself the miralax does not do much at all. I take it now mostly to make things easier on the way out, if you know what I mean.
Another thing that will work is 2 bottles of Yakult. I usually just do one bottle each evening. It seems to help with sleep and anxiety, also.
Broccoli sprout smoothies help a bit, mostly I find they help with GERD. There is at least one study on broccoli sprouts for gut motility in IBS.
Restoring gut motility and normal moisture content is the key.
I watched a video about constipation in PD. She says sipping water all day does nothing. IT's best to drink a quart as soon as you're awake. Also says metamucil is not helpful but I forget why.
I would agree with the first statement and am skeptical of the second. Putting water into the stomach does not necessarily mean it will get to the colon. In any case chugging a quart of water will raise blood pressure for a while, until the kidneys get rid of it.
It is probably the case that chugging a quart of water triggers peristalsis as a result of putting all that bulk in the stomach.
Dr Chopra, and Indian doctors in general, suggest taking frequent sips of very hot water throuhout the day.
This is in response to kaypeeoh above; HU is not letting me post a reply directly for some reason.
Chugging a lot of water (2 cups) engages the mammalian diving reflex. The MDR can simultaneously reduce anxiety and increase blood pressure (neat trick for people with dysautonomia). I don't know what effect it would have on gut motility - my guess is it would reduce it at least for a little while. Maybe there's a rebound effect.
I have wondered what the effect would be of engaging the MDR on a regular basis for people with PD - whether or not it would have an effect on adrenergic signaling, and if so - could it be beneficial?
related video:
nutritionfacts.org/video/th...
Yes I agree. I start my morning with 2 cups of water. I do believe it makes more than the cup of coffee I drink in the morning. Thank you for your reply and suggestion.
correction - chugging water does not engage the mammalian diving reflex - which is more properly called the mammalian diving response since it is actually a set of reflexes. Bolus water does increase noradrenalin, though, and has been used therapeutically for orthostatic hypotension and the authors of this article suggest it might be helpful for migraine, also.
ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161...
I've been doing bolus water when I get up in the morning. The rationale I'm using is that by increasing noradrenalin I may be helping increase receptor function & improving noradrenergic signalling overall. Maybe. I notice my dry eye goes away and I get cold. No stimulation of my gut, though. Maybe I've been sleeping better lately? I can't say for sure. I think I should get an Oura ring.
High-dose thiamine restored my normal bowel peristalsis after a week or two. Highdosethiamine.org
Also necessary to restore normal moisture content which can be done by 5-10 grams of vitamin C over the course of the day or docusate sodium.
I do fine with fiber such as oatmeal, apples, oranges, etc. Prunes and prune juice helps most people, but not more than other fruit for me. Apple juice affects me more. For a laxatives I prefer milk of magnesia. Others tend to use chemicals that are poisons at higher doses. Epson salt (magnesium sulfate) tastes terrible, but isn't poison. For me the key is fruits and vegetables.
Miralax (works every time!)
kind2animals• in reply to
For me too.
Darcy3• in reply to
Do you have Parkinson’s? Can you take Miralax safely when you have PD? I concern is it may impact your colan.
• in reply toDarcy3
Hi Darcy,
Yes, I have Parkinson's.
Several years ago, when I started taking it, I did a little research, and found that it is "safe" to use long term on children.
journals.lww.com/jpgn/Fullt...
This is just one of a number of papers you will find if you google "polyethylene glycol children".
That set my mind at ease, but you should do your own research (eg, check the manufacturer's drug info), and check with your doctor.
Of particular interest would be any interactions it has with other meds you may be taking. I understand it decreases the level of digoxin in your blood (a type of heart med), and I have read that you should avoid Miralax if you have a bowel obstruction.
BTW, I tried every "remedy" that I could find on the internet, and nothing worked. Miralax works for me every time. I am serious!
Note, it is not like a harsh stimulant laxative. Miralax will gently fix the your constipation over a period of several days.
Good luck!
Darcy3• in reply to
Do you have Parkinson’s? Someone mentioned not to take Miralax with Parkinson’s as it cold impact you. I am trying to research if this is true.
