Senekot....anyone Use This Product?

[BeckyW]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has tried Senekot for chronic C. Is this safe to take on a daily basis?

Or, do you have any other suggestions for this problem?

Thank you!

[Canadian Karen]

I have no idea as to the gluten free status of Senekot, but as to the safety of it, I can tell you that my daughter's pediatrician had her on it for quite some time. From the time she was 2 (and she was in the hospital due to impaction) he has us giving her a teaspoon of Senekot every night at bedtime for over 1 year before her bowels started working on their own.....

She's 7 now and has absolutely no bowel issues now......

Karen

[nettiebeads]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has tried Senekot for chronic C. Is this safe to take on a daily basis?

Or, do you have any other suggestions for this problem?

Thank you!

My mother used to use it a lot. I have two regimines. One is dried apricots and raisins every day. That usually works pretty well for me. If things aren't going well, then it's Citrucel. Usually two tabs in the a.m. get me going. If not, then I take two more at night and then two the next a.m. That's almost always done the trick for me. Of course, there's always milk of mag - but that's a last resort.

Hope that helps.

Annette

[debmidge]

I just recently 6/06 had to call Senokot to confirm gluten-free status and they say it is...their # is 888-726-7535

www.senokot.com

[BeckyW]

Thanks for your replies! I appreciate all the help!

[jenvan]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has tried Senekot for chronic C. Is this safe to take on a daily basis?

Or, do you have any other suggestions for this problem?

Thank you!

I would caution you from using this everyday, esp on an ongoing basis. Senna is a laxative, and not something you should allow your body to depend on. I realize some folks are in situations where they need this type of supplement...but I'd say that majority of people can find other solutions. Have you tried natural fiber alternatives like psyllium? I obviously don't know your story from this post...but if you have chronic C I would encourage you to keep a food journal and see if certain foods, ie. dairy, cause you to get C, or if some of the fiber vs. laxative supplements will work for you.

Read the caution on senna below:

No laxative, including senna, should be used for longer than 7 to 10 days. Chronic use of laxatives may lead to “lazy-bowel syndrome” -- a dependency on laxatives to have any bowel movements as the muscles of the stomach and intestines gradually lose the ability to contract without being stimulated by the laxative.

Individuals who have or ever have had an obstruction of the gastrointestinal or who have hemorrhoids, stomach ulcers, or an inflammatory bowel disease should avoid using senna laxatives because senna’s irritating effects may worsen these conditions. Unexplained constipation of longer than a few days length should be evaluated by a doctor.

[Canadian Karen]

Perhaps it is different for adults, but when the pediatrician was looking after Rhiannon regarding her constipation issues (chronic constipation, couple of episodes of impaction, etc.), he stated that she needed the Senekot to help her along until the muscles got strong enough to be able to move things along on their own (I guess maybe that is called "lazy bowel"?) Anyway, when we voiced concern about using it long term, he said that Senekot was all natural and there would be no problems.....

Now maybe for an adult, it could be different, but all I know is that it was the only thing that helped Rhiannon and the hell we were going through with her bowel issues..... There truly is nothing worse than your child in excruciating pain because she is impacted..... and trust me, we went the whole route beforehand with the cutting out bananas, giving foods that are supposed to naturally help you "go", and also tried the colace, suppositories, etc. etc. etc...... the whole nine yards..........

I guess bottom line is that you have to weight the pros and cons for your own particular situation.......

Hugs!

Karen

[jenvan]

Perhaps it is different for adults, but when the pediatrician was looking after Rhiannon regarding her constipation issues (chronic constipation, couple of episodes of impaction, etc.), he stated that she needed the Senekot to help her along until the muscles got strong enough to be able to move things along on their own (I guess maybe that is called "lazy bowel"?) Anyway, when we voiced concern about using it long term, he said that Senekot was all natural and there would be no problems.....

