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scared of metamucil

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Posted 1/15/2010 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
I am in the middle of a flare that has been quite a rollercoaster.  I have read a lot of you take metamucil to bulk up the stool.  Today was all watery stools all day long. Very tiring...I had my husband pick up a bottle of metamucil on the way home from work.  I read on the bottle its a laxative.  I'm very nervous to take this.  I can't take getting much worse.  Any help on this one?

 

Posted 1/15/2010 4:26 AM (GMT 0)
I just started taking a small amount with my psyllium seed poweder and it's def been helping me.
Posted 1/15/2010 4:41 AM (GMT 0)
Metamucil is psyllium husk powder. If you take the powdered form it's also got a lot of sugar and junk in it. Most of us take the capsules, they don't have the added junk. The capsules are more expensive, but I think they are worth it, as I am also diabetic. I take three capsules morning and night.
Posted 1/15/2010 5:01 AM (GMT 0)
Which metamucil exactly did your husband pick up for you? What are the ingredients.

I wouldn't be afraid of using the one with sugar...better than the one with artificial sweeteners.

I prefer the capsules, but I did use the Orange Smooth one for a few years.
The capsules are more convenient for me.

You could start off with a half dosage after a meal for a few days, then do another half dosage with another meal....so that's two half dosages in one day.
If all is well...you can do two full dosages and see if you need to add another.

Laxative...well, the point is that it increases bulk and softens the stool. If one is constipated and uses metamucil, it's a laxative.

If one has diarrhea and uses Metamucil, it's a stool bulker using the liquid from the diarrhea to be absorbed by the fibre.

Keep us posted.

q
Posted 1/15/2010 6:24 AM (GMT 0)
I'd be more scared of having watery diarrhea than of fibre supplements...my Gi recommended I take them daily and indefinitely and I have been now for the last 5ish yrs with no regret.

The one I use is called Prodiem Fibre Bulking Therapy (similar to metamucil) and it too states on the bottle "with mild laxative" that is to ensure you don't get constipated, even though with fibre it aids with both D &/or C, it's more of a precaution, don't be worried, give it a try or see if he dan take it back and exchange it for caps, that's what I use, I don't take anything with sugar or added sweetners or any other added junky stuff (fillers) that are not needed.

Always start with the smallest amount first (like one cap) and drink plenty of water with it, don't increase the amount until after your system has adjusted (may cause or increase gass/bloating which is normal and happens to healthy people too), key is to stick with it everyday and your system will adjust.

:)
Posted 1/15/2010 1:26 PM (GMT 0)
luna -
My GI recommended that I go on Metamucil 23 years ago in order to bulk up my stools and so that, in his words, I'd "never have to strain again." I've taken it every day since, except for the few days before my annual colonoscopy. And wow, I am so much more uncomfortable those days!

As far as Metamucil being a laxative, the way I see it is that Metamucil will fix whatever the problem is - it's sort of an "equalizer."

I would start with one small dose each day and then increase, in case it gives you a little gas at the beginning. I take two huge spoons each day, and I take the original "coarse milled" kind. I take it right before lunch, because that works for me (If I'm going to be out for the day I take it in the morning.)
When I'm having an increase in watery D, I take a 3rd dose and it makes the stools solid.
Posted 1/15/2010 7:36 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all your responses, he got me the kind that has artifical sweetners, so I think i'll go see if I can exchange it for the regular kind or even the pills! thanks so much for all the advice! I really appreciate it!
Posted 1/15/2010 7:37 PM (GMT 0)
Oh, I just picked up a bottle of Turmeric pills as well, hoping this might help too!!!
Posted 1/15/2010 7:37 PM (GMT 0)
Ah, better yet. Let us know how it goes for you.
q
Posted 1/15/2010 7:57 PM (GMT 0)
It's an individual thing. It's basically straight fiber, and I had to avoid fiber when flaring. But worth a try.
Posted 1/15/2010 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
Take it with meals.....start low dosage.

q
Posted 1/16/2010 7:02 AM (GMT 0)
I've never increased my fibre supplements since staring them 5ish yrs ago but I have been able to increase my diet in fibre and it's all still working out well (as in no bloating or excessive gas).

:)
Posted 1/16/2010 7:38 AM (GMT 0)
When in a severe flare I cannot take fiber supplements as it causes a very painful bowel movements. Just start with a very low dose at first.
Posted 1/16/2010 1:22 PM (GMT 0)
Don't be scared of Metamucil...lol...you can stop it if it makes things worse or doesn't help.

On my package (I take the wafers) it actually says there's a laxative dose and a supplement dose.  So that's proof for me that it can be a supplement.  And start out slow so you aren't too gassy or bloated and work your way up to the supplement dose.

Good luck!

Posted 1/16/2010 7:12 PM (GMT 0)
As my GI told me, "start with one cap a day, taking it everyday will help your system adjust faster but it still varies from person to person, the increased gas and bloating it will more than likely cause is completely normal, don't stop taking it due to those symptoms, it happens to healthy GI tracts as well, it will be worth the increased gas and bloating for the end result, only increase the amount you're taking slightl, if necessary."....he was 100% correct on all counts.