Darcy3• in reply to
How long before it helped and did you take any before it helped you constipation?
eating fresh pineapple and kiwifruit, has worked for me
Darcy,You are wise to be vigilant, constipation creeps up on you. To date I have found kiwi (kiwi fruit) the best. But i would use laxatives to get back on the right path if I needed to.
Have you tried drinking Kombucca? I find it very helpful and the day after drinking it I poop many times!!
Never heard of it. Where do you get it? Thank you for sharing and for responding to my query.
It’s a drink full of good stomach bacteria. It’s quite tasty. In Australia it’s become very popular and is available in supermarkets etc. Otherwise try health food shops.
You can find kombucha at any decent grocery store in the refrigerator section where they have cold drinks.
Try MCT oil. Or, start with coconut oil and work up to MCT oil.
Darcy3• in reply to
What do you do with coconut oil?
My neuro recommended apple sauce, bran cereal and prune juice all mixed together. Didn't seem to work for me. Now I use Dulcolax one tablet with lunch.
Do you eat much meat or dairy. They can gum you up. If you have them every day try have vegetarian every second day. Eg chilli beans on rice or potato with coleslaw or salad.
I do not eat meat or dairy for that reason. I eat fish, chicken, veggies and fruit. Drink lots of water and a cup of coffee...............still constipated. I am so discouraged....
What about beans , raw cabbage, onion. Do they have an effect?
Hi Darcy, I have not tried it myself, somebody posted it on one of the Facebook groups. They said four capsules of magnesium citrate, if someone mentioned it here, I must have missed it. I know nothing is as bad as constipation. I also posted a deep tissue massage for constipation, did you by any chance look on the YouTube? It is and abdomen massage. Hope something works for you. Mary
Does avoiding dairy mean avoiding yogurt as well? I buy goat's milk yogurt, on the theory that it's easier to digest than cow's milk yogurt.
I don’t know really. I think it might be the protein in it . We have found if you make every second day a meat and dairy free day it sort of acts like a bottle brush pushing things through. Having said that when he was on the sleeping pill and the higher dose of levodopa the whole system practically stopped working so I think it was the meds causing his constipation.
I was told by a bowel specialist to never take senna products. I use fybogel which had ispaghula husk. This even works when compacted. Its about getting moisture into the system. Ii hv underactive thyroid so hv hd this issue for years but since i moved to france i hv been regular everyday. A change in the water ? Air ? Food? I do grow my own food n eat NO pprocessed food n bread here had no additives. I keep fybogel in cupboard thoough n take it if i go to uk on a visit.
Where do you get fybogel from....thankyou
Fybogel is brand name. Sold over counter in england not a prescription item
My husband has one kiwi fruit everyday, with the skin on. He also eats cooked apple (he uses tinned "pie apple"). Apparently cooked apples are better than raw for constipation. It's because the pectin is made more available by the cooking process.
So, he has 2 desserts each day....one after lunch and one after dinner.
Each dessert has a half kiwi fruit (skin on) and two spoonfuls of "pie apple". On top he has two spoonfuls of Greek yoghurt and a sprinkle of ceylon cinnamon (which also may help bowel function).
I find coconut water seems to help a bit although still not completely sorted...worth a try 
Hi Darcy....when I get like what you describe I take a capsule called Experience from PureTrim. Its all natural and does a colon cleanse as well and is mild. It's a bit expensive mostly because of shipping cost but there's 90 capsules. I just reordered some from this web address: barb.puretrim.com/
If you are bound up you can take 2 caps at first but wait a day or more at least for some action. Then keep taking it regularly until you can regulate you BM's. If you're like me I can feel the compaction and know when to take 2 but mostly only need 1 cap and often just keep to a regular diet and avoid white flour. Lots of whole grains and a good organic spelt sourdough bread is helpful now and then that adds bulk to a diet of veggies and lots of beans .....but beans are only good if you keep things moving. Cheese is my worst adversary. Love it but it's a battle afterwards. Goat feta is OK. Hope this helps. I'm in Canada so you'll have to check if you can get Experience where you are.
I just wanted to mention I do not benefit financially in any way from the website and not connected to it. You may also use puretrim.com
Thank you for your kindness to respond. It never entered my mind that you may benefit. Only that you were kind to take the to respond.
