8 year old constipated for 5 weeks

[Fedupmumof2]

Hello everyone, I'm hoping you can all offer some advise etc...My 8 year old boy has been suffering with constipation for several years and I would give him lactulose to help him when he was backed up and he would pass a stool once a week. Lately it is getting harder to unblock him, the last time he went 3 weeks before passing a huge stool (I'm shocked it managed to come out), but now it's been 5 weeks!! The lactulose wasn't working so I went to our GP who prescribed him movicol, 4 sachets on the first day and then add an extra 2 sachets each day until he reached 12 sachets... if he reached 12 sachets and still hadn't passed the stool the to get back in touch... but the GP was sure he wouldn't reach the 12 sachets... but he DID reach the 12 sachets for 3 days, and he had over soiling/diarrhoea but no solid stool... He has now been put on Docusate Sodium 5ml 3x a day for the last 2 days... but the diarrhoea has practically stopped and he's no longer getting the urge to poop... I'm also giving him prune juice ontop of bottles of water through the day... I just don't kno what to do anymore... he NEEDS to poop but I'm lost...

Any help or advise please??????

[Yaleamanda]

Ideally you need to disimpact him, work upto the maximum dose for their age until you reach watery stools with no lumps consistently for 3 days before you start reducing the doses down extremely slowly ie one sachet every 3 day until you reach a suitable maintenance dose to remain on. The pico may need increasing too. Ensure that they are drinking plenty of fluids on top of the movicol as this does not count towards the daily allowance of fluids.

[Fedupmumof2 in reply to Yaleamanda]

What is pico?

[Yaleamanda in reply to Fedupmumof2]

A stimulant laxative

[Fedupmumof2 in reply to Yaleamanda]

So can he take the movicol and docusate sodium together? I think our GP has swapped him from the movicol to the docusate... or could he take lactulose with the docusate as he struggled with drinking the 12 sachets of movicol ontop of his usual fluid intake...

[Yaleamanda in reply to Fedupmumof2]

Yes, they can. That said lactulose is pretty ineffective especially for disimpacting

[Fedupmumof2 in reply to Yaleamanda]

Oh I see... I'm wandering if I was supposed to keep him on the movicol aswell as the docusate... I really wish the GPs would explain things a bit better lol

[Yaleamanda in reply to Fedupmumof2]

You can do

[Zubbs]

my 8 year old who suffers with constipation, I agree you need the disimpaction it took about 10 days with my boy, for the disimpaction he was on 8 sachets a day and 15ml of pico at bedtime. He now has 2 movicol sachets a day and 10ml of pico. If he hasn’t been much during the week at weekend I give him 3-4 movicol and still keep with the pico. Look on the ERIC website there is loads of information on there to help.

[Fedupmumof2 in reply to Zubbs]

Can I ask what pico your son is on please?

[Zubbs]

Sodium picosulfate 5mg

[Fedupmumof2 in reply to Zubbs]

Thank you... I think I'll definitely put my son back on the movicol along with the docusate sodium then... and just pray this works! I can't even begin to imagine how he feels having not pooped for almost 6 weeks now...

[louise2011]

my daughter suffers terrible with her bowels i find movicol doesnt help,currently think she has a blockagge but no one is listening feeel hopless

[14crosstitch14]

How much exercise is he getting. Sounds like he's getting plenty fluids and dosen't need much else. I have super food/seeds girls eat a lot of fibre and got them fibre orange. Dancing and jumping about may help. Hope he's better soon

[14crosstitch14]

Plenty liquids and senacot dose work. Figs/prunes. I used natural foods and apple/orange juice plenty water needs to be taken to help flush out, exercise too. Good run/walk should help