Constipation

[Moongirl]

So unlike most of you with celiac disease, i have to deal with C more so then D.

The C comes and goes, but Im at the end of my stick what to do when I do get it. I drink water (when I remember and have time) I eat a good amount of veggies...

Any other advise would be great, i hate getting that stuffed up feeling!!!

PS how long (typically) does C last? Or when do I have to worry about it....

[Ursa Major]

Try drinking prune juice, or eating prunes. That has always worked for me (until I figured out I'm intolerant to those ). It is healthy and works like a charm within a few hours.

[CarlaB]

I remember reading in a health book that it's a rare person who can eat a whole avocado and not need to use the restroom within a matter of a couple hours.

[flagbabyds]

You should go see your doc, cause he/she can prescribe miralax, which works really well if you take 1/2 the dose every morning, that is what i do every morning, and it works pretty well, haven't been to the ER for major laxatives snce.

[Moongirl]

You should go see your doc, cause he/she can prescribe miralax, which works really well if you take 1/2 the dose every morning, that is what i do every morning, and it works pretty well, haven't been to the ER for major laxatives snce.

THanks everyone....is there anything OTC that is ok to take?? Or should i stay away from those?

Also is dairy binding? Cause i know ive been eating a lot of cheese lately

[francelajoie]

I bought a bottle of a natural supplement...I belive it's "Colon-Smart colon cleanse". Something like that anyway. I get it at my local Natural Foods (Whole Foods) store. You take one before bed and the next day, you're home free. It's only a "take as you need" type thing. It works really well.

[Ashley]

You should go see your doc, cause he/she can prescribe miralax, which works really well if you take 1/2 the dose every morning, that is what i do every morning, and it works pretty well, haven't been to the ER for major laxatives snce.

Yep, I do the same. It works well. I've dealt with C WAY more than D. So, I know how you feel.

[TCA]

Dairy can be very constipating, especially cheese. If I eat dairy, Megan gets constipated. I used to eat raisin bran for this problem - so much for that now!! Prune juice an prunes really do work great, though. Yummy!

[StrongerToday]

Put a good movie on, chow down a big bowl of popcorn with a large glass of water!

[emcmaster]

I constantly deal with C.

I have several bottles of miralax. I don't like it - it makes me dehydrated (it pulls water into your colon from your body) and makes my stools hard to pass even if they are soft.

A couple things I do that keep me going:

1. Magnesium supplements - generally around 1500mg EXTRA (on top of food and my mulitvitamin) magnesium daily. You can buy magnesium tablets for cheap at a health food store.

2. Strong coffee in the morning.

3. Soluble fiber supplements (as well as lots of fruit and veggies), like acacia powder or citrucel.

Good luck!

[BRUMI1968]

THanks everyone....is there anything OTC that is ok to take?? Or should i stay away from those?

Also is dairy binding? Cause i know ive been eating a lot of cheese lately

Everyone is different - but if I have even 1 tsp of butter on something, I'll get solidified in a bad way. I'm like you, with C not D, or rarely D. I quit dairy since I was on the board here complaining of miserable C and realized I was at the same time telling folks how much I loved ghee, the only dairy I had been allowing myself (if by "allowing myself" I mean eating by the truckload). I quit, and within two days I was fixed up.

Fiber, obviously, is important. I eat a lot of veggies, brown rice, avocados (never sent me to the potty), etc. I need to drink more water, too, and am working on that. I also eat prunes probably every day cut up in my trail mix...that probably helps.

I'd do step 1, quit the dairy to see if that clears it up.

-Sherri

p.s. someone probably already said this, since I didn't read to the end.

[Moongirl]

hmm the magn. supplement is a good idea.

What do you think about Phillips Milk of Magnesia? I looked it up on the web site..here is what they stated...i know its a CYA statement..But when your in a bind ( no pun intended)

Is there any gluten in Phillips' products?

We do not add any gluten to our Phillips' products. However, we cannot guarantee they are 100% gluten free due to raw materials processed by outside vendors.

[rinne]

I sympathize Moongirl.

I have been using Traditional Medicinals Herbal Laxative Tea occasionally but don't want to become dependent on the senna in it.

I also found that cutting out dairy (didn't want to do it and didn't want to see the connection) has made a real difference.

[Moongirl]

I constantly deal with C.

I have several bottles of miralax. I don't like it - it makes me dehydrated (it pulls water into your colon from your body) and makes my stools hard to pass even if they are soft.

A couple things I do that keep me going:

1. Magnesium supplements - generally around 1500mg EXTRA (on top of food and my mulitvitamin) magnesium daily. You can buy magnesium tablets for cheap at a health food store.

2. Strong coffee in the morning.

3. Soluble fiber supplements (as well as lots of fruit and veggies), like acacia powder or citrucel.

Good luck!

Yikes 1500mg..,.i just looked on the bottle at cvs, and it has 250 a pill....does that mean i have to take 6!!! Citrucel isnt something that you can take everyday is it?

These are really good things to know...cause im trying to not to go to the dr's if i can help it first!

[Daxin]

To deal with the C, the easiest, and safest way is to increase your water intake A LOT. Increasing fiber alone and taking softeners and laxitives will dehydrate you, compunding the problem. Also, your system can become dependant on them in the long run. By all means use them for the short term, and under medical supervision.