Thanks Darcy3! It's just that a forum is not the place to benefit from the pain of others by promoting gain by a linked website. I know it has been frowned upon to promote a personal product link in the past so just wanted to clarify that the product is available without using a personal representative's link. I hope that makes sense but the correction was more for all the readers to use the main website.
I just ordered the Experience and want to thank you for telling me about it. I pray it will work for me as it has for you. I will let you how it works.
I just received my Experience. Since you have experience with “Experience”, how often do you take it??? I am concerned about injuring my colon. Thank you.
I've improved my gut by eating more greens and bean salads, hummus, no gluten or even GF breads and baked goods except those I make myself with flax in them or sourdough with no yeast I'd great because I do need a bread now and then. I occasionally use probiotics and avoid dairy except kefir occasionally.
I somehow manage to keep things moving so I don't need Experience as often now. When I'm really blocked (cheese), I only needed 2 capsules....maybe a 3rd after a couple of days. If I was really in pain I tried Cascara Sagrada but not too much. Then it was back to simple foods.
May have to wait a day or two to break up the stool but it works better than anything and is mild and non-irritating to the colon. The formula was made to cleanse and get rid of toxins and they use natural products.
I wouldn't worry about harm because the formula was made to go with the same brand of liver cleanse product that would be taken more often.... for a month. You might check online to see how often it's used for that cleanse or call a rep.
Try to identify which foods cause the worse blockages. I cannot tolerate cheese or dense grain products too well unless they're sourdough and whole grain GF....like buckwheat or oats. I know you're using all the same things I am like flax and chia. Every cereal I have in my cupboard has some sort of flax or chia fibre. Beans are great fibre AFTER you get things moving and eaten with rice and salads. A simple diet is best. I should be Mexican because I love corn tortillas and anything that goes on them. I put lots of veggies in my salads and a hard boiled egg for a complete meal.
Hope this helps.
Drinking “Get Regular “ tea every evening before bed works for me. I use about 1/2 cup of water to increase strength. You can buy it at most grocery stores and Walmart. Another option is “calm” which can be purchased on Amazon. 2-3 tablespoons in a glass of water every night. This also works well and was recommended by my naturopath.
Thank you sharing. How long have you been taking the tea? I was using Dr. Lee’s tea with Senna and it worked for 2 months. I think my body got use to it and stopped working.
I used it for about 4 years before the naturopath switched me to Calm. Both work for me
Thank you so much for responding. If I get the constipation under control, I could deal with the other symptoms. This has been so difficult. I have tried so many things and nothing works. I pray to God this will help me.
If the tea or Calm doesn’t work I’ve also discovered Turmeric Curcumin works for me. I purchase the nature wise brand on Amazon. I take 2 capsules in the AM and 1 in the afternoon. My naturopath suggested 6 capsules a day but I was living in the bathroom! Hope you find something that works for you.
Thank you. It is amazing what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another.......
Darcy3, please see my earlier post regarding Motegrity. Expensive but it works.
You might want to look into recent research regarding fecal matter transplant (FMT) with regards to both constipation and PK... and depending on where you live, if you are super lucky you might even be able to access freeze dried pills...
This is an enormously interesting and promising area of research, I'm quite surprised more people dont know about it. But then, many of the papers on it are literally from the last year or two, so still quite recent. Very safe (if done properly), high effective cure rate (for gut issues), and the couple of papers (very small, from China) re PK are... eye popping. Especially when considered against the wider backdrop regarding PK and the importance of the gut-brain axis.
I take as many magnesium citrate tabs as necessary at night to be able to go in the am. 6 tabs is my goto dose
These are good- especially the "Experience " tablets.
Also important to get regular exercise- Don't sit for long periods! Drink lot's of water...
Try warm prune juice every morning 15 minutes before eating. Truly works.
My PD doc gave me recipe for smoothie that includes prunes, prune juice, and wheat bran. I added it to my existing ingredients (pineapple, banana, kale or spinach, oranges, bcranberry juice and frozen raspberries). Make a weeks worth at a time. Add Miralax daiy. Works very well.
Yes, I do drink 6-8 glasses a day. With PD the muscles or nerves in your intestines do not function properly
I too have had a relatively recent bad bout of the Big "C", at least half an hour sitting and finally having some success.