Now maybe for an adult, it could be different, but all I know is that it was the only thing that helped Rhiannon and the hell we were going through with her bowel issues..... There truly is nothing worse than your child in excruciating pain because she is impacted..... and trust me, we went the whole route beforehand with the cutting out bananas, giving foods that are supposed to naturally help you "go", and also tried the colace, suppositories, etc. etc. etc...... the whole nine yards..........

I guess bottom line is that you have to weight the pros and cons for your own particular situation.......

Hugs!

Karen

I had hoped you wouldn't read into what I wrote, b/c I honestly wasn't trying to imply anything about your daughter's situation. Maybe you weren't really...I can't tell here. I do believe that sometimes that route is the only and best option, and in those times--I say take it for sure! Going with a laxative is better than not going at all if other options have failed! And maybe in certain cases it would help to retrain the bowel...but I can't speak to that personally. I just mention what I did b/c unfortunately a lot of times we go to meds first, when something else might work well for us also. This is similar to my story... My dad also is taking a prescribed laxative daily now and that worries me, esp at his age. His diet is fairly poor and he is an example to me, of someone not having gone through the options before taking this route... Just wanted to put some caution out there and always make sure all the options are explored. Thanks!

[Canadian Karen]

Hey Jen!

Don't worry - we're cool! It is a good idea to post any warnings about any medication or food we might take! We should always use anything with caution...... Don't worry, I didn't take it the wrong way! I just wanted to explain that when all other options had failed for Rhiannon, the doctor had no reservations about using Senekot long term..... After 1 year, after three previous attempts at tapering her off (but bowels weren't ready for that yet......), finally, when we tapered her off of it, her bowels seemed to be working on their own by then....... Perhaps they just had to be "potty trained" and taught how to do their job!

Hugs.

Karen

[jenvan]

Hey Jen!

Don't worry - we're cool! It is a good idea to post any warnings about any medication or food we might take! We should always use anything with caution...... Don't worry, I didn't take it the wrong way! I just wanted to explain that when all other options had failed for Rhiannon, the doctor had no reservations about using Senekot long term..... After 1 year, after three previous attempts at tapering her off (but bowels weren't ready for that yet......), finally, when we tapered her off of it, her bowels seemed to be working on their own by then....... Perhaps they just had to be "potty trained" and taught how to do their job!

Hugs.

Karen

That could be... so glad how well she is doing now! After years of C...I still don't take going to the bathroom for granted !

[BeckyW]

Have you tried natural fiber alternatives like psyllium? I obviously don't know your story from this post...but if you have chronic C I would encourage you to keep a food journal and see if certain foods, ie. dairy, cause you to get C, or if some of the fiber vs. laxative supplements will work for you.

What is psyllium? I have seen it mentioned on this board before but I am not sure what it is. I prefer to use natural methods over any drugs. We have used a food journal and just eliminated the foods that are causing problems but still need alittle extra help until the body is healed.

Thank you!

[jenvan]

What is psyllium? I have seen it mentioned on this board before but I am not sure what it is. I prefer to use natural methods over any drugs. We have used a food journal and just eliminated the foods that are causing problems but still need alittle extra help until the body is healed.

Thank you!

Becky-It took me quite a few months (and also eliminating dairy) to get regular, after years of C. I can say now things are working pretty well....so much better. When I start to slow down, the psyllium gets things up and rolling again. Go to this thread and read the 2nd post down, mine. I actually responded to your question, but maybe you never went back and saw it... Here: Open Original Shared Link That hopefully answers most of your questions about psyllium. Any more?

[taz sharratt]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has tried Senekot for chronic C. Is this safe to take on a daily basis?

Or, do you have any other suggestions for this problem?

Thank you!

be carefull as this product is suppose to be for occasional use, i suffer with chronic C a lot and have been in hospital from it, your body will start to rely on it if you take it too long and before you know it you need something stronger, ive now come off them and now drink more water and also take fig syrup which goes work without giveing D big time and without the cramps.try this one it helps me.

[kevsmom]

My grandmother drank "Senakot tea" every day for many, many years. She swore by it.