Yes, dairy can be VERY binding. Also try to avoid anything on the BRAT diest (bananas, Rasins, Apples, toats, tea) etc. These things are used to help battle D, and can make the C worse.

Hope that helps, and I hope you feel better.

[jerseyangel]

To deal with the C, the easiest, and safest way is to increase your water intake A LOT. Increasing fiber alone and taking softeners and laxitives will dehydrate you, compunding the problem. Also, your system can become dependant on them in the long run. By all means use them for the short term, and under medical supervision.

Yes, dairy can be VERY binding. Also try to avoid anything on the BRAT diest (bananas, Rasins, Apples, toats, tea) etc. These things are used to help battle D, and can make the C worse.

Hope that helps, and I hope you feel better.

The BRAT diet is actually bananas, *rice*, applesauce, and toast (gluten-free for us!). I would think raisins would be useful for C--since I have the opposite problem--D--and can not eat many of them, if at all!

[Moongirl]

To deal with the C, the easiest, and safest way is to increase your water intake A LOT. Increasing fiber alone and taking softeners and laxitives will dehydrate you, compunding the problem. Also, your system can become dependant on them in the long run. By all means use them for the short term, and under medical supervision.

Yes, dairy can be VERY binding. Also try to avoid anything on the BRAT diest (bananas, Rasins, Apples, toats, tea) etc. These things are used to help battle D, and can make the C worse.

Hope that helps, and I hope you feel better.

Wow really raisens...I wouldnt think that since its kind of in the family with prunes and does contain a good amount of fiber...interesting. I learn so much from you guys! Thanx

[taz sharratt]

So unlike most of you with celiac disease, i have to deal with C more so then D.

The C comes and goes, but Im at the end of my stick what to do when I do get it. I drink water (when I remember and have time) I eat a good amount of veggies...

Any other advise would be great, i hate getting that stuffed up feeling!!!

PS how long (typically) does C last? Or when do I have to worry about it....

hi , my C can last for a week or more, ive taken laxatives but now they are not working so good. i also hate that stuffed up felling that you cant eat anything. thanx for posting this ? as i suffer terribly, ive got a lot of new things to try now instead of laxatives.

[Moongirl]

The BRAT diet is actually bananas, *rice*, applesauce, and toast (gluten-free for us!). I would think raisins would be useful for C--since I have the opposite problem--D--and can not eat many of them, if at all!

That makes more sense about the Rice, not raisens..... However brown rice is good for C because it does have fiber in it!

[penguin]

1/4 cup of raisins has over 3g of fiber in them!

Here's a site with tons of high fiber food reccomendations:

Open Original Shared Link

[Moongirl]

1/4 cup of raisins has over 3g of fiber in them!

Here's a site with tons of high fiber food reccomendations:

Open Original Shared Link

Thanks Chelse....raisins taste a lot better then prunes...lol

[skbird]

Yikes 1500mg..,.i just looked on the bottle at cvs, and it has 250 a pill....does that mean i have to take 6!!! Citrucel isnt something that you can take everyday is it?

These are really good things to know...cause im trying to not to go to the dr's if i can help it first!

Hi Moongirl - I wouldn't start with 1500 but work up to it (if you need that much!) I usually start with 400-500 at night, then if that doesn't work, add a pill until it does. For me, it's usually 800 mg where it works for me.

Also, I don't drink caf coffee but I have green tea every morning and that does get things going, as well. Even decaf coffee sometimes works.

FWIW, I have stopped dairy a couple of times and have not found that makes a difference for me at all so I still eat it now. But I have noticed it happening in relation to my eating something else my body does not agree with, so keep playing detective and you may figure it out.

Stephanie

[Daxin]

I stand corrected about the rasins...sorry all.

I guess that makes sense....grapes can move things along so rasins should to.

[emcmaster]

Bananas are naturally constipating. They tell those with IBS-D to eat them daily to keep the D at bay. I can't have any or else I'm plugged up for a week!

I used to use Milk of Magnesia, but it's much, much cheaper to buy Open Original Shared Link from your health food store or online.

Also know that eating too much insoluble fiber (found in vegetables, fruits and whole grains) and not enough soluble fiber (the inside of apples, citrucel, acacia) can plug you up, too. It's a delicate balance.

Not only can you take citrucel every day, but you probably should. It's not a laxative and isn't habit forming. It's simply soluble fiber in tablet form. I'd start off with a small dose (2 pills or so a day) and increase until you get some relief.

Once again, constipation requires a balance between too much fiber and too little. Too much fiber will make your stools very soft, but still hard to pass.

Good luck!

[Green12]

I have suffered my whole life with C, until recently. Now I am as regular as regular can be.

What worked for me was Magnesium supplementation like others have suggested. I used magnesium citrate caps from the brand "Now", found at my local health food store. I usually just took one at lunch and one at dinner and one before I went to bed. You should start out slowly to see what dosage will get you moving, if you get d, back down on the dosage.

Also keeping hydrated with lots of water, very important.

Some other things that work for me are drinking freshly squeezed lemon juice in hot water in the morning, or eating watermelon and other melons (their water content is really high).