Wife had a local (Canadian) bottle of Pro-Biotic capsules, they recommend up to 5 a day, I took 1 just as i went to sleep and took another upon waking , day 1 was satisfactory within a 1/2 hr of rising and a short sit. Things just got better each day, so I went down to 1 capsule after 2 weeks for another weeks and then stops.
I noticed a great amount of gas moving through my intestines shortly after the first pill, it continued for the duration of taking the Pro-biotics
I have a daily routine of eating a whole large Avocado cut in 1/2, with salt and Worcester sauce in the 'cup' to taste, and Hemp oil and MCT oil ~1 Tbl.
My wife thought it would be like Olive oil, and took 2 Tbl's ..
MISTAKE!, lucky the biffy was vacant when she felt the urge....
1 cup of Coffee with my first dose of Sinamet, 4 1/2 hr cycle , 5 doses per day (75/300 C/L)
drink 8 oz water with morning Vits and supplements.
I randomly eat fruits every day.
2 dog walks a day of 1/2 hr each.
Fingers crossed I am on THE Path.
got the Pfizer JAB yesterday and just a sore shoulder so far
For me a tablespoon of cinnamon per day did wonders. I still use broken flaxseed as well in my cereal. No constipation anymore! Do you take vitamin B1? 100 mg a day made also a difference. Not for constipation but made me stronger. Kindly PvR
What can you put that much cinnamon into?
I had the opposite problem for many months and my GastroEnt told me it was caused by upper colon constipation. Suggested Miralax cleanse and Metamucil 1 heaping tsp. on a daily basis. I was using a probiotic but stopped after I heard Dr L. Mischley (sp) recommend against it. I am on a gluten-free, dairy free, sugar-restricted diet, so none of the grain options available. Dairy, especially cheese, really made my symptoms worse. GE also suggested avoiding salads and raw vegetables. I eat 3-5 prunes 3-4 times per week and drink 14oz water with Metamucil each evening. So far, after 4 months, seems to be keeping colon working. I am 74 with 2+ yrs as PwP in USA. I am also taking HD Thiamin daily. On Sinemet 25/100 3x/day.
Good quality sleep had on a regular schedule seems to be one of the indispensable elements to good digestion for me. The old “early to bed, early to rise” advice is good for me too, although it goes against my natural inclination.
I am using Bitter Melon juice and has helped with my constipation. I take out the seeds and chop and blend it to fine pulp. Every morning, I take about 1/8 to 1/4 cup and fill the rest with water and drink it. You may have to adjust the quantity based on what works. You can buy bitter melon in Chinese, Indian, or Mexican stores. Hope this helps.
Thank you for replying. I will try it.
Hi Darcy,
I have found that varying the treatments is a good idea.
I have used Metamucil!, Miramar, Senna, prunes, prune juice, drinking lots of water, bran cereal, and other things I can't remember now.
I don't take every one everyday. I vary. I have had pretty good results.
I am sixty drive and was diagnosed six years ago.
Cheers!
I agree with you. I have been doing the same thing. But of all of them, Senna is the one that works the best.
A full teaspoon of "Calm Magnesium" with water each day has worked well.
Best investment is a Toto Toilet with a wash-let or find something similar with plenty of online knock-offs and cheap add-on’s to spay a stream of water creating moisture allowing things to get moving comfortably.
Constipation is in my family! The oldies in the 60's were always making their "do me goods" by whizzing up the veg raw from the garden. I finally gave in to Fybogel which I d idn't really like, but find Laxido very acceptable. To begin with I had one morning and evening but seem ok with the one in the morning now - eat LOTS of veg every day. Good luck, Wendy
Please try Colace
Magnesium Citrate
My naturopath has me do a Vitamin C Flush. I take 16 grams of Vitamin C and within four hours my system flushes out as though I have had an enema. I do this every other day, as needed.
Read about Zupoo. umzu.com/products/zupoo?oex...
Do you take magnesium citrate? It is more effectively absorbed into the body than some other forms of magnesium. Take two 250 mg capsules at bedtime. This also helps with night time leg cramps.
Hi Darcy. I understand you very well for I've been suffering from the same problem for months. Disturbed me very, very much.
My solution ?
1. dried apricots with plenty of water for fiber; oranges seem to help too.