Cindy

[BeckyW]

Becky-It took me quite a few months (and also eliminating dairy) to get regular, after years of C. I can say now things are working pretty well....so much better. When I start to slow down, the psyllium gets things up and rolling again. Go to this thread and read the 2nd post down, mine. I actually responded to your question, but maybe you never went back and saw it... Here: Open Original Shared Link That hopefully answers most of your questions about psyllium. Any more?

Jenvan- Thanks for answering my question and the link to the post you answered before. I missed that original one so I am glad you pointed it out! We will try this product for my daughter and hopefully it will work as well as it did for you. We just found all her other food sensitivities and eliminated them 4 days ago. She is still miserable but I believe after years of suffering we have finally found out the causes. I know it will take time but it is just hard to watch her suffer so much.

Thanks to everyone who replied and all the support!

Becky

[jenvan]

Jenvan- Thanks for answering my question and the link to the post you answered before. I missed that original one so I am glad you pointed it out! We will try this product for my daughter and hopefully it will work as well as it did for you. We just found all her other food sensitivities and eliminated them 4 days ago. She is still miserable but I believe after years of suffering we have finally found out the causes. I know it will take time but it is just hard to watch her suffer so much.

Thanks to everyone who replied and all the support!

Becky

It can take a while...the daughter of a friend of mine was just diagnosed and she has major C--to the point of impaction. She is improving though. This product is safe for kids, just start out with a smaller dose. And remember to have her drink plenty of water afterwards. Hope she feels better soon! I bet eliminating the other foods will help too.

[BeckyW]

We never did try the Senokot after reading all the replies. I need some extra guidance on the topic of C. She is dealing with this constantly and causing alot of discomfort for her. She tried the psyllium in a powder form but after 1 day nothing really happened and she was misserable. The only product that really seems to work is the liquid magnesium citrate solution. It has 290 mg per 1 fl oz and she takes about 3 oz a day to keep things moving along. Some days she has to take a little more. My question is, and I apologize if this was discussed and I missed it, is this safe to use on a continuing basis until her body can funtion correctly on its own?

She won't eat much or drink much when she is dealing with the C. Therefore she has lost alot of weight and getting her to eat or drink is not easy due to the discomfort and feeling full. I'm tired of the doctors telling her to gain weight but not listening when I tell them what is going on.

Its been a week now since all irritants have been eliminated from her diet. Just waiting for all to heal now.

Thanks for all the help and I appreciate anything else you can tell me!

Becky

[Canadian Karen]

All I can tell you is when Rhiannon had the continuing episodes of being impacted, the pediatrician handling her case said the safest thing for children to use long term was Senekot, as it was an all natural ingredient. I just know that it worked for Rhiannon. He started us with a dose that had her bm's nice and soft, and little by little we tailed back until we got to the proper dose where her bm's were just right, and kept her at dose for one year while her bowels learned how to work on their own......

[jenvan]

Poor thing…like Karen said--if this is the only thing that is working, then, she may need to stick with it for a while! Not going at all can be dangerous. I had forgot to mention that taking a simple magnesium supplement with the psyllium can also be a huge help…but needs to be experimented with as too much can cause D. I would honestly get your doctor involved on this...and have him help you come up with a short and long-term plan similar to what Karen's doctor did for her daughter. As I said, it took several months for my C to improve...so staying the course is important. Younger kids, overall, seem to recover faster than us 'adults', so hopefully her body will start bouncing back soon!!

[ilikepie]

I know this is an old topic....but I wouldn't want anyone to actually think that you could become dependent on something like this. That is an old wives tale. People whose bowels didn't work properly started using products like senna or bisocodyl, and their bowels started working. Then they were taken off of the product and their bowels stopped working again, which lead people to the conclusion that they MUST have become dependent on the product. It's false logic and just not true.

Senokot's website is very helpful and clearly states that it is gluten free as of today. It does contain corn starch though, so I can't take that brand. I am planning on getting some generic senna and trying that though. My doctor originally suggested bisodocyl, but it's not available without about 40 added harmful inactive ingredients. I haven't tried the senna yet, but I am going to get it today.