Constipation side effect !

[Palioly]

One or more of the pills (paracetamol, tramadol, gabapentin) I am taking for my sciatica seem to have constipation as a side effect - please someone can I have advice on how to tackle this ? I am otherwise usually very regular in normal circumstances.

[Sheryl4659]

It will more than likely the Tramadol, plenty of fluids and fresh fruit usually do the trick if that doesn't help you can get something like Laxido from your GP or over the counter at the chemist.

Good luck Sheryl

[Suzysheep]

Yep... Probably the tramadol.

Plenty of fluids, fresh fruit and veg and like sheryl4659 advised laxido...... Or lactulose to draw some water into your Bowles to keep things soft.

[Hidden]

Yeh, Sheryl's wright Fresh fruit, also add low fat youhurt to it. A bowl of bran fakes will also do the trick or you could ask your GP for something to help xx

Hug,

Elizabeth x

[Palioly]

Thanks all - I assume then that the Paracetamol and Gabapentin are usually not guilty.

Any possible Tramadol alternate possible ?

[WestWalesPaul in reply to Palioly]

Tramadol is an opiate-type drug and all opiates have a side-effect of constipation. Commonest is probably codeine [in co-codamol], or morphine [mst or oramorph]. I have morphine and take senokot to help my bowels stay regular.

[Palioly in reply to WestWalesPaul]

Please - How many, How often, and when ?

Dan (o.p.)

[WestWalesPaul in reply to Palioly]

I take between 10 and 20ml of the liquid on alternate days. Works ok for me.

[Bethanna]

I'm on same tablets . I have a glass of prune juice , pear with skin on & all bran . Found that works for me . Constipation is horrible .

[Kate-L]

I take opiate pain killers plus pregablin and also suffer the dreaded constipation as a side effect. Lots of fluids does help as well as dried fruits - apricots in particular! I have tried remedies my GP has suggested, such as senna, lactulose which are supposed to be very gentle, but they cause chronic stomach pains which defeats the object! I find that it is not the Pregablin (Lyrica) giving me constipations, its the opiates but as I really need them to kill my pain, it's a case of learning to live with it and balancing my diet. Good luck!

[Palioly]

So I'm not alone with this - I've just started on the Prunes ! Will report later.

[Hidden]

All the suggestions here are great. If you can avoid laxatives all the better, so I'm a prune juice, all bran, and rhubarb girl. Movicol ( known as move your colon in our house ! ) if things get bad.

[Hidden]

I am on morphine, Solpadol (codeine & paracetamol) and Gabapentin. I saw a nutritionist who recommended Psyllium Husk which is a natural source of fibre. You can get a bag of it from Amazon for about £5 and it lasts ages. It has a scoop in the packet so add one scoop to 1/2 glass of water. It tastes like drinking sand (not that I have). Then you drink 1 pint of water afterwards. Apparently the little grains expand and then move through your stomach. It has the desired effect but not in an unpleasant manner. You should take one dose at night and if that does not do the trick then repeat again in the morning. I have never had to repeat the dose.

Prune juice is another option as well as eating a diet rich in fruit and veg. I do not really like lactulose as apparently it is designed to irritate the stomach in order to prompt movement. My stomach is irritable enough!

I hope that the works for you.

Best regards,

Dave

[Palioly]

Thanks all - I'll start with the Prunes and Rhubarb, and report back in a few days.

[spongemuffin]

Hi Fellow-sufferer,

I have the same issue and my doctor prescribed "Senokot" every night before

bedtime. I take one every other night and that works great. I've had to go to the

ER a number of times because of impaction (very painful) and now that I'm taking

Senokot I don't have a problem. There's also "Miralax" which will work as well OR

check with your doctor.

Hope this helps. It works for me, so give it a GO ("play on words").

[Hidden]

Many pain medications can upset the tummy is you take to many medications. They also in some instances will cause constipation. Paracetamol taken on a regular high dose may be the problem

BOB

[onamission]

I have the same from the morphine patch get bloated not nice I hope you get it sorted

[Bevvy]

I use movicol which I get from GP. Find it really helps. Hope you find something that works for you.

[chairbasedIns1]

A lot of laxatives can cause griping.Every one reacts differently. The best I have found is docusate or dulcolease NOT dulcolax. Docusate is a bowel motion softener. Can be bought or prescribed.

Good luck

[sianr]

Hiya go to chemist in the morning you can get lactulose and Senna on direct care, one is a softener and the other moves your bowels, unfortunately opiates taken regularly do constipate and it's important to drink plenty of water and fresh fruit along with the laxatives. Hope this helps x

[donna19]

I do hope you get this sorted i found myself in a&e as i was on morphin patches for a bad neck so imagine that with trying to go toilet theres nothing worse . Have you tried aloe vera gel it works a treat .

[painbypayne]

Hi

Pain relief medications as you are already probably aware not only dull the pain they also dull and impact on the natural function of the intestines, bowel and other organs and functions of the body. Unfortunately constipation is a common and difficult side effect of pain relief medication and for some it becomes intolerable and a change or a supplement of additional medication is required. For myself things only became more comfortable when I began to understand how the digestive system and bowel work and require to function with regularity and ease.

You may possibly derive some improvement to your problem via your diet, fluid & roughage intake and exercise regimes. An approach that is proving useful with my own chronic constipation problems that result from prolonged use of pain relief medications.

In simple terms it maybe worth remembering that the colon is the last stop and station of the digestive tract and while its contents remain parked awaiting disposal, that the function of colon is abstracting and absorbing all the fluids it can from received content prior to its departure. Therefore the longer the delay in the departure of its content the harder and more difficult to move its comes to dispose of.

A good level and sustained balance of fluid and roughage intake in the diet is most important together with exercise to stimulate the digestive tract if your underlying condition permits. if not you may also find a few regular gentle circle clockwise massage of the small and large intestine useful everyday. Water intake is very important to keep the body and digestive tract and bowel hydrated and moving.

If appropriate try natural supplements in moderation, if suitable try a little coconut water (not milk) first thing in the morning and last thing a night and wheat bran sprinkled over cereals or fruit during the day works well for me.

[jaffa7]

Having been on opiates for some years, I have tried the OTC treatments and diets etc. Opiates make the bowel sluggish, and my GP informed me that , because of that, the usual remedies dont work to well as the cause of the constipation is not a lack of roughage/fibre/etc. If things dont work out for you, then you could ask your doctor for Resolor. It acts on the receptors in the gut, so works in an entirely different way - it has made my life so much better. Initially it was only used for women, purely because the efficacy hadn't been assessed in men, although last I heard, the manufacturers were doing a post-authorisation efficacy study in men. So, if you are male, your GP may prescribe it ''off-licence'' , or you may just have to wait until the assessment is done lol.

[jules37]

snack on dry prunes, appricots. prune juice. personally I much prefer natural options where possible first.

[Palioly]

My Tramadol has just been changed for a low-dose, slow release, Morphine tablet - I suppose that will have the same constipation risk ?

[jaffa7 in reply to Palioly]

Yes it will unfortunately. See how you get on with it for a week or so - but if you find the constipation intolerable, then ask your Gp about the Resolor

[Hidden]

pint of prune juice if you can handle it works wonder I'm on tramadol and gives me the same side effects as you

[Palioly]

Some success with - 2 Sennocot at bed-time, plus 3 prunes + all-bran at breakfast !

[Bazer-Sci]

Hi, you have opioid receptors in your gut as well as in your brain that's why oral medications containing opioids including tramadol cause constipation like symptoms. You could ask your gp to prescribe a patch which often have less impact on the gut. Hope you find a solution. Barry