2. magnesium oxide 250 mg at night on full stomach. It is the non-absorbable form of Mg.
3. acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) 500 mg a day; recently started to take ALCAR and it helped me immensely; the relief came quickly. I sometimes take it with alpha-lipoic acid for added synergism.
ALCAR use for constipation has some scientific basis:
jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/jcb...
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
healthline.com/nutrition/su... (item #4)
ALCAR may also have a variety of other health benefits:
selfhacked.com/blog/acetyl-...
Lastly, ALCAR may benefit motor function in PD. It is a component of Restore Gold.
(FYI, I've also heard of very good results with acupuncture and meditation in several friends with PD. Hardly surprising as both can stimulate parasympathetic system (PS) considerably, leading to increased gut motility. And it's been very well established that most PwP has some deficiency in PS function -definitely a factor for our chronic constipation).
Good luck !
Thank you for your kindness to help me. I will research the sites you offered.
You may also try medical Qigong with Nic Baker:
and Brenda and Chad Walden (The Sitting Solution):
Castor oil capsules +/- MOM +/- fiber daily not just PRN
I think a lot of people here have provided some great advice. I was going to do a long and detailed post in future, and I will. But, for now here's my 2 cents coming from someone who has experience with this:
I've placed '**' beside what I would consider doing first and then '****' beside what I would do next, if the first steps don't work well for you. There's links to some sites below too, not sure how to hyperlink here.
Strip back everything that you're currently doing to relieve the constipation. Focus on each step until either a positive outcome comes about or a negative one , even no change. Keep a record of this. The reason you want to go about resolving the constipation this way is because when we're constipated we basically throw everything we can at it. It's better to have a record of what's worked, failed etc. Throwing everything at it all at once can and does cause problems for transit. Lastly, each person is different, so you need to work out what works for you and what doesn't. That said, there are some tried and true routes to take - some you've already tried.
Your goals are to work toward resolving these two things:
1) You want to promote motility (movement of the matter through the bowel).
2) You want a movement/evacuation/poop.
So, looking at 1:
Rub your belly clockwise, daily, several times a day for several minutes per day. It's not a myth, it works. Ask any gastro or physio and they'll tell you to do this as just a matter of good practice to promote bowel movements. You can massage your belly while doing this. It's good to do it while lying down on your back. But, it also works well while walking.
Walk, everyday if you can. As much as you can but most importantly, after each meal. Again, if possible. This helps propel the matter through your bowel.
Drink water. As you become constipated your fecal matter dries out. This in turn slows the transit down. So ensure you have at least 2 litres of water per day.
Linseed helps propel matter through the bowel as well as bulk it out. So do oats and other fibers. This bulking tells the bowel to promote motility. There are conditions that dis-regulate movement of the bowel, PD is often associated with this missed signal. However, fiber is also good for healthy gut bacteria. I know some people do well with a lower fiber diet. So, i'll leave this up to you to decide.
**Magnesium. Up to 450mg per day is not harmful. However, be aware that if you're taking B1 there may be a conflict. I'm not an expert on this conflict, but I'm aware there could be one so please proceed with caution. That said, it's very effective at loosening the stool up by drawing water into the bowel. This again sends a signal to your bowel to evacuate.
**Movicol movicol.com/ it can be used in combination with the Magnesium and everything else. It's easy to use. It will soften the stool and promote motility. You can use a little or a lot. Be aware it's high in sodium. If you have other health conditions, you should take this into consideration. It's very effective, people who are quad or paraplegics find it helps them out.
**microlax for an immediate 'I need relief now'! use this. It's small and introduced through the anus. It can cause discomfort if you've been constipated for some time, which is why I suggest it's to be used when you really can't take much more. It's not as strong as many other laxative, which is good (this is something that can be discussed later but the short version is, less laxative the better and if necessary let them be gentle otherwise you'll end up backed up again sooner rather than later). It should be used as a once in a while laxative.
Both Microlax and Movicol are far superior to senna - don't use senna, please. And, they won't cause dependency or lazy bowel issues. Always reach for Movicol first, after you've tried Magnesium (if possible). Then, if that's not helping go for Microlax Rinse and repeat.