:)
Posted 1/16/2010 10:32 PM (GMT 0)
Stay clear of it while you are flaring. It will increase colon motility, you want the opposite effect.
Posted 1/16/2010 10:42 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I should add then, that my GI directed me to start fibre pills while I was flaring (since after all I'm always flaring, have never been in full remission in the entire time I've had IBD) and it did not make things any worse, it made things better...I'm going less times a day since starting it compared to before being on it.

:)
Posted 1/16/2010 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
And I increase the dosage when I'm flaring - with me, it slows down the frequency and the stools have form, not D! (I guess we're all different...)
Posted 1/16/2010 11:45 PM (GMT 0)

My gastro doc told me no fiber supplements until I got into remission and then add them slowly.  They always give me gas - even just one capsule.  I am trying to add a little more fiber to my diet but that is awful too.  I just prefer the lowfiber/low sugar/low fat eating - works best for me but I also have IBS.  Certainly my way to eating is not very healthy but I feel better on it - so....

ElaineNY

Posted 1/17/2010 12:31 AM (GMT 0)
It all depends on how severe your inflammation is. During my worst times I would almost pass out due to the pain cause by the more bulky stool passing through those ulcerated areas of my colon. I actually benefited during those times by going to a low residue (no fiber) diet. If your bm's are extremely painful with a lot of blood and the pain starts well up the colon then you would not want a fiber supplement as this would bulk your stool up and make things a lot more painful. Once your inflammation goes into the mild stage then adding fiber would make sense. Talk to your doctor as he will consider your symptoms instead of others on here.
Posted 1/17/2010 12:34 AM (GMT 0)
Makes a lot of sense, Burli.
I'm sure that a one reason a lot of our experiences are so different is because of the severity and location of our own particular inflammation.
Posted 1/17/2010 3:40 AM (GMT 0)
I was flaring severely, that was when I was going 30+ times a day, with lots of bleeding and lots of mucus, tons of gas and bloating...it helped, it didn't hurt my flare.

kops2da, them causing bloating is normal, that's what it does, even to healthy people, it's your system adjusting to it, once your system adjusts then the excess gas and bloating goes away.

Also, not all docs are on the ball when it comes to this particular subject, my GI is one of the top lead researchers for IBD in Canada so for him to tell me to start fibre supplements while in a severe flare, I had no second thoughts and just did it, and no surprise to me that it helped.

:)
Posted 1/17/2010 4:32 AM (GMT 0)
Well pb4, all I can say is that I took 1/4 dose of psyllium husk fiber supplement with one of my meals everyday for 2 weeks about a month ago and the pain was so severe (you'll recall me reporting on here that I felt like I was passing a child through my colon) that I had to stop. Going 30 times a day with lots of blood, etc. may not be the only measure as to how severe a flare is. The ulcers may be deeper, there maybe more of them further up. Pain is a good measure of how severe a flare is as well. Your GI may be one of the top lead researchers for IBD in Canada and, being your GI, you should take his advice. My advice is folks should listen to their own GI; mine is not too shabby himself. I believe there is a top GI in every state down here. Only my GI has seen the inside of my colon.
I have had flares in the past where I was having a bm's every 30-45 minutes and all that would come out was blood and mucus and very little stool. During some of those times I added some fiber and it helped keep the stool together and bm's were more productive but the pain would make me puke. I recovered faster this time by eliminating all fiber. There is a balance where I get too bad and the fiber is out but then I get a little better and the fiber is beneficial. The fiber made my symptoms (during my extreme flares) much worse and maybe your GI needs read about patients like me to learn more if he's advising all patients with flares to add fiber to their diet. I would hope he's taking into consideration each of his patient's conditions and is advice is more tailored to each accordingly.
Posted 1/17/2010 8:14 AM (GMT 0)
My GI doesn't need to read about patients like you Burli, he's the best in his field in Canada, excessive gas and bloating pain goes with the territory when it comes to fibre supplements, it should be a well known fact for all...

Taking it with food???? That may have been your mistake with it....I don't and never have taken it with food, not caps, there's no purpose to, maybe the kind you can sprinke onto food, but because of the un-necessary added junk to those I never bothered with them, I went straight for the pills, and never took them with food, as my GI suggested.

To each their own, but just a small reminder, with crohn's colitis (which is what I have) the inflammation actually goes through the many layers of the intestinal lining, with UC it's limited to the surface of the lining only...with CD there are also polyps...like ulcers with UC.

Besides taking them without food, you might also want to consider the next time you're in remission if you start with fibre supplements again, you contiune with them daily and indefinitely (flaring or not) and then maybe those 2 things together will hopefully help keep you in remission.

:)
Posted 1/17/2010 8:28 AM (GMT 0)
Here's my GI's credentials....he's not just a top GI, he's one of the top leading researchers (and teacher) for crohn's and colitis.  If you google his name, there are tons of links that come up.

http://www.ucalgary.ca/girg/panaccioner

http://www.everydayhealth.com/bios/remo-panaccione.aspx

http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Panaccione_Remo_298607566.aspx

And this is one of my favorite links about him, it's patients opinions of him

http://doctorcheckup.org/doctors/profile/23708-Remo-Panaccione

:)

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