So to recap the three Ms. Try Magnesium first, you can then layer movicol in smaller doses with Magnseium if you're not seeing suitable results. You can steadily increase the Movicol to the maximum dose until desired outcome. If still having a great deal of difficultly, reach for Microlax. Then, start again. Reduce your dose of the Movicol or remove it entirely and just maintain the Magnesium. If you require more assistance again, you reintroduce the Movicol as aforementioned/if necessary.
There are devices that can help promote movement of the bowel through stimulation, they're basically TENS machines. If you're interested I can link some details up. They've mainly been used in trials on children but they're relatively cheap and easy to use, the science is solid and it can't harm you.
****There are medicines that will help with the movement. Such as lincontide (spelling?!) also known as Constella/Linzess and a few other medicines that have a great record of helping, with little-to-no side effects. It's my opinion, these are great if you've tried as many lifestyle interventions (diet, exercise, belly rubs, previously mentioned interventions etc) and you're still not getting anywhere. Here's some handy info: badgut.org/wp-content/uploa... Badgut.org is a great source, very helpful info there. And, here's another source: aboutibs.org/treatment/medi...
There's loads more but this is a lot to take in.
Looking at 2:
** It can't be stressed enough. Position, position, position! Please get a squatty potty, stool, squat toilet. You need to be in a relaxed state to open your bowel. And, traditional western toilets put pressure and strain on the pelvic floor which stops the flow of traffic! Your knees should be up, back straight with a slight curve in your lower back.
Breath deeply, relax. Then, hum or growl. Weird, I know. But, it engages the diaphragm. You want to do this in order to properly 'bear down'. This way you're not pushing, straining and putting stress on the pelvic floor.
When we are stressed (constipation alone will do this!) and we're straining to poop, the bowel sorta ceases up. It clenches. It's unconscious, mostly. But, you can relearn how to have a relaxing poop.
Get off the toilet. Don't sit on the toilet longer than you need to be on it. You should pee/poop and get off. If you can't pee/poop, get off the toilet and try again later. Much like we're told to have good sleep hygiene and not use our beds/bedrooms are living areas, toilets are not chairs, seats or as much as we like to call them - thrones! You'll begin to associate the toilet with stress and strain, again the pelvic floor will clench. Also, there's a whole list of other reasons that I won't bore you with!
Again, this is a lot, so I'll leave it at this. Any questions just fire away. Happy to help/answer as and when I'm able to.
TL;DR: Good luck, really. It's can be daunting. But the key is to strip back what you've been doing. Adjust your environment to suit your needs. And, layer each step along the way to achieve more regular bowel movements. First start off simple, then look to add medicines in if necessary. You'll get there, be kind to yourself along the way.
It’s a bit of a balancing act, but generally a combination of daily oatmeal, prunes and 2 psyllium tablets keep me functioning. I also try to drink lots of water, which may help solve the one problem but exacerbates another.
Hi Darcy3, I have read through all of the posts and not one used the routine I have. This is what I have written for my caregiver (should it come to thatI have fought constipation since I was in my teens. I was in my 60s before I figured out that , for me, there is a correlation between constipation and flatulence. I know not all bodies respond the same to the same thing… For example, my blood type is O positive and I do not require a lot of meat in my diet, whereas my husband’s blood type is B positive and he feels poorly if his protein is too limited. I can eat a box of prunes and not experience any side effects, whereas another person could have things triggered by eating just two prunes.
And 1 teaspoon of psyllium husk might be sufficient to help one person be consistent, I could consume 3 Tablespoons of the product for days with no success,
My fear is that if I were no longer able to provide my own care I would most likely perish from an impacted bowel. Therefore I shall endeavor to explain my ritual{
I take 1 Capsule Triple Magnesium- Complex (from Swanson's) and 1- 250 mg capsule of Cape Aloe (from Douglas Laboratories) with water each morning and each evening. Both products bring water to the bowels. Still, possibly partially due to a prolapsed colon, I find it necessary to use digital guidance and stimulation. It has been difficult to find the correct balance, and may require adjustment according to diet or activity level changes. If the dose is too high, the stool becomes loose and I become incontinent. If I begin to become flatulent, passing gas with every movement, an extra Magnesium complex capsule is warranted. If I am fasting, and miss a dose, one may need to provide an extra capsule for two days .
My theory is that the peristaltic waves forget to work and need to be awakened. Positioning also matters Please, 1) place my feet on a stepstool (or squatty potty).
2) place a small bit of lubricant on my gloved index finger and guide me to insert digit ,
As the peristaltic waves come, it usually takes four or five movement cycles to clear the tract.
Another clue, besides the flatulence, is urinary issues. Due to the prolapsed colon, restricting the urethra, if I become sluggish and don;t fully empty, I feel urges, but cannot release the urine. This sets me up for urinary tract infections, If my colon is clear, and I still cannot create much of a flow, that is a signal that I probably have a tract infection and need to consume more water.
Have you tried the old standby regulars, tried and true mineral oil, Castor oil, any oil? Prune juice?
Have you tried the old standby regulars, tried and true mineral oil, Castor oil, any oil? Prune juice?
D'Arcy have you tried smoking? I'm not joking. You'd be surprised.
Darcy maybe there is another reason for your constipation besides PD. When we get older two things happen. We loose the ability to digest some foods and we can develop allergies to some foods . Glutton, eggs, dairy products, beans and just about anything. You have no doubt heard the term "Old Fart" well sometimes it gets a lot more complicated. My daughter, Daughter in-law, Grand daughters all were tested for food allergens ,and came back with along list of foods to avoid and picked the ones at the top of the list to live without. The extreme constipation has stopped in all cases.
Now just try and have a family dinner together. (Two) , no eggs, no dairy, (Three ) no wheat or Glutton (one no beans) and yet life goes on.
Good luck
Jim
Daily milled/ground flaxseed helps me. Also coconut oil.
For me a teaspoon of cinnamon per day works well.
I continue to read with interest all of the posts on this board regarding constipation. My 80 year old mother-in-law was diagnosed 18 years ago. Constipation has often been an issue for her but in 2021 it has become a major issue. We threw everything at it but the kitchen sink - Miralx, Benefiber, drink more water, walk, Senna, Dulcolax, suppositories, kiwi - you get the picture that we are grasping at straws. Everything would work about once or twice and then back to the same problem. My MIL was also suffering from nausea which the hospice nurse explained is because there is no GI movement and when my MIL eats, the food can't move down the natural path and just sits there. Her anti-nausea med wasn't helping either. My SIL is an RN and at her hospital they use Reglan when appropriate for nausea. It has been a week and is working wonderfully for the constipation and the nausea. This RX apparently aids in GI motility. The drawback is that it will work against PD drugs so the dosage needs to be monitored. We have noticed some rigidity in my MIL's left hand but at this stage, if we can solve the problems of constipation and nausea, then the tradeoff at her stage is worth it. Hopefully it keeps working for her and perhaps this can help one of you.
HiI posted several weeks back telling my husbands same issues with constipation. He has PD diagnosed 1.5 years ago. We tried most everything - kiwi, a cocktail of things suggested by the neurologist, Swiss Kris tabs, prune juice, fiber powders, and finally prescription meds. A friend told me to have him take 6 magnesium oxide tablets and she guaranteed it would clean him out. He took 4 and bam ! First time in 5 days!
Now he takes 2 for maintenance and has had no problems (unless he forgets to take them). We were so surprised! It’s made by Sundown, cheap and on Amazon. It has to be mag Oxide! It’s safe and the worst thing is you could get diarrhea but who cares if it cleans you out.
Thank you for sharing your husband’s secret weapon. I will certainly try. You are kind to take the time to write. I will let you know how it turn out…..
are these 500 mg Magnesium Oxide tablets?
Yes. He was taking 4 pills but recently bumped up to 5. It has kept him regular. He's tried a concoction that his neurologist recommended (apple sauce, oat bran, prune juice) and he did not like it! He only takes the mag if he hasn't gone in a couple of days. It works!
One of the worst problems associated with Parkinson’s
I recommend Castor Oil capsules and MOM
Castor oil capsules can also be given rectally
Also prunes and apricots
Also need to drink lots of fluids
I tried prunes and apricots an ended up with gout.n thank you for sharing your thoughts.
This may not work but may be worth a try. When our daughter was a baby she was very constipated. I was told to give her sweet potato baby food. It was effective